HISTORICAL WRITING WORKSHOP

The Historical Writing Lab addresses to undergraduate students (corso di laurea in [FT5] STORIA). The lab focuses on honing students’ abilities to form topics, conduct research, develop arguments and thesis statements, cite evidence, and write effectively. Enrollment is expected (max. 20 students): adelisa.malena@unive.it.
The instructional goals of the lab are:
a) acquiring a deeper sensibility to different forms or historical writing;
b) being able to manage different forms of texts (book review; historical paper; B.A. dissertation);
c) developing a critical and cooperating approach (through peer review and collaborative writing

An active participation to proposed activities - both in class and online - is required. Students are expected to:
a) write a book-review;
b) write a bibliography;
c) write an historical paper /chapter of thesis.

Very good knowledge of the Italian language.

The Lab is structured in 10 units (7 in class and 3 online). It aims to introduce students to the different steps of historical writing (i.e.: to form topics, conduct research, develop arguments and thesis statements, cite evidence, and write effectively)
The following topics will be taken into consideration:

1. Good (and bad) practices: reading History.

2. The "art" of book review.

3. Writing an historical paper / a thesis:

3.1 Forming topics
Preliminary bibliography; preliminary research questions and proposal.

Exercise: first research hypothesis; how to structure a paper; how to manager a word-file; basic writing criteria.

3.2. Primary and secondary sources. Access to traditional and online resources. Books; scientific journals; database.

Exercise: how to quote; how to write a footnote; how to write a bibliography.

3.3 Collecting materials and taking notes. How to create note cards.
Exercise: hox to construct a reasoned index.

3.4 Writing: general criteria.
Exercise: sample of a paper / thesis chapter.

4 Crossed reading: peer-review and crossed comments (in little groups or couples of students).
Class discussion.

5. Sum-up and correction of the exercises.
Class discussion.

Claudio Giunta, Come non scrivere: Consigli ed esempi da seguire, trappole e scemenze da evitare quando si scrive in italiano, Torino, Utet 2017.


Anton Cechov, Nè per fama né per denaro. Consigli di scrittura e di vita, a cura di Piero Brunello, Beatedizioni 2015.

Carmen Dell'Aversano e Alessandro Grilli, La scrittura argomentativa. Dal saggio breve alla tesi di dottorato, Le Monnier 2005.

Umberto Eco, Come si fa una tesi di laurea: le materie umanistiche, Bompiani, 21a ed. 2010.

Constant monitoring of the students' participation and achieved results. Final report.

written and oral

Introductory lessons; seminar activities; reading of a historical essays; writing activities; class discussions; online forums.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development