HIST 289 at the University of Maryland Global Campus is a three-credit introduction to historical methods, approaches and techniques. The catalog lists a prerequisite of a 100-level HIST course. It is a foundation for later research courses, including HIST 309 and the capstone.
The goals are to explain what history is and why it matters, identify historical paradigms, and employ the moral and ethical standards of the historical profession. The focus is on the philosophical and practical skills historians use. Students find it abstract at first because it asks how historians know things, not just what happened.
Course at a Glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| University | University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) |
| Course code | HIST 289 |
| Credits | 3 |
| Level | Undergraduate |
| Prerequisite | A 100-level HIST course |
| Subject area | History: methods and historiography |
| Typical work | Discussion posts, source critiques, short analytical papers, a methods project (check your syllabus) |
What HIST 289 Covers
The catalog gives goals rather than a unit list. The table groups typical content under those goals.
| Theme | What you work on |
|---|---|
| What history is and why it matters | The nature of historical knowledge, evidence and interpretation |
| Historical paradigms | Frameworks and schools of thought that shape the questions historians ask |
| Professional ethics | Honesty with evidence, acknowledging sources, and fairness to the past |
| Practical skills | Finding, reading and evaluating primary and secondary sources |
| Philosophical skills | Argument, causation, objectivity and perspective |
Key Concepts Explained
Paradigms and Historiography
Historians ask different questions in different periods. Historiography is the study of how interpretations of a topic have developed. Naming a paradigm means saying what questions and evidence a school favors.
Illustration: Political history may ask who held power; social history asks about ordinary people. A topic can look very different under each approach.
Primary Versus Secondary Sources
Primary sources come from the time studied; secondary sources interpret them later. The same document can be either, depending on your question.
Illustration: A 1950s textbook is a secondary source on the nineteenth century but a primary source on 1950s ideas about education.
Ethics of the Profession
Historians cite sources, avoid cherry-picking evidence, and do not invent or distort. These standards connect directly to academic integrity in your own work.
Typical Assignments and How to Approach Them
The catalog does not list assessments, so these are typical for a methods course. Check your syllabus.
| Assignment type | What it tests | How to approach it |
|---|---|---|
| Discussion posts | Concepts and terms | Define the concept, then apply it to a historical example |
| Source critique | Evaluating primary evidence | Author, date, audience, purpose, reliability, then use |
| Historiography essay | Comparing interpretations | Pick a topic, summarize two or three views, explain why they differ |
| Methods project | Applying the toolkit | Choose a small question and document each step of the research |
A Repeatable Source Critique
Source critiques recur in this course. A consistent template keeps them focused.
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Who made it? | Position and expertise shape what is recorded |
| When and where? | Distance from events affects accuracy |
| For whom? | Audience shapes what is said and left out |
| Why? | Purpose reveals bias or persuasion |
| What can it tell me? | Matches the source to your research question |
Answer each in a sentence or two, then write one paragraph on how you would use the source and what you would check it against.
Writing About Interpretations
A historiography essay does not decide who is right. It explains how and why historians disagree. Group authors by argument, not by date, state each argument fairly, and then identify the cause of disagreement: different sources, different questions or different assumptions.
Finish with your own view on which approach is most convincing for your purpose, and say why.
A Study Plan You Can Adapt
Methods courses reward steady practice. This invented plan builds the skills in a sensible order.
| Stage | Focus |
|---|---|
| Start | Definitions: history, evidence, paradigm, historiography |
| Next | Source critique practice on three different source types |
| Then | Compare two historians on one topic and map the disagreement |
| Finally | Draft the assigned project with the research steps documented |
Applying each concept to a real example the same week makes later assignments much easier.
Where Students Get Stuck
- Abstract language. Anchor every concept in a specific example.
- Describing instead of evaluating. Methods papers need judgment about sources.
- Confusing source types. State what the source is relative to your question.
- Overstating objectivity. Show awareness of perspective without giving up on evidence.
- Weak citation. A methods course will notice careless footnotes.
Study Tips for HIST 289
- Keep a glossary of methods terms with an example each.
- Practice the critique template on any source you read.
- Ask what question a historian is trying to answer.
- Read book reviews to see how scholars judge arguments.
- Start your research log now; later courses will build on it.
How We Help with HIST 289
Send the assignment prompt, rubric, readings and instructor feedback. A history writer can explain a method, prepare a model critique or review your draft. See the research paper help guide for general support.
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Frequently Asked Questions
UMGC lists a 100-level HIST course.
No. It teaches methods that apply across periods.
A framework of questions and assumptions that guides how historians interpret evidence.
HIST 309 builds on it, moving to the research and writing process.
Yes. Send it with your prompt and we show the critique step by step.
No. We provide tutoring, custom answers and feedback only.