Syllabus
1. Historiography (terminology, development)
2. Heuristics (bibliographies, syntheses, encyclopedias, dictionaries, editions)
3. Information sources (archives, libraries, internet)
4. Historical journals
5. Memory institutions (museums, galleries)
6. Professional historical text (methodology, typology, processing procedures)
7. Typology of historical sources I - written sources, material sources
8. Typology of historical sources II - literary sources, pictorial sources, audiovisual sources
9. Typology of historical sources III - personal sources, oral sources
10. Principles of criticism of historical sources
Annotation
The seminar Introduction to the Study of History is an introduction to history as a discipline, but attention is also paid to practical skills in order to gain information about the principles of the historian's work. The student is introduced to the typology of historical sources and historical literature, the principles of heuristics and interpretation of sources, and, last but not least, the principles of writing a professional text.
The student will also be introduced to information sources (both classical and electronic) for the historian's work, to professional historical journals and to the functioning of the archival network in the Czech Republic. In addition to the basics of palaeography, the student will also gain an idea of sources preserved by modern media, but is also introduced to iconography.
The student learns to problematize a topic, to perform heuristics and to create a professional text with the help of basic historical methods. The seminar also includes joint field trips to libraries and archives.
