This is a mandatory course designed for the first year research postgraduate students of the History Department. The goal is to prepare the students with a wide-range knowledge of modern historiography. Through a series of lectures by invited professors (including potential supervisors of new students), the students could have the chance to learn and appreciate various approaches to the study of history.
At the lectures, the invited professors will share with students their research experience and present their research projects or findings in class focusing on research methodologies, approaches, and issues related to historiography, i.e., the writing of history based on the critical use of sources, the selection of particulars from the sources and the synthesis of particulars that will demonstrate the author’s historian’s crafts, other techniques of inquiry and investigation, or writing skills. If available, a list of readings, which may or may not be the speaker’s own works, can be provided by the professor to support the lecture.
The lecture may last about 60 minutes. The enrolled students are required to attend all classes. After the lecture, students may ask questions or present their comments on the lecture as well as the readings. Each student should give oral feedback on at least 5 lectures. By the end of the term, each student should turn in three critical reports on three selected topics among the lectures (average 5 pages each in Chinese or English). In addition, they are to submit revised thesis project proposals which are polished from the ones submitted when they applied for admission to the postgraduate programme. It is expected that the revisions are improved works inspirited by this course.
