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2025-2026 / HIST0271-1

Specialized heuristics and introduciton to bibliography: the Modern Times

Duration

15h Th, 15h Pr

Number of credits

 Bachelor in history5 crédits 

Lecturer

Annick Delfosse

Language(s) of instruction

French language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the second semester

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

The four courses of Heuristique contribute to establish a real progression in your training. The possibility given to you to follow them in parallel in B2 offers you the opportunity to discover, for the four periods, the specificities and methods of historical research (discovery of the different types of sources and works specific to each period; initiation to bibliographical research and the use of the main working tools). In B3, you will thus be able to choose, with full knowledge of the facts, the two periods in which you wish to specialise and carry out your first major work independently (including the TFC). At the end of these courses, you will have acquired some research automatisms, exercised your critical thinking and improved the quality of your scientific writing.

Heuristique spéciale et initiation bibliographique : histoire moderne is therefore an opportunity to introduce you to the practice of the modernist historian's profession. 

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

At the end of this course, you should be able to 

  • master the technique of referencing sources and works ;
  • conduct rigorous and in-depth research on complex modern history topics;
  • master the main bibliographic tools of modern history and carry out a rigorous analysis of them
  • distinguish between the different types of sources used by the modernist historian and master the tools that enable them to be analysed
  • present these sources correctly;
  • communicate the results of research
  • write in correct French.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

The skills taught in IPRH course are assumed to be acquired. You must therefore :

  • demonstrate a certain familiarity with the functioning of the libraries of ULiège and particularly with the library of Historical Sciences;
  • be able to locate and manipulate the basic working tools to initiate a search for information;
  • be able to read and understand a scientific article