Theories and Methods in the Study of History
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this seminar on historiography, examining how historians across different regions and traditions have approached writing about the past. The course covers political, social, economic, cultural, and popular history as distinct methodologies, using readings and discussions of influential texts to compare approaches. Students work with a wide range of source types, including archival documents, statistical data, film, fiction, memoirs, artifacts, and images, learning how each can be used to research, interpret, and present historical arguments. The core assignment is an original research paper, with graduate students completing additional work. Materials include the syllabus, readings list, and assignment prompts as published on MIT OpenCourseWare, free to access under MIT's open license, with no certificate offered.