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Methods and Techniques for Historical Research

Code: 100373
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
History OB 2
Contemporary History, Politics and Economics OP 3
Contemporary History, Politics and Economics OP 4

Contact lecturer

Name :
Enric Pujol Casademont
Email :
enric.pujol@uab.cat

Teaching staff

Jaume Oliver Bruy

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

Reading and understanding Catalan and Spanish correctly. It is desirable to have basic competency in English.

Objectives

The main objective of this module is to introduce students to the methods and techniques they will require to conduct historical research in an autonomous and rigorous way. It combines theoretical and applied classes to acquantain students with historical research, what resources are available for them and how should a project be designed. They will also have the chance to work with a wide variety of sources and analyse them critically to generate new knowledge.

Learning outcomes

  1. Identifying the main and secondary ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
  2. Solving problems autonomously.
  3. Properly using the specific vocabulary of History.
  4. Organising and planning the search of historical information.
  5. Using the characteristic computing resources of the field of History.
  6. Communicating in your mother tongue or other language both in oral and written form by using specific terminology and techniques of Historiography.
  7. Using the methods and techniques of demography in the historical analysis.
  8. Using the methods and techniques of sociology in the historical analysis.
  9. Using the methods and techniques of economy in the historical analysis.
  10. Utilising the information collection tools such as bibliographical catalogues, archive inventories and electronic references.
  11. Mastering the main techniques of historical research.
  12. Applying the necessary abilities in order to assess and spread historical knowledge.
  13. Engaging in debates about historical facts respecting the other participants' opinions.
  14. Assessing and critically solving the historiographical problems of war studies.
  15. Recognising and implementing the following teamwork skills: commitment to teamwork, habit of cooperation, ability to participate in the problem solving processes.
  16. Developing the ability of historical analysis and synthesis.
  17. Work in teams respecting all points of view. Use the specific vocabulary of history correctly.
  18. Distinguishing the relation between historiographical theory and practice.
  19. Using computing resources of the area of study of history.
  20. Synthesizing and critically analysing information.
  21. Producing and planning researches or analytical reports.
  22. Working in teams and networking, particularly in interdisciplinary conditions.
  23. Solve problems autonomously.
  24. Master and apply the main techniques of historical research.
  25. Producing and preparing presentations of reports and intervention proposals.
  26. Producing and giving efficient political speeches, working from a marketing approach and using rhetoric, reasoning and oratory techniques.
  27. Give effective oral presentations that are suited to the audience.
  28. Managing the available time in order to accomplish the established objectives and fulfil the intended task.
  29. Demonstrate an understanding and ability to apply the main techniques of rhetoric and discourse construction for political type discourses.
  30. Working autonomously.

Contents

1. History and its uses.


1.1 Brief history of History.


1.2 Narrative, science, truth, fiction.


1.3 Historiographic approaches and concepts and their evolution.


2. The material and immaterial sources, and the profession of the historian.


2.1 Archival documentary sources and their origins: administrative, legislative, judicial, political, trade union, associations, companies ...


2.2 Other written sources: newspapers, letters, autobiographies, memoirs, novels, etc.


2.3 Oral sources and working with witnesses.


2.4 A new challenge: the sources of the audiovisual and digital universe.


2.5 The approach of a research project.


3. Archaeological sources


3.2 Specificity of the archaeological record.


3.3 Landscape archeology / agricultural archeology.


3.4 Ethnoarchaeology.


4. Auxiliary Sciences and Techniques: paleography, diplomacy, codicology, numismatics, vexillography, genealogy, geographic information systems.


5. The irruption of memory and heritage. Challenges and opportunities of History.


6. “Public history”: instruments and mechanisms for the transmission of historical knowledge.


6.1 The archives and documentation centers.


6.2 Museums: typologies and social / community functions.


6.3 Didactics and pedagogy of history and memory.


6.4 Cultural tourism and memory tourism.


6.5 The media, audiovisual products and digital technologies.

Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Theoretical classes and practices at classroom 54 2.16 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
Individual activities 75 3 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
Tutorials 15 0.6 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

This module has a theoretical part, which will be taught through lectures, and an applied part, which will include in-class training and individual projects. Students need to have good language skills to present the results obtained through group and individual projects to their peers and the teacher.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Oral presentations, activity at classroom 10 % 1 0.04 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
Delivery of a paper 30 % 2 0.08 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
Exams 60 % (30% + 30%) 3 0.12 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

1.First written exam (30%)
2.Second written exam (30%)
3.Course assignment (30%)
4.Participation in practical in-class activities and complementary activities organized during the course, such as sessions with guest lecturers (10%)

 

Students must attend class and participate in scheduled external activities.

At the time of completion or submission of each evaluative activity, instructors will inform students (via Moodle, SIA) of the procedure and date for reviewing grades. Particular cases will be considered and addressed with personalized attention. Students have the right to review the results of the assessments. Instructors will establish the appropriate mechanisms for this purpose.

To be eligible for the resit, students must have been previously assessed in a set of activities that represent at least 2/3 of the total grade (CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT), or must have submitted all required assessments (SINGLE ASSESSMENT). A minimum grade of 3.5 may also be required.

Resits will follow the general regulations of the UAB and consist of a synthesis test covering the course content, to be held on the date established by the Faculty. The highest possible grade in the resit process is Pass, meaning 5 out of 10. The resit is not an opportunity to improve one's grade.

Students will be considered “not assessable” and will not have access to the resit if they have submitted less than 30% of the evaluable activities.

If a student commits any irregularity (copying, plagiarism, unauthorized use of digital watches, smartphones, headphones, or similar devices) that could significantly alter the grade of an evaluative activity, that activity will be graded with a 0, regardless of any disciplinary proceedings that may follow, and will not be eligible for recovery.

