This course provides a foundation to allow first-year historians to come to grips with the many ways in which historians pursue their craft. The year begins with a critical discussion of History as a discipline. We ask what history is, how it is approached, the methods historians use, and think about the different the archives and sources that they study. Having done so, we will explore the use of non-textual sources, which are often neglected. As we encounter these sources, and the methods used to engage with them, we will maintain a critical approach to the work historians do and the archives they use for their research.  

Next, we will delve into various approaches and sub-fields within history. We will explore different case studies that employ scalar and spatial methodologies. In the second term, our focus will shift to cultural and social history as influential paradigms in historical research. Cultural history concentrates on identities, subjectivities, representation, and ideas. Conversely, social history emphasises the everyday lives of ordinary or marginalised individuals, as well as the history of commodities. Following this, we will turn our attention to international and transnational history, exploring the opportunities these perspectives offer and examining how international affairs impact, and are impacted by, environmental changes. Finally, we will conclude the course by reflecting on the significance and evolving nature of global history over time. 

While exploring these themes, the course also introduces the key skills required of a historian: navigating a reading list; taking notes; composing reading summaries; identifying & using historiography; approaching essay questions; developing an argument; structuring essays; footnoting and evidence; and avoiding plagiarism. In the Winter Term, we will focus on how to develop a research project, choosing a set of research questions, an archive and a method and critically exploring them in an assessed essay.