Advanced History Research

Advanced History Research is open to qualifying seniors. In this course students will conduct independent and in-depth research into a historical topic of their choice. The research will consist of consultation with both primary and secondary sources, in addition to working with people and organizations outside of Breck.

Students will undertake the research, writing, and presentation process that historians practice, including advancing an original interpretation of a particular historical event or concept and explaining how their project fits into the existing scholarship. Students will work with the instructor to develop research questions, review the literature already written about a topic, and research a variety of sources to create their own argument supported by relevant evidence.

Over the course of the class, students will present their learning via multiple platforms, including articles, websites, videos, and presentations. There may also be an opportunity to prepare one's scholarship for publication or presentation at a historical conference. The range of potential topics is limited only insofar as students have access to archives, libraries, sources, and research experts (historians, professors, archivists) outside of Breck. Students are expected to begin the process early and arrive at the beginning of the course with a solid idea of a historical topic that they will investigate throughout the school year.