Research Paper

Description

Hist480 provides candidates with an opportunity to research and present an extended piece of academic writing that engages with the analysis of primary source material and/or key issues connected with ongoing historiographical debate(s). The course offers training in advanced skills relating to sources and assesses the ability of candidates to present cogent analysis to a professional and informed audience in both a written and an oral format.

All Hist480 candidates are required to produce a Research Paper of 8,000-10,000 words on a subject of the candidate’s choice. The Research Paper is a substantial exercise which should be of the length, format and the quality of articles in historical journals. All students taking Hist480 are required to complete a seminar programme in Semester 1, which examines the varied types of sources that may form the focus of historical research. Every student taking Hist480 is also required to present their research findings orally in the context of a professional research seminar.

The value of Hist480 lies in the experience it provides in finding and analysing large bodies of data, developing arguments based on them and presenting these in both an oral and a written form. The process enables you to develop certain skills in the management of a body of often diverse material and in the clear expression of ideas which emerge from it. These skills should stand you in good stead whether or not you continue with historical research at postgraduate level, since they involve handling and analysis of complex data, effective time management, and fluency in presenting an argument.