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1、Page 21 of 21English for HistoryWuhan UniversityCourse Leader: Dr Mark J CrowleyE-mail: MJC83LIVE.CO.UKImportant dates:20 June, 2011: Submit your essay (the questions are on page 7)27 June, 2011: Final ExaminationPlease contact Dr Crowley by e-mail if you have any questions about any aspects of the
2、course.For issues about enrolment, sickness and other matters, please contact Dr Crowley AND the postgraduate secretary, 徐冶琼 by e-mail, Objectives of the Course prepare students for PhD research train students in using English sources instruct students in research design teach students the skills an
3、d analysis required for modern historical study to study some of the most significant topics of the period from European nation building to modern British politics. to promote interdisciplinary study between History, Politics, English and popular culture through focusing on modern and contemporary h
4、istory and culture;Learning outcomes At the end of the course, students will: demonstrate an understanding of broad themes in modern history. know the skills required to pursue specialised study. have the ability to use primary sources, and be able to critique their usefulness. understand the variou
5、s methodological approaches to historical study. develop core skills in use of library, critical reading in primary and secondary sources, and essay-writing.Assessment methodsThere are two methods of assessment for this course:Written AssignmentAn essay of no more than 2,000 words this is very impor
6、tant, and counts for 30% of your final grade in this subject. Please submit this assignment in class by 20 June, 2011. On your essay, you should clearly put your name (in Chinese pinyin) and your student number on the front page. If you submit this essay late without a written request to me in advan
7、ce, you will be given 0%ExaminationThere will be an examination at the end of term. This counts for 70% of your mark in this subject. The exam will be held on 27 June, 2011 at 08.50 in our usual classroom. If you fail to attend the exam you will be given 0% for this assessment. In the event of illne
8、ss or other problems, please contact me and the postgraduate secretary in advance by e-mail for alternative arrangements to be made.Format of the ExaminationThe exam will be 1.5 hours in durationThe exam will be held in our usual classroom from 08.50-10.35 on 27 June, 2011The paper will be in two se
9、ctionsSECTION A: ESSAY (about 45 minutes)Students will be required to write an essay. The essay topics will come from Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of the course (see topic list below for further details)Students can write about the same topic as the one they wrote about for their assessed essay, since
10、the focus of the examination questions will be different. SECTION B: SOURCES (about 45 minutes)Students will be required to analyse and answer questions about original historical sourcesSource material will be included with the examination paperStudents will need to answer the list of questions prov
11、idedStudents will need to comment about the sources, especially on the following aspects: The purpose of the source How useful is it? What are the problems with the source? What are the difficulties for historians when using sources? How much does the source contribute to our knowledge of the period
12、 it is writing about?Examination RulesCheating in exams is a serious academic offence. Do not do it. If you are caught cheating, you will fail the exam immediately. As soon as the exam begins, here are the rules that will be in place: NO TALKING NO BOOKS NO COPYING FROM THE PEOPLE NEAR YOU NO CELL P
13、HONES NO CLASS NOTESTopic ListThis course is divided into 4 parts:1. historiography2. approaches to history3. writing history4. sourcesThe topics we will study is as follows:Part 1: Historiography What is history? The use and misuse of sources Interpreting Modern European History Part 2: Approaches
14、to History Marxism Comparative History Counterfactual History Intellectual History (the history of ideas)Part 3: Writing History Political History Social history Economic History Women and Gender HistoryPart 4: Sources The First World War Britain in the Interwar Years World War Two Never Had it so g
15、ood Britain in Austerity and Growth Britain, 1970-2000: Boom, Bust, Boom again and collapseEssay QuestionsEssays should be submitted in the class by 20 June, 2011 (or earlier if you wish)Please type your essays on the computer.Please use font size 12 with double line spacingPlease print your essays
16、on one side of A4 paperChoose ONE of these topics, and write an essay of no more than 2,000 words.1. Karl Popper once said “There can be no history of the past as it actually did happen; there can only be historical interpretations, and none of them final, and every generation has to frame its own”.
