Centre for Social History

THE GRADUATE PROGRAMME IN HISTORY

‘Historical Research: Theory, Skills and Methods’

(2007-2008)

Course Director: Rebecca Earle

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Aims & Objectives 1

Learning Outcomes 2

Assessment Guidelines 2

Assessment Deadlines 3

Part-time Students 3

The History Seminar 3

‘Skills in Social Research’ (ESRC-funded students) 4

Summary Timetable

Term One 5

Term Two 6

Teaching Arrangements 7

Palaeography 7

‘Methods and Approaches to History’:

Programme 9

Seminar Readings 11-27

‘Methods and Approaches to History’ Essay Guidelines 28

‘Quantitative Research Skills’

Assessment 29

Programme 31

‘Quantitative Research Skills’ Assessment Submission Form 33

Relationship between TSM and your Dissertation 34

Research Proposal 35

Graduate Conference 36

The Menu: Record of Attendance 37

The Style Guide for Graduate Students 38

HISTORY DEPARTMENT

GRADUATE PROGRAMME IN HISTORY

‘Historical Research: Theory, Skills and Methods’ (TSM)

(2007-2008)

This is a compulsory module, designed to help postgraduate students of history acquire the variety of research skills needed to identify, initiate and complete a substantial piece of research in social, economic or cultural history. It is designed for

· All Taught Masters students

· MA (by Research) students

· MPhil/PhD students who have not already completed an approved training course

· MPhil/PhD students who may have an MA, but whose previous training has not been in history.

AIMS & OBJECTIVES

The first two aims of this module are

· to support the work you do (in terms of reading, learning, research and writing) for your own MA or PhD programme

· to help you acquire the skills needed to undertake an extended piece of historical research and writing.

Graduate students of history undertaking their first independent research need knowledge of a wide range of sources and the means to access and survey them. They need to understand the theoretical frameworks, many of them drawn from the social and human sciences, and from literary studies, that inform existing work on their chosen topic, and to recognise the gaps and spaces that their own work may attempt to fill. They need to know how to frame historical questions with which to interrogate primary and secondary sources - and they need to know how to set about answering those questions. They also face the challenge of presenting their work in written and in spoken form, in essays and dissertation, and in seminar papers. Believing that history is at once a highly practical and highly theoretical activity, we have planned TSM with these needs in mind. It will introduce you to library, archival, database and microform resources here at Warwick, and in the wider world. It will help you use information technology resources for the purposes of research and for the presentation of your own work. It pays a good deal of attention to your own writing of history, particularly the writing of your dissertation, from the very early stages of research design when you map out an area for investigation, right through to its formal presentation (in perfectly word-processed, immaculately proof-read, beautifully written prose). We believe that an understanding of the ideas and theories that underlie historical work is just one among all the skills the historian must possess, and so a major objective of the module is to help you understand the conceptual frameworks used by the historians whose work you study. In this way TSM should keep you up-to-date with the constantly developing field that you have chosen to work in.

Students interested in recent thinking in historiography are warmly invited to follow the History Department’s third year undergraduate lecture course on ‘Historiography’. The lectures take place on Tuesdays at 10.00 in F107. A copy of the booklet and lecture schedule for ‘Historiography’ will be posted on the Departmental website.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Following TSM should enable you to

· outline a topic for research and make a survey of existing work in the field

· draw on key concepts from one or more of the social, human and literary sciences

· appreciate the advanced literature in one or more of the following: economic, social, cultural, religious, political or literary history

· discuss the theoretical underpinnings of this work, and suggest how your own research may contribute to it

· locate and survey sources (archival, library, database, microform, picture, film, literary, etc) relevant to the work you are undertaking for essays and dissertation

· present your work in the form of a seminar talk to fellow students and staff in the History Department

· understand appropriate numerical, statistical, and computing techniques relevant to any data collection and analysis you undertake

· present your research findings, where appropriate, in tabulated and spreadsheet form

· write lively, articulate, fully referenced and annotated and perfectly proof-read prose, in essays and in your dissertation

· have a wide and informed knowledge of recent developments in historical thinking

· contribute to historical knowledge by means of your dissertation

ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES

TSM is an assessed component of your MA course. Overall you will write 5,000 words for assessment, in two parts: a ‘Methods and Approaches to History’ essay of 2,500 words and a ‘Quantitative Research Skills’ essay of 2,500 words. In addition you must compose a research proposal.

