Course Description
Put today’s news in historical perspective! Learn the practical skills needed to conduct historical research. Each semester, the instructor will choose three or four issues that have made headline news in the past year and lead students on a quest to determine the historical roots of each issue.
Athena Title
History Behind the Headlines H
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in HIST 3777
Non-Traditional Format
This course differs from the non-Honors version by requiring more intense reading (several full-length historical monographs), more writing (a longer term paper in addition to the shorter essays), and more discussion (25% of the final grade is based on discussion).
Prerequisite
Permission of Honors
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Students will gain an understanding of the discipline of historical research, and engage with the world around them, by investigating the historical roots of issues that have recently received a lot of attention in the news. With close faculty mentorship, students will travel to and access the Main Library, the Russell Special Collections Building, archives, and the DigiLab, to become familiar with the many resources available on campus, and to learn the research skills, which they will put into practice in the remainder of the course. Students will learn firsthand the fundamental processes and outcomes of historical research. The topics of research will change each year to reflect our changing world. A few recent examples include the popularity of Pope Francis (was the popularity of popes a concern in centuries past?), the Syrian refugee crisis (which other refugee crises in the past offer helpful points of comparison?), and the controversy surrounding police shootings (what were police-community relations like in the past?). Students will identify and assess leading scholarly books and articles, primary sources, internet databases, and relevant treatments in popular media (film, television, journalism, podcasts, etc.). At each stage of research, students will receive feedback from faculty mentors as well as peers. Students will work individually and in groups to prepare written summaries and oral presentations–in conference and symposia settings of the most important and interesting findings they made while doing research.
Topical Outline
1. Major Issues in the World Today 2. Journalism and History 3. Identifying the Historical Parameters of a Contemporary Issue 4. Library Research Tutorial 5. Visit to the Russell Special Collections Building 6. Visit to the DigiLab 7. Issue #1: Finding and Evaluating Secondary Sources 8. Issue #1: Finding and Evaluating Primary Sources 9. Issue #1: Connecting the Historical Record to the World Today 10. Issue #1: Symposium 11. Issue #1: Oral Presentations (Pitching a Newspaper Article) 12. Issue #2: Finding and Evaluating Secondary Sources 13. Issue #2: Finding and Evaluating Primary Sources 14. Issue #2: Connecting the Historical Record to the World Today 15. Issue #2: Symposium 16. Issue #2: Oral Presentations (Pitching a Documentary Film) 17. Issue #3: Finding and Evaluating Secondary Sources 18. Issue #3: Finding and Evaluating Primary Sources 19. Issue #3: Connecting the Historical Record to the World Today 20. Issue #3: Conference 21. Issue #3: Oral Presentations (Pitching a Podcast)
Institutional Competencies
Analytical ThinkingThe ability to reason, interpret, analyze, and solve problems from a wide array of authentic contexts.
The ability to effectively develop, express, and exchange ideas in written, oral, or visual form.
The ability to pursue and comprehensively evaluate information before accepting or establishing a conclusion, decision, or action.
The capacity to understand the interdependence of people, communities, and self in a global society.