History 200 - New Approaches To History

This exploration of historical methodologies aims to help students learn to locate, evaluate and synthesize primary sources. Students in this course undertake original primary source research through a detailed semester-long investigation of a single historical event. Topics vary by instructor.

The United States and International Terrorism, Course Description: What is "terrorism"? How should historians research and write about political violence? With a student-driven focus on primary source investigation, this course examines the challenges and possibilities of researching terrorism in United States and international history since 1970. Reading assignments, films, and lectures will cover core themes in terrorism history and introduce students to theoretical, methodological, ethical, and political debates surrounding terrorism research. Students will explore a range of research methods and primary sources, including acquisition and interpretation of declassified intelligence agency documents, oral histories, and multimedia sources. Course requirements consist of weekly reading, research, and writing assignments, including a series of short papers ranging from two to six pages in length.