HIST1051 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Samuel Eliot Morison, Dont, Early Modern Europe
• Common traps for students new to uni
• Not following course and assignment expectations
• Not selecting & using highly relevant sources
• Writing a descriptive essay, not an academic argument
• Witig aadeiall at the epese of itig leal
• Trying to reference without understanding why & how
• Expectations in HIST1051
On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of major aspects of the history of Australia
2. Read primary and secondary texts critically and show an awareness of the contested nature of
historical representation and the ability to engage in historical debates in tutorial discussions and in
written assignments
3. Reflect on Australia's history, especially with regard to the ways in which Australians have reacted
to their natural and social environments and the relationship of the past to the present in tutorial
discussions and written assignments
4. Conduct basic research and express clear and informed arguments, orally in the tutorials and in
writing the assessments
• Research essay rubric
• Lecture outline
1. History essays—what are they?
2. Breaking down the question and finding appropriate sources
3. Reading historical sources
4. Planning your essay
5. Making your argument
a. introduction
b. body paragraphs
c. conclusion
6. Putting all of this into practice
7. Writing sentences clearly
8. Referencing
9. Formatting
10. Q&A
• But first, a note on historical thinking
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• In HIST1051, you need to practice historical thinking and to memorise the conclusions or
interpretations of others. This involves:
– Figuring out the basic historical agenda of the author
– Understanding that the questions historians ask of sources determines which data
or events are relevant
– All content is logically interdependent—that is, events connected to other events;
past lives connected to other past lives
– See the connection between historical thinking and everyday situations (this is useful
for connecting the past to the present in essay introductions/conclusions)
– 1. What is an essay?
An essay is a sustained argument in answer to a question
The basic elements of academic essay writing are two: a thesis and evidence, divided into three
parts:
• an introduction;
• the systematic development of an argument using scholarly evidence in the body;
• and a conclusion.
• Essays in history
• Based around your thesis; your own way of seeing the problem
– It recognises there are many ways of seeing a problem, but argues this interpretation
is correct on the basis of logical use of relevant evidence
– You need to select the most important facts and present them in a reasonable,
persuasive, and systematic manner which defends your position
– Referencing needs to be precise
• Historical writing
• Different to writing in other arts and social sciences disciplines
• Historical writing situates the argument in the correct time and space
– You need to be sensitive to errors of anachronism
– Historians only judge past events in the context in which they happened; they do not
project modern-day values on historical actors
• 2. Choosing the right sources
• Purpose is the key
– Understand your question
– Identify your topic and focus
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– Know what types of secondary sources to use often, what types of sources to use
sparingly, and what sources you should never use
• Understand how to use NewCat+ and other academic research databases effectively
• Analyse the question
• What was the role of Indigenous Australians in World Wars I and II? Why have Anzacs been
remembered almost exclusively as white?
• To understand this question, we need to find the
– Topic
– Focus
– Task words
– Limits
– Analyse the question
(Broad) Topic Indigenous Australians in WWI and WWII
(Specific) Focus Role of Indigenous Australians in the world wars.
The exclusion of Aboriginal people from the
Anzac Legend
Task words What? Why?
Limits Australia
1914-191
1939-1945
1500 words
What is the benefit of doing this?
• Analyse the question: your turn
See Booklet, p. 2
– Question 2
– With a partner, break down the question in terms of:
• Topic
• Focus
• Task
• Limits
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