2024

Research Design Seminar in History

Name: Research Design Seminar in History
Code: HIS13972M
9 ECTS
Duration: 15 weeks/234 hours
Scientific Area: History

Teaching languages: Portuguese
Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese
Regime de Frequência: Presencial

Sustainable Development Goals

Learning Goals

This seminar has two main objectives:
Part I - To present the requirements of research in History;
Part II - To support the students in the preparation of their dissertation project or their internship proposal.

In Part I, it is intended that students:
- Identify what research question, working hypotheses of research in History and conceptual framework are;
- Reflect on the importance of feasibility and the novelty of the research;
- Understand the relevance of historiographical dialogue and the existence of a corpus that supports the research.

In Part II, it is intended that students:
- Define the theme, the conceptual framework, the main research problem and the working hypotheses of their research;
- Present a state of the art in their specific field of research, identify the core sources and the analytical methods;
- Master critical analysis skills and techniques of academic presentation, both written and oral.

Contents

Part I
1. How to define the object of study or a place to apply for an internship. Motivation, relevance, novelty and feasibility
2. What are the main research question, the theoretical framework and the research hypotheses.
3. The dialogue with the literature of the field and the documentary sources (textual and non-textual). Criteria to circumscribe the sources and literature review.
4. Criteria to improve knowledge on the host institution.

Part II
1. Defining the theme or the choice of the institution, spatiotemporal boundaries and main research question.
2. Relation between the working hypotheses, the nuclei of sources and the literature review.
3. Written presentation of the thesis proposal and its oral presentation.

Teaching Methods

Part I (4 sessions) has both a theoretical and seminarial nature. The general principles of research in human and social sciences will be contrasted with the intuitions, the (pre) concepts and common senses. There will be debate among students and teachers, supported by the vast literature on structuring the research projects in the humanities and social sciences.

Part II (10-11 sessions) has a seminarial nature. It is based on the participation of students in the achievement of their project. Students are invited to discuss their topics to the different stages of the process and to present two short written reports on the literature and on the sources. The final written proposal will be evaluated together with the oral presentation.

Assessment

Students are grouped in the according to their interest in
a) carrying out research and writing the dissertation
b) defining the internship institution and writing the internship report.

1. The assessment of all students includes: oral participation, attendance and motivation in carrying out the work (40%).

2. For dissertation students it includes (60%):
a) two written reports on the literature review and on the sources
b) oral presentation and final written proposal of the dissertation project, in the presence of the supervisors.

3. For students opting for an internship and internship report (60%):
a) Two written reports on the chosen institution with a review of the available literature on the topic to be worked on during the internship.
b) Oral presentation and final written proposal of the work to be carried out during the internship, in the presence of the supervisors.