17、 Do you agree with him, and what are the debates in the west about how history is written?2. What are the different approaches historians can use when analyzing sources, and what are the dangers caused by misusing sources?3. What are the main elements of Marxist historiography, and do you think they
18、 are useful today for the study of history?4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of comparative history? Do you think this is a useful mode of historical analysis?5. What is counterfactual history, and is it a useful mode of historical analysis?6. How important is using political theory (the
19、history of ideas) to the study of history as a discipline?7. What are the advantages and disadvantages of political history, and why do you think that its popularity has reduced in the western world?8. What are the advantages of studying social history, and why do you think this has become an increa
20、singly popular area of study for modern historians?Essay Writing GuideI appreciate that the style of writing an essay in western universities is probably different to that in China, so I have put some advice below to help you to write an essay.StyleI appreciate that English is not your native langua
21、ge, and therefore I understand that this is a difficult task. However, please make sure that the essay is written in good English, although I will not penalise students for linguistic mistakes. The main purpose of this course is to introduce students into the new analytical methods in the study of h
22、istory, and I want to see that you display these clearly in the assignment.ReadingDoing some additional reading for this course is important. However, the Powerpoint presentations I have given for the lectures contain a lot of information too. You can combine this information, together with your add
23、itional reading to write your essay. The most important thing to ensure is that when you do this, you clearly state your opinion. Dont just repeat back to me what I said in the class tell me what you think about the topic! Structure of the essayThe structure of a historical essay normally comes in 3
24、 parts:1. Introduction2. Main Body3. ConclusionIntroduction (about 300-400 words)At this part of the essay, you need to do the following: Set out your interpretation of the question. Identify the debates on the topic: who are the major historians, and what have they said? Why do people disagree abou
25、t the topic? Identify the influence of their background/historical approach. Give a brief suggestion of what you believe to be the answer Do you agree or disagree with the current interpretations (remember, you dont have to agree, as long as you can demonstrate good analysis to challenge the current
26、 writings!) Say how you are going to answer the question (identify your structure)Main BodyThe main body of the essay is where the main analytical work is done. This is where you have to analyse the question deeply and clearly state your opinion and proving that your thoughts are based on strong ana
27、lysis and evidence. The most important thing to remember here is that all essays at this level should have a deep and strong analysis. That is why it is important to focus on a small number of points and analyse them deeply and closely, rather than trying to look at many issues and doing very little
28、 analysis. An essay at Masters level is trying to test your ability to analyse, criticise and offer your interpretation of the main historical events and historical methods in the discipline of history. To best achieve this, I always advise students to choose 3 main points, and to spend one paragrap
29、h on each main point, analysing the question and offering their own interpretations. Below is an example on how you should structure a paragraph in the main body of the essay.Main Point (about 400-450 words)I advise the following structure: Outline your main point. Clearly state your opinion. Prove
30、your point by referring to a historian and his/her work. Challenge or support the point through the use of evidence that you deem appropriate. Offer your interpretation on why people debate the issue. Provide a brief summary of your main point at the end of the paragraph and say how this relates to
31、the question.Main Point 2 (400-450 words) and Main Point 3 (400-450 words) should also follow the same structure.Conclusion (about 300 words)The purpose of the conclusion is to summarise your main points and to explain what your final opinion on the question actually is. You should say why you have
32、reached this conclusion, and how this fits with, or challenges the current interpretations. The structure could be as follows: A sentence on each of your main points as a summary What is your final opinion on the question? Why do you have this opinion? Does this challenge or fit with the current int
33、erpretations? Overall, how useful are your findings and the current interpretations to the study of history?A note about plagiarismSimply put, plagiarism is copying other peoples work and claiming it is your own. DO NOT DO IT! This is actually considered as academic theft. There are many ways in whi
34、ch I can find out that you have copied. Unfortunately, every year, I have caught at least one student who commits plagiarism. The punishment is severe. First, you will get 0% for the essay, and you will be told to leave the course. Therefore, you will fail this course. You may also be forced to leav
35、e Wuhan University, but this is ultimately the decision of the Dean of the History Department. Plagiarism is a serious academic breach. It is not worth putting the rest of your academic future at risk. You are all intelligent people you dont need to copy other peoples work, because your own work is
36、good enough!The importance of analysis: How to be more analyticalI cannot stress enough how important good analysis is for writing an essay at this level. Here is some advice to help your analytical skills when you are writing the essay: You need to think about what the question is actually asking y
37、ou to write about. What angle is the question approaching you from? What perspective do you need to write from (Marxist? Social History? Political History? How does this affect your interpretation and the interpretation of historians writing from this angle?) Do not write down everything you know Av
38、oid purely describing something Avoid writing lists You need to evaluate and discussPlan your work Plan your research: identify the books and articles you want to read and then make a research plan. What question are you trying to answer? State clearly in the essay your interpretation of the questio
39、n and say how you are going to answer it What contribution does your work make? Highlight this by showing why your work is important. Does it tell us anything new? If it does, you need to emphasise this and say how and why this is important.A Guide to ReferencingPlease use the footnote system for wr
40、iting your essay, where you insert a number at the end of a sentence to reference your point. The full reference will then go at the bottom of the page. Here is an example from my own work: Before 1914, occupational regulations in the labour market had designated specific and different jobs for men
41、and women. Joanna Bourke, Working Class Cultures in Britain, 1890-1960 (London, 1994), p. 101. The reference then goes to the bottom of the page. At the bottom of the page, you then need to give details about the source that you have used. You can do it in the following way.BooksIn the footnote, boo
42、ks need to have: the name of the author, the title of the book (in italics), the place of publication the year of publication the page number (s) followed by a full stop (.) Example:Joanna Bourke, Working Class Cultures in Britain, 1890-1960 (London, 1994), p. 101.If you reference a book more than o
43、nce in your essay, every subsequent time it is used it can be abbreviated, just like this:Bourke, Working Class, p. 123Chapters in edited booksThese need to be referenced in the following format: author of the chapter, title of the chapter (in single inverted commas, like this ), title of the book (
44、in italics), place of publication, year of publication page numbers used. If it is an edited book, you put (ed) at the end of the book authors name. Example:Carol Pursell, Am I a Lady or an Engineer? in Annie Canel, Ruth Oldensiel, and Karin Sachmann (ed.) Crossing Boundaries, Building Bridges: Comp
45、aring the History of Women Engineers, 1870s-1990s (Amsterdam, 2000), p. 52.If you reference a book chapter more than once in your essay, every subsequent time it is used it can be abbreviated, just like this:Pursell Am I a Lady, p. 55. Journal ArticlesThese need to be referenced in the following for
46、mat: the name of the author, the title of the article in single inverted commas ( title of article), the title of the journal (in Italics), the Volume and Issue Number of the journal the pages used. Example:Winter, J. M., The Demographic Consequences of the War in Harold L Smith (ed.) War and Social
47、 Change British Society in the Second World War (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1986), pp. 151-178.If you reference an article more than once in your essay, every subsequent time it is used it can be abbreviated, just like this:Winter, The Demographic Consequences, p. 153.WebsitesThese need to be referenced in the following format name of t