HSY3010

Making histories

Barbara Caine

8 points - Two lectures per week and one 1-hour tutorial per week - Second semester - Clayton

Objectives Students will be expected to attain an understanding of the problematic nature of historical knowledge, recent developments in historiography, reading strategies, and research planning and presentation requirements.

Synopsis In recent decades, there has been considerable debate about the nature of historical knowledge among historians and scholars in other disciplines in the humanities. This will be the focus of this subject. We will contemplate the significance of poststructuralist and postmodernist theories for the practice of history, consider the challenge which feminist, postcolonial and other such theory has presented to traditional 'grand narratives'. The relevance of rhetorical and linguistic turns for the reading and writing of history will also be debated. On a more practical level, students will have the opportunity to develop their skills in reading historical sources and contemporary works as texts. Students will also be offered the opportunity to design a history lesson for a school. Lastly, the subject will prepare students for researching and writing a thesis.

Assessment Tutorial exercise (1500 words): 30% - Reflective essay (3000 words): 40% - Thesis proposal (1500 words): 20% - Class participation 10%

Recommended texts

Appleby J and others Telling the truth about history Norton, 1994
Berkhofer R Beyond the great story: History as text and discourse Belknap, 1995
Burke P (ed.) New perspectives on historical writing CUP, 1991
Jenkins K Rethinking history Routledge, 1990
White H The content of the form Johns Hopkins U P, 1987

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