California State University, Fresno

Department of History

 

HIST 100: The Age of the Medici

 

Description and Requirements

 

 

Description:

 

 

 

 

 

This course is an introduction to the theory and practice of historical inquiry.  Using the period of Medicean ascendancy in Renaissance Florence (15th-17th centuries) as a delimiting area of investigation, we will discuss the different approaches, methods and tools which historians commonly use in their crafting of History.  The ultimate end of the course is the production of a 20-25 page research paper on any aspect of the Age of the Medici, demonstrating mastery of key research and analytical techniques related to the historical field.

 

Learning Outcomes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to

 

—    identify and discuss historical arguments, theses, and approaches;

—    identify primary and secondary sources, as well as analyze them in context;

—    define a research question and create a research plan;

—    locate relevant historical materials in the library and online, and determine the sources’ usefulness to the particular question at hand;

—    review relevant secondary sources and develop a correctly formatted annotated bibliography of relevant primary and secondary sources;

—    analyze the state of research on their particular research area and generate a historiographical summary;

—    analyze primary sources related to their research question and generate their own thesis statements;

—    develop a 20-25 page research paper and write an abstract of their research findings.

 

Requirements:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Students will be required to

 

—    complete a Diagnostics Test to gage their level of expertise and comfort with the basic steps of historical research (5% of final grade);

—    create a critical list of three potential research topics (5%);

—    craft a Period Guide, that is, a summary of the most important facts about each of the major sub-divisions of what we term the “Age of the Medici” (10%);

—    write a critical Review of Book Reviews on Hibbert’s The House of the Medici (10%);

—    craft a Thesis Page, introducing their topic of choice, listing primary sources upon which research is to be based, and introducing the proposed main argument of their final paper (10%);

—    craft an Annotated Bibliography of secondary sources relevant to their research (10%);

—    write a 5-6 page Historiographical Review, summarizing current scholarship on the chosen topic and stressing possible venues for further research (15%);

—    craft a 20-25 page essay based on the research done (35%)

 

Required books:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The required books, with the exception of Gilderhus’s History and Historians, are available at the Kennel Bookstore.  You are responsible for ordering Gilderhus’s book, either from a local bookstore or online.

 

—    Gilderhus, Mark T.  History and Historians: A Historiographical Introduction.  Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2003.  ISBN #0130448249

—    Hibbert, Christopher.  The House of Medici.  New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2003.  ISBN #0688053394

—    Jensen, De Lamar.  Renaissance Europe.  D.C. Heath and Company, 1992. ISBN #0669200077

—    Strunk, William Jr. and White, E.B.  The Elements of Style. Allyn & Bacon, 2000. ISBN #0205313426

—    Turabian Kate.  Student's Guide for Writing College Papers.  Chicago: University of Chicago, 1977.  ISBN #0226816230