# Seminar in Historical Methods

French royal ordinance from 1666. (Image by Prof. Jeffrey Ravel.)

### Instructor(s)

Prof. Jeffrey S. Ravel

### MIT Course Number

21H.931

### As Taught In

Spring 2003

### Level

Undergraduate

###

Some Description
Instructor(s) | Prof.
As Taught In | Spring 2002
Course Number | 2.24
Level | Undergraduate/Graduate
Features | Lecture Notes, Student Work

## Course Description

## Course Features

- Assignments: written (no examples)

## Course Description

This subject is designed to give 21H majors and minors an introduction to the methods that historians use to interpret the past. We will focus on two areas: archives and interpretation. In our work on archives, we will ask what constitutes an archive. We will visit one or two local archives, speak with archivists, and assemble our own archive related to life at MIT in 2003. Once we have a better understanding of the possibilities and limitations of historical archives, we will turn to the task of interpreting archival findings. We will discuss a series of readings organized around the theme of history and national identity in various parts of the world since the end of the eighteenth century.

## Other Versions

## Other OCW Versions

This subject examines the distinctive ways in which historians in different parts of the world have approached the task of writing history. Details vary as it is taught by different faculty from year to year.

- 21H.931 Seminar in Historical Methods (Spring 2004)
- 21H.931 Seminar in Historical Methods (Spring 2002)

## Related Content

## Course Collections

See related courses in the following collections:

### Find Courses by Topic

- History > Historical Methods
- History > Historiography
- History > Comparative History
- History > Modern History

Jeffrey Ravel. 21H.931 Seminar in Historical Methods. Spring 2003. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare, https://ocw.mit.edu. License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA.

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