What Is History?

The lecture series will explore the theory and practice of history by investigating a number of classical issues of historiography, and key techniques of historical analysis and research. This will include an inquiry into the nature of the discipline, basic historical theory (e.g. problems of structuring, e.g. periodization), the notion of historical truth, the nature and analysis of evidence, the auxiliary sciences, classical and modern research trends and some of the so-called “new” histories. We will explore the following topics, in succession. (I include here the remainder of the series. I will delete topics from the list once we have completed them).
•Lecture: Auxiliary Sciences: Sphragistics (Seals), Numismatics (Coins & Money)
•Lecture: Historical Causation. Discussion: Determinism and free will in history
•Lecture: Traditional Themes: Politics, Biography, Ideas. Discussion: “New” Themes: Economy, Society, Mentality; Quantitative history, Oral history, Psycho-history
•Lecture: Writing: Structures, Periodization, Diachronical/Synchronical History. Discussion: The problem of determining “patterns” in history
•Lecture: The Uses (and Abuses) of History
•Lecture: Impartiality and Value Judgment. Discussion: Presentism and the Whig interpretation of history
•Lecture: Theories of History. Discussion: Does history follow any set of recognizable “laws?”