HISTORICAL WRITING WORKSHOP

The Historical Writing Lab addresses to undergraduate students (corso di laurea in [FT5] STORIA), in particular students in their 2nd and 3rd year. The lab focuses on honing students’ abilities to form topics, conduct research, develop arguments and thesis statements, quote evidence, and write effectively. Enrollment is expected (max. 20 students): please write to 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; reportages; 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) analysing/writing a book-review; writing the account of an observation and/or writing a reportage;
b) writing a bibliography;
c) writing 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. Observation/description
4. Writing an historical paper / a thesis:

4.1 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.

4.2. 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.

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

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

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

6. 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.

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

Italian

1. Enrollment is expected (max. 20 students): please write to adelisa.malena@unive.it (and enroll in the moodle)
2. Please insert the Lab in your study plan.
3. The Lab is especially (but not exclusively) addressed to students in their 2nd or 3rd year.

written and oral

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