ASSESSMENT DEADLINES

Quantitative Research Skills Essay: Term 2, Week 5 (Monday 4 February 2008)

Methods & Approaches to History Essay: Term 2, Week 10 (Friday 14 March 2008)

Research Proposal Term 3, Week 3 (Friday 9 May 2008)

Essays are to be handed into the History Graduate Programme Office (H342) by noon of the day in question.

These dates are deadlines. Only in very exceptional circumstances can extensions be given. You should discuss extensions with the Course Director of your MA in the first instance; the Graduate Programme Director must authorise any extensions.

Part-time Students

Part-time students may follow TSM over two years. You may take the Basic Skills unit ‘Quantitative Research Skills’ in either the first or second year of study, though you are very strongly encouraged to do so in your first year. Keep a record of the Basic Skills sessions you attend and the classes you select from the Menu. You should let the Postgraduate Secretary know which classes you have attended by handing in the attendance form, provided in this handbook, at the end of the first year (even though you will not then have completed the course), and again at the end of your second year.

Part-time students should discuss their pathway through the module with their MA Course Director and with the MA Director, Rebecca Earle. There should be an agreed account of how the student is to take the course on file in the Graduate Programme Office by the beginning of November 2007.

If you have any questions regarding the pacing of your MA, please consult the MA Director, Rebecca Earle, email: .

THE HISTORY SEMINAR

The History Department seminar takes place on alternate Tuesdays, starting in the third week of the Autumn Term.

The Seminar will not always address a topic of direct relevance to your own project or period, but it will always offer you the opportunity of seeing historians in action, and of judging their performance as presenters of their own work. By attending seminars you can keep up to date with recent developments in historical thinking and historical writing, introduced by a range of eminent historians. You can also gain insight into how—and how not—to present a paper, in preparation for your own presentation in May 2008 at the Graduate Conference. Attendance of at least six of these sessions and/or of other departmental research seminars is compulsory. Please see the form included in your Folder.

SKILLS IN SOCIAL RESEARCH (ESRC-FUNDED STUDENTS TAKE NOTE!)

By reciprocal arrangement with the Sociology Department, History graduate students may audit the following courses. These modules are mandatory for ESRC-funded Master’s students intending to go on to doctoral study.

Researching Society (students must complete some assessment for this module)

Convenor: Dr Tony Elger, Sociology

Term 1, Wednesdays 10.00-12 noon and 3.00-5.00pm

Qualitative Methods

Convenor: Dr Bob Carter, Sociology

Term 2, Wednesdays 3.00-4.00pm and 4.00-5.00pm

Quantitative Methods

Convenors: Dr Richard Lampard and Dr Peter Ratcliffe, Sociology

and

Term 2, Fridays 10.00-12 noon 1.00-3.00pm

SUMMARY TIMETABLE: TERM ONE

· ‘Basic Skills’ and ‘Methods & Sources’ take place on TUESDAYS, 11.00-12.00 in S.009, unless otherwise indicated.
· Over two terms you must attend at least 6 sessions taken from the ‘Methods & Sources’ menu. You are encouraged to attend as many as you can.
· ‘Quantitative Research Skills’ takes place on TUESDAY afternoons.
· See the full ‘Quantitative Research Skills’ programme / Tuesdays / Tuesdays / Wednesdays
Wk / METHODS & SOURCES
(the menu) / BASIC SKILLS
(compulsory) / METHODS & APPROACHES (compulsory) / · See the full ‘Methods & Approaches’ Programme.
· ‘Methods & Approaches’ (lectures and seminars) meets WEDNESDAY at 1.00-3.30 in F.110.
· There are weekly lectures, followed immediately by a seminar, for ‘Methods & Approaches’.
· ‘Methods & Approaches’ is assessed.
1 / General Introduction (FRIDAY WEEK 1) / PMar/RE
2 / Library Resources for Historical Research / RP / QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH SKILLS begins / Macro History / SV
3 / The Modern Records Centre: an introduction to the MRC and other archives. [Meet in MRC] / MRC / Subalterns / DH
4 / Academic Writing: Presentation and Argumentation / RE / Micro History / SH
5 / Historical Research in the Electronic World [R.041] / RP / Politics / SHo
6 / READING WEEK / READING WEEK / READING WEEK
7 / Using Research Libraries / RP / Political Ideas / MK
8 / Finding a Supervisor / RE / Language / SHo
9 / Research Design: Planning a Piece of Historical Research / ML / Production / RM
10 / Historians and Literature / RE / Consumption / MB

