HIST 430 - Early Maryland Research Seminar

Credit Hours: 4
This course operates as a capstone for humanities and social science majors interested in Maryland history. The course aims to broaden students’ understanding of research methodologies and provide a professional research experience. In the first half of the semester, students explore different ways to study Maryland history, including traditional historical documentary research methods as well as interdisciplinary approaches based on archaeology, cultural anthropology, sociology, statistics, art history and literature. Students also will visit local institutions interpreting Maryland’s past, in order to see how professionals apply these approaches in an effort to inform the public about the past’s relationship to the present. Following a midterm examination to ensure understanding of these research methods, each student will spend the second half of the course working on a research project for one of these organizations. Students will produce a tangible final product that will contribute toward future interpretation and/or programming at the sponsoring institution.

Prerequisite(s): CORE 101 and 4 credits from at least one of the following disciplines: history, anthropology, art history, English, sociology, political science, or economics.