Research Lab II

Course goals

At the end of the course, you will be able to:

1. distinguish different types of (repositories of) primary sources;
2. interpret primary sources in their historical context;
3. reflect on the usefulness of primary sources for historical research;
4. link (digital humanities) research methods to primary sources;
5. reflect on primary source use in existing research.

Content

In this course, we want to convey the love for our profession by allowing you to experience the historical thrill of working with primary sources that allow us to connect with people and societies from other times. Historians use a huge variety of primary sources to add new insights to the debate on a historical theme. Some of these sources are textual in nature; think of letters, diaries, newspapers, notarial deeds, pamphlets, bills, and petitions. However, there are also non-textual sources such as statues, photographs, monuments, coins, eyewitnesses, posters, radio and television recordings, and paintings. Sometimes these are sources that have not been used for historical research before, sometimes they are previously used sources that are examined from a different perspective or with a new method. Moreover, depending on the region, the period and the theme you want to research, there are a lot or very few primary sources preserved in repositories such as archives, libraries, and museums. And once you have found a source, as a historian, you need to think critically about the reliability and usefulness of that source.

Searching for and working with primary sources is quite complex. It is also new, and you might even find it daunting to go to an archive for the first time. Don’t worry! In this course, we will take you step by step through working with primary sources. During the lectures and seminars, you will be introduced to many different types of sources and we will familiarize you with source criticism and the relationship between primary sources and research methods. By working with a primary source yourself, you put your knowledge and skills into practice immediately. By also visiting a real archive together, you will have taken an important step in learning to work with primary sources at the end of the course.

Research Lab II, together with ‘Introduction to the Study of History’ (block 1), ‘Research Lab I’ (block 2), and ‘Big Questions, Big Data’ (block 4), is part of a series of four first-year courses in which History students are introduced to the discipline and practice various research skills. Whereas in blocks 1 and 2 the emphasis was on secondary sources (thus: the publications that historians write about a topic), in block 3 the emphasis is on primary sources (thus: the remnants of the past that historians use to research a topic). This lays the foundation for conducting your own research in block 4 and writing a report based on literature and primary sources. In the second year, you will further develop your knowledge of historical studies and research skills in the courses ‘Theory of History’ and ‘Professional Writing for Historians’. This lays the foundation for the Research Seminars within your Specialization and ultimately the BA thesis.

Additional information

Please note: the time slot shown here is not yet final and may still be modified until the 3rd Wednesday in September.