Time Schedule:
Heidi Taylor Magi
CHID 498
Seattle Campus
Each colloquium examines a different subject or problem from a comparative framework. A list of topics is available from the CHID office.
Class description
What role does history play in our contemporary society? How do people engage the past in their everyday lives? Why do people reenact the Civil War, join the Society for Creative Anachronism, make costume-drama movies, read historical fiction, or research their genealogy and family history? How is history represented in museums, including the Burke, Berlin’s Jewish Museum, Colonial Williamsburg and the Museum of Jurassic Technology? How does history give people a sense of identity and community? Are there any other ways to build local identity by engaging the past?
CHID 498e will explore these questions in an upper-division, student-driven seminar, with a writing emphasis.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Students will engage these questions using a variety of sources, including novels, museum visits, discussions with leaders of community-based historical societies and scholarly articles. There will be several optional field trips.
Recommended preparation
There are no formal prerequests for this course.
Class assignments and grading
Class will meet twice a week for in-depth discussion of assigned readings.
Assignments will include: - weekly response papers - participation in discussions - planning and leading a seminar discussion (this will be done in small groups) - peer review - paper conferences with instructor - completion of a research/ term project
One of the primary goals of this course is honing each student’s analytical writing skills. Students need not have extensive writing experience to enroll in this course. Rather, we will workshop writing and analysis during the quarter. Because this is a small class (maximum enrollment of 15 students), students will receive in-depth commenting on papers, as well as personal help in developing analytical writing and in designing and completing the research project.
Fulfills W and I&S requirements for UW, as well as CHID’s Group B or Group C requirement.
** This course is still being developed. If you are interested in a particular aspect of public or personal history, please email me at hmtaylor@u.washington.edu and I will incorporate your interests into the course.