SUMMARY TIMETABLE: TERM TWO

Tuesdays

Wednesdays

Wk / METHODS & SOURCES
(the menu) / BASIC SKILLS
(compulsory) / METHODS & APPROACHES
(compulsory) / · ‘Methods & Approaches’ is taught on WEDNESDAY 1.00-3.30 in room F.110.
· ‘Methods & Approaches’ is assessed.
1 / Early Modern Printed Sources / PMar / Material Culture / GR
· ‘Basic Skills’ and ‘Methods & Sources’ take place on TUESDAYS 11.00-12.00 in S.009 unless otherwise indicated.
· ‘Quantitative Research Skills’ is assessed. / 2 / Personal Records / RH / Bodies / Cl.St.
3 / Local Record Offices
[Includes a subsequent visit to the Warwick Record Office] / CS / Gender / HM
4 / Historians and Film / PM / Race / TB
5 / Reading Images / Cl.St. / Class / CS
6 / READING WEEK / READING WEEK / READING WEEK
7 / Newspapers / TL / Religion / SH
8 / All day session on sources and records:
am: Microform sources and Official Publications in the Library
pm: National Archives Visit to MRC / RP/
MRC / Nation / CH
9 / Finding People in the Past / GT / Place / CM
10 / Oral History / MBe / Public Spheres / MF

MB = Maxine Berg, MBe = Michael Bevan, TB = Trevor Burnard, RE = Rebecca Earle, MF = Margot Finn, AG = Anne Gerritsen, DH = David Hardiman, CH = Christian Hess, SH = Steve Hindle, SHo = Sarah Hodges, RH = Gerd-Rainer Horn, MK = Mark Knights, ML = Maria Luddy, RM = Roger Magraw, PMar = Peter Marshall, PM = Patrick Major, CM = Christoph Mick, MRC = Modern Records Centre, RP = Richard Parker, GR = Giorgio Riello, CS = Carolyn Steedman, ClSt = Claudia Stein, GT= Guy Thomson, SVD = Stephane Vandamme

The Basic Skills strand continues into the Summer Term. This final session is compulsory.

Term 3, Week 4 (Tuesday 13 May 2008)

‘Speaking History: Presenting a Seminar Paper’ RE

TEACHING ARRANGEMENTS

· There is a weekly ‘Methods and Approaches to History’ lecture, on Wednesday, at 1.00pm in F.110. It is followed immediately by a one hour seminar co-led by the lecturer and the seminar tutor. (See ‘Methods and Approaches to History’ programme.)

· ‘Methods and Sources’ meets on Tuesdays 11.00-12.00pm in S.009. Please fill in the attendance sheet provided at the end of this handbook and return it to the History Grahduate Office at the end of Term 2.

· ‘Basic Skills’ (Tuesdays 11.00-12.00pm) is taught in a variety of locations (see Timetable) and will also usually follow a whole-class format.

· A visit to a County Record Office is noted on the summary timetable. A visit to the Wellcome Library will also be arranged in the second term. See Molly Rogers in the Centre for the History of Medicine for further details ().

· ‘Quantitative Research Skills’ meets on Tuesday afternoons in the Graduate Space or H402, with the exception of the sessions in weeks 2 to 4, which meet on Fridays from 9.30-12.30 in the ITS Training Suite ITS019.

Palaeography

All MA students with interests in the early modern period are encouraged to follow the palaeography training provided in the module ‘From Manuscript to Print’ by David Lines and Demmy Verbeke for the MA students in the Centre for the Study of the Renaissance. If you choose to participate, you will be obliged to attend all the classes. Students are also encouraged to attend the additional sessions in term 2. The programme is give below.

Term 1

All sessions meet in H450 on Mondays from 11.00-1.00

Week 2. Essay writing workshop

Week 3. Introduction to Palaeography

Week 4. Medieval and Renaissance Hands

Week 5. Elizabethan Palaeography (Susan Brock)

Week 6. Reading Week (No seminar)

Week 7. Elizabethan Palaeography (Susan Brock)

Week 8. Elizabethan Palaeography (Susan Brock)

Week 9. Trip to Stratford (Susan Brock)

Week 10. Working with Manuscripts (Ingrid De Smet)

Term 2

Week 1 From Manuscript to Print

Week 2 Working with Early Printed Books

Week 3 Textual Bibliography/Editing

Week 4 Studying the Renaissance: archives and libraries

Week 5 Research Resources in Renaissance Studies I