Critical Social Inquiry 0202 - Introduction to Research in European History

Hampshire College has always emphasized the value in students taking charge of their own education through "inquiry-based" learning, including independent projects. It has also emphasized the need for historical perspective in understanding our own world. As the ancient Roman author Cicero said, "To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child." And the American Historical Association says: "everything has a history." History, the French scholar Marc Bloch, said, is thus not the study of the past, but the study of people "in time": an exploration of evolving humanity. The first part of the course will introduce students to both the broad sweep of European history and basic research methods. In the second part of the course, students will, in a carefully staged sequence, develop their own research questions, locate sources, and produce a final project. Keywords:history, research, project

Time and Narrative This course can be used to fulfill the Division II Project requirement Students should expect to spend 8 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time