Duration
20h Th, 40h Pr
Number of credits
| Bachelor in history | 10 crédits |
Lecturer
Yann Berthelet, Florence Close, Annick Delfosse, Eric Geerkens, Catherine Lanneau, Geneviève Xhayet
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
All year long, with partial in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
The Practical Introduction to Research in History course offers you the opportunity to discover, during the first year of your bachelor's degree, the practices and tools of the scientific approach of any historian (student in training or profesional) and to perfect your mastery of the French language in the specific context of your history studies.
This course is an essential prerequisite for taking specialized Heuristics courses in the second year of the bachelor's degree.
It will address the following points , in particular :
- the principle of a heuristic approach ;
- the distinction between sources and works ;
- the critical reading of historical works ;
- written expression in a scientific context.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
- understand and explain the four-step research approach presented through the course (information research, documentary research, locating and accessing documents);
- be familiar with the functioning of libraries and understand the general organization of the historical collections kept in the University of Liège's librairies ;
- choose, locate and manipulate the relevant tools (work instruments, bibliographies and works) to collect information and conduct a bibliographic research on any question of history;
- read, understand and analyze on a scientific article in history and more particularly :
- identify the author & the publication ;
- determine the research problem and questions ;
- spot the various means used by the author to establish his demonstration ;
- identify the argumentation processes and logical implemented by the author to conctruct his demonstration ;
- bring the main results out;
- present all these points in writing in a coherent and intelligible report combining good syntax, appropriate vocabulary, good spelling and relevant ponctuation ;
- strengthen your mastery of the French language and understand the basics of scientific writing in history.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
A mastery of basic French language skills is necessary (spelling, vocabulary, grammar and syntax).
To help you measure your French language mastery level, an essay ( in face to face) and a diagnostic test (online) will be organized at the beginning of the year. These two activities are mandatory for any student registered in the IPRH course.
Students who do not get a satisfactory grade will be personally contacted by the department's teaching assistant for the course, Ms. Cécile Gorré (cgorre@uliege.be), who will offer them, during individual interviews, adapted remedial activities, aimed at better mastery of French language.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The course alternates theoretical sessions and practical exercises, in class or in the library.
Practical exercises are planned for these different points :
- a visit of the essential libraries for any history student ;
- the use of working instruments ( dictionaries, chronologies, atlases, major synthesis, etc.) on printed as well as digital media ;
- a general initiation to bibliographic research and to the use of bibliographic research tools ;
- the writing of bibliographic references and the introduction to the use of references managing and formatting software(Zotero) ;
- the gradual acquisition of a method of reading a scientific work ;
- the writing of summaries and analyses ;
- mastery of the French language ( systematic revision of grammatical, orthographic, syntactic rules...)
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Additional information:
The course will be entirely given face-to-face. The sessions will be provided by different teachers and assistants who will take turns over the course of the year. This diversity of approaches serving a common method is one of the specificities of this course.
Given the strong practical dimension as well as the progressive and cumulative difficulty of the exercises, with a view to continuous learning, class attendance is required.
Any absence from a practical work session (in the classroom or in the library) or editorial work must imperatively be reported and justified to the person in charge of the course.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus
Further information:
Given the strong practical dimension of the course, there iare no official lecture notes.
A series of useful learning resources will be made available on the course's eCampus page throughout the year:
- various PowerPoint materials ;
- the course plan, including a timetable and the list of compulsory assignments ;
- activity sheets informing you of the different objectives, contents, materials and exercises linked with each course session ;
- the wordings of the in-class exercises ;
- additional online exercises ;
- scientific papers adressed in class ;
- the Guide to reading a scientific article in history;
- language activities worked on face-to-face (language points , online test correction, summary activities...).
Exam(s) in session
January exam session
- In-person
written exam ( open-ended questions )
May-June exam session
- In-person
written exam ( open-ended questions )
August-September exam session
- In-person
written exam ( open-ended questions )
Further information:
The partial test (partim 1) organised in January on the theoretical part of the course (open questions) is dispensatory. This means that the mark will count for 30% of the overall final mark in June if passed (> or = 10/20). If the mark for the January mid-term is insufficient (< 10/20), it will not affect the overall final mark. The students concerned will have to retake the mid-term exam on the theoretical part of the course (open questions) in June. They will have to sit it again in August in the event of an overall mark of <10/20 in June AND failure of this part.
The written assessment in June and August (partim 2) concerns the writing of the report of a scientific article and concerns all students.
The assessment takes place in face-to-face, partly on paper, partly on computer (your personal computer or one provided by the university ).
The written tests aim to assess your knowledge and understanding of the material covered in the course as well as your ability to implement the skills practiced during the year. In this context, mastery of the French language will be the subject of an evaluation fully integrated into the final grade. The duration of the exam will thus be adapted to allow careful rereading and ensure the quality of written expression in French.
As part of a continuous learning approach, the course includes certain obligatory activities and essential work. This means that you absolutely must have completed them to be able to take the exam, in January, June or August. The list of these obligatory activities and assignments is included in the online course outline.
Academic and Examination Regulations ("Landscape" Regime) - Art. 61 §2:
"By exception to §1, students may be declared inadmissible for the evaluation if they have not participated in one or more learning activities which were indicated as being compulsory and an intrinsic part of the teaching unit in question. The reasons for inadmissibility and how these are applied must be brought to students' attention in the course description for the teaching unit and, where appropriate, in the corresponding Faculty regulations. The same holds for students who have not submitted, within the set delays or in the prescribed formats, reports, personal work or any work set in the context of the activity in question".
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
The course is given in 60 hours, spread over the year in sessions of 2 or 3 hours / week (Wednesday from 1 p.m. on), according to the schedule given during the course.
Contacts
Coordinator: Geneviève Xhayet (G.Xhayet@uliege.be)
Assistants : Thomas Briamont (tbriamont@uliege.be) et Victor Vandenbulke (V.Vandenbulke@uliege.be)
Association of one or more MOOCs
There is no MOOC associated with this course.