HIST 257History: Methods and Practices

Catalog

HIST 257 - History: Methods and Practices Professor Bradley Skopyk Fall 2025 Course Description: This course introduces students to the practices and methods of history as an academic discipline and is designed to train students to conduct their own research and historical analysis, using both primary and secondary sources. Over the course of the semester, students will be exposed to different research methods and to major theoretical approaches to the study of history, as well as to key historiographic debates within the field. They will be trained to use a variety of historical tools, including databases, library resources, and citation methods, and they will gain insight into how the historical profession operates. A fundamental aspect of the course will be understanding how historians work with primary sources: students will learn how to recognize the utility of different types of sources, find and gather sources, and undertake deep and critical source analysis. The class also touches on various career opportunities available to history majors and on current debates surrounding the value of the humanities in the modern world. The major assignments for the course include weekly readings and active participation in discussion; informal and formal presentations; a final research paper; and shorter writing assignments that prep for the final paper. Preference given to history majors and minors. Offered each semester.