In this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is not permitted atany stage. Anyassignment including AI-generated content willbe considered an act of academic dishonesty, willbe graded with a 0, and will not be eligible for recovery, or may lead to more serious sanctions in severe cases.

All assignments will be assessed for spelling accuracy, clarity of expression, and correctness in writing. Major deficiencies in these areas may prevent a student from passing the course.

If assessments cannot be conducted in person, their format will be adapted (while maintaining their weighting) to the options available through UAB’s virtual tools. Homework, activities, and participation in class will be conducted through forums, wikis, and/or exercise discussions via Moodle, Teams, etc.

The assessment schedule may not be modified, except in duly justified exceptional cases. Erasmus students who request to bring an exam forward must present the instructor with a written document from their home university justifying the request.

Single Assessment: This will consist of three components representing 45%, 45%, and 10% of the final grade: an exam covering the entire syllabus, submission of a course assignment, and a personal interview with instructors to verify mastery of the course content. The same resit system as for continuous assessment will apply.

 

Bibliography

s:


  • Alberch i Fugueras, Ramon; Cruz Mundet, José Ramón. ¿Archívese! Los documentos del poder. El poder de los documentos. Madrid: Alianza Editorial, 2008.
  • Arrieta Urtizberea, Iñaki. Lugares de memoria traumáticos. Representaciones museográficas de conflictos políticos y armados. Bilbao: Universidad del País Vasco, 2016.
  • Augé, Marc. Las formas del olvido. Barcelona: Gedisa, 1998.
  • Ballart Hernández, Josep. El patrimonio histórico y arqueológico: valor y uso. Barcelona: Ariel, 1997.
  • Bloch, Marc. Apología para la historia o el oficio de historiador. Mèxic D. F.: Fondo de Cultura Económica, 1996.
  • Carr, Edward Hallett; introducció de Richard John Evans. Qué es la historia. Barcelona: Ariel, 2017.
  • Campillo Besses, Xavier; López-Monné, Rafael. El llibre dels camins. Tarragona: Arola Editors, 2010.
  • Diversos autors. Memòries controvertides i patrimoni. Usos i abusos del passat immediat. Barcelona: Memorial Democràtic, 2022.
  • Fentress, James; Wickham, Chris. Memoria social. Madrid: Cátedra, 2003.
  • Fontana Lázaro, Josep. L'ofici d'historiador. Girona: Documenta Universitària, 2010.
  • Francovich, Riccardo. La arqueología medieval: entre la historia y la gestión del patrimonio. Granada: Universidad de Granada, 2008.
  • Gruzinski, Serge. ¿Para qué sirve la historia? Madrid: Alianza Editorial, 2018.
  • Hochadel, Oliver. El mito de Atapuerca. Orígenes, ciencia, divulgación. Cerdanyola del Vallès: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 2013.
  • Hunt, Lynn. Historia. ¿Por qué importa? Madrid: Alianza Editorial, 2019.
  • Jelin, Elizabeth; Vinyes Ribas, Ricard. ¿Cómo será el pasado? Una conversación sobre el giro memorial. Barcelona: Ned Ediciones, 2021.
  • Kirchner, Helena (ed.). Por una arqueología agraria de las sociedades medievales hispánicas. Propuesta de un protocolo de investigación. Oxford: Archeopress, 2018.
  • Lowenthal, David. El pasado es un país extraño. Madrid: Akal Ediciones, 1998.
  • Matozzi, Ivo. «Enseñar a escribir sobre la historia». Enseñanza de las Ciencias Sociales: Revista de Investigación, núm. 3 (2004), p. 39–48.
  • Moradiellos García, Enrique. El oficio de historiador. Estudiar, enseñar, investigar. Madrid: Akal Ediciones, 2013.
  • Mudrovcic, María Inés. Historia, narración y memoria. Los debates actuales en filosofía de la historia. Madrid: Akal Ediciones, 2005.
  • Pons, Anaclet. El desorden digital. Guía para historiadores y humanistas. Madrid: Siglo XXI Editores, 2013.
  • Portelli, Alessandro. Històries orals. Relat, imaginació, diàleg. Barcelona: Memorial Democràtic, 2009.
  • Puig i Ustrell, Pere. Els pergamins documentals: naturalesa, tractament arxivístic i contingut diplomàtic. Barcelona: Generalitat de Catalunya, 1995.
  • Quirós Castillo, Juan Antonio. La materialidad de la historia. La arqueología en los inicios del siglo XXI. Madrid: Akal Ediciones, 2013.
  • Sáez-Rosenkranz, Isidora; Prats Cuevas, Joaquín. Memoria histórica y enseñanza de la Historia. Gijón: Ediciones Trea, 2020.
  • Santacana Mestre, Joan; Hernàndez Cardona, Francesc Xavier. Museos de historia. Entre la taxidermia y el nomadismo. Gijón: Ediciones Trea, 2011.
  • Santacana Mestre, Joan; Llonch Molina, Nayra. Museo local. La cenicienta de la cultura. Gijón: Ediciones Trea, 2008.
  • Sayer, Faye. Public History. A Practical Guide. Londres: Bloomsbury Academic, 2019.
  • Da Silva Catela, Ludmila; Jelin, Elizabeth (eds.). Los archivos de la represión: documentos, memoria y verdad. Buenos Aires: Siglo XXI Editores, 2002.
  • Todorov, Tzvetan. Los abusos de la memoria. Barcelona: Paidós, 2000.
  • Tortella Casares, Gabriel. Introducción a la economía para historiadores. Madrid: Tecnos, 1987.



Software

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Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 2 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 2 Catalan first semester morning-mixed