Course description
During CC1 PhD candidates who have just started their project are introduced to the broad field of professional cultural history. In six sessions, they meet their peers and various inspiring experts to build their national network and reflect on the methods, theories and practices in the field, on interdisciplinarity, and the relevance of their own work. They learn to better position their project in a highly interdisciplinary environment, and to access experts and expertise that might be relevant to their project’s success. All in all, the course aims to help them fulfil the transition from being a student to a professional historian. The course is concluded by a position paper of 2-3000 words that builds towards their end-of-year go/no-go chapter. At the end of the course, students have joined or committed to organise a working group of Huizinga members, which functions as a sounding board throughout the remainder of their PhD. This course is open to beginning PhD candidates only.
Course objectives
At the end of this course, students feel equipped to deal with the practical challenges of being a professional cultural historian. In addition they
- can position their project amongst the various constituent parts of cultural history
- have a clear sense of the available expertise in the field and the possibilities for interdisciplinary cross-fertilization
- can explain their project and its relevance to various audiences both within the broader cultural historical community and in society at large
- enhance their methodological and theoretical knowledge
Session dates
- Wednesday 1 March 2023, 11:00-18:00
Location: Academiegebouw UU, Kanunnikenzaal
Introduction (Harald Hendrix)
- Wednesday 8 March 2023, 13:00-16:00
Location: Academiegebouw UU, Belle van Zuylenzaal
Working in Cultural History (Anna Thomas Tijsseling)
- Wednesday 15 March 2023, 10:00-13:00
Location: Utrecht University, Drift 23, room 2.07
Positioning Your Research (Jan Hein Furnée), followed by lunch
- Wednesday 22 March 2023, 10:00-13:00
Location: Academiegebouw UU, Belle van Zuylenzaal
Getting the Question Right, and Answering It (Erika Kuijpers and Judith Pollmann)
- Wednesday 29 March 2023, 10:00-13:00
Location: Utrecht University, Drift 23, room 2.07
Interdisciplinarity as a Challenge (Inger Leemans)
- Wednesday 3 May 2023, 11:00-18:00
Location: Academiegebouw UU, Kanunnikenzaal
Final session (Harald Hendrix) devoted to discussing the papers and closing discussion.
- Tuesday 17 October 2023, 12:00-18:00
Location: Academiegebouw UU, Belle van Zuylenzaal
Follow-up session (Harald Hendrix): informal discussions on the developments of everyone’s projects; with lunch, drinks and (optional) dinner
