The Senior Seminar:
Historical Methodology
Sarah Jones Weicksel
Department of History
sweicksel@uchicago.edu
Course Goals
 Prepare students to research and write a 40-60 page B.A. Thesis
(department-defined goal)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Articulate and undertake the historical research process
Design and complete a digital history project based on individual research
Be able to articulate the range of ways of communicating historical knowledge
Conduct historical research using both textual and non-textual sources
Be conversant with historical methodology
Be able to “deconstruct” an author’s approach and argument
Sarah Jones Weicksel, sweicksel@uchicago.edu
Goals for Using Digital Component (swhistory.wikidot.com
website)
 Use online tools to facilitate the learning process and project development in ways
that essay assignments do not
 Help students think about the possibilities of digital history and audiences beyond
academia (e.g. the general public)
 Enable students to develop an additional set of skills as they look towards postcollege careers and/or graduate studies, including web design and collaborative work
Sarah Jones Weicksel,
sweicksel@uchicago.edu
Assignment: Primary Source Annotation and Analysis
Your assignment is two-fold:
1) annotate two primary sources, and
2) write a 2-page analysis of those sources in light of the questions posed by
your project.
• Begin by selecting two primary sources that you expect will play a
significant role in shaping your argument. The sources should also help to
explicate one another, or to help you approach the same historical question.
• Transcribe the two sources (no more than ~350 words each).
• Choose at least four key words, phrases, or ideas (per source) that require
further historical context in order to understand the source. These
annotations will be facilitated by the use of links in the online portfolio,
and should be at least one paragraph in length.
• (Due one week later): Write a 2-page analysis paper that synthesizes the two
sources, rather than address each individually. Select a heading/title that
characterizes the sources you have chosen. Use citations where appropriate.
Course Goals:
 Articulate and undertake the historical research process
 Design and complete a digital history project based on individual
research
 Conduct historical research using both textual and non-textual sources
Sarah Jones Weicksel,
sweicksel@uchicago.edu
Assignment: Final Project
The final assignment is designed to synthesize what you have learned over the course of
the quarter, both in terms of methodology and your own research. Each student will
design a digital introduction to their research project, using the site features to organize
the project and present it to an educated reader. Images and citations should be used
where appropriate. There are three components to this assignment:
 2-3 page (equivalent) narrative analysis : Select a primary source, pair of sources, or an
event that is particularly illustrative of the central point of your project. Your task is to
write a narrative analysis that both effectively sets up the historical problem posed by
your paper, and hooks your reader.
 1-2 paragraphs (equivalent) that posit your current working thesis about the historical
problem set up by your narrative analysis paper
 2-paragraph (equivalent) that outlines your methodology. (What kind of history are
you writing? Which aspects of the project make this the case? What is the justification
for your periodization? How does the periodization affect the framework of your
historical problem?)
Course Goals:
 Design and complete a digital humanities project based on individual research
 Be able to articulate the range of ways of communicating historical knowledge
Sarah Jones Weicksel, sweicksel@uchicago.edu