Manifesting History: Narrative, Research, Memory
This course, which is mandatory for all fourth-year Honours students, has two primary objectives. The first is to
introduce students to some fundamental issues of historical theory and practice. We shall examine not only how
people remember, forget, and restructure the past as an ongoing part of the construction of themselves and
their worlds, but also the expression of this construct in diverse forms and genres, with their attendant possibilities
and constraints. The readings and topics will be general and not limited to any historical period or geography. The
second goal of the course is to help students conceptualize and write their honours graduating essays. To support
this objective we read about and discuss many of the practical elements of historical research, including archival
research, digital techniques, and more.
We will read a range of texts selected both for their thematical content and for their utility as models of
historical writing. In the first semester, close readings of texts will allow students to explore the “nuts and bolts” of
how writers ask historical questions, make their arguments, find and use sources, and situate their work in relation
to relevant historiographies. The second semester will focus closely on students’ own theses in progress. The focus
of these class meetings will be critical (but supportive and constructive) engagement with one another’s writing.
Course evaluations will be based on participation in discussion and various writing assignments.