Theories and Methods in the Study of History
Examines the distinctive ways in which historians in different parts of the world have approached the task of writing history. Explores methodologies used, such as political, social, economic, cultural, and popular histories through the reading and discussion of relevant and innovative texts. Introduces a variety of sources (archival documents, statistical data, film, fiction, memoirs, artifacts, and images) and the ways they can be used to research, interpret, and present the past. Assignments include an original research paper. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.
Fall 2022
This course examines the distinctive ways in which historians in different parts of the world have approached the task of writing history. It explores methodologies used, such as political, social, economic, cultural, and popular histories through the reading and discussion of relevant and innovative texts. It introduces a variety of sources (archival documents, statistical data, film, fiction, memoirs, artifacts, and images) and the ways they can be used to research, interpret, and present the past. Assignments include an original research paper. Students taking the graduate version complete additional assignments.
Readings
- Was Abraham Lincoln gay?
- Why did Truman drop the bomb?
- Michael Sherry, “The Slide to Total Air War,” New Republic, December 16, 1981.
- Why is Haiti poor?
- Shalene Sayegh and Eric Altice, “The Importance of Theory in History,” in History and Theory (Pearson, 2013). ISBN: 9780136157250.
Prerequisites & course information
Subject meets with 21H.991 Prereq: Two History subjects or permission of instructor U (Fall) 3-0-9 units. HASS-H
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Fall 2022
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- MIT OCW calendar ↗
- MIT OCW readings ↗
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.