HIST 610: The Study and Writing of History
HIST 610-002: Study and Writing of History
(Fall 2025)
04:30 PM to 07:10 PM W
Innovation Hall 316
Section Information for Fall 2025
This course differs from most other history courses in that it does not concentrate upon a specific geographic region or historical period, nor upon a particular social, political, or cultural topic. Instead, it focuses on historiography, or “the history of history,” and is intended to introduce graduate students to the major theories, methodologies, and problems of historical analysis and interpretation.
We will begin with a survey of key institutional and intellectual developments that have informed the practice of history as an academic discipline from the late nineteenth century to the present. Then we will closely analyze several recognized works (all from the twentieth century) that exemplify important shifts in how historians (and some non-historians) have conceptualized processes of historical change, selected and interpreted the available evidence, and constructed narratives of the past. Finally, we will read and discuss a few more recently published titles that represent current trends (and perhaps future directions) in the production and presentation of historical knowledge.
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Course Information from the University Catalog
Credits: 3
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate, Non-Degree or Undergraduate level students.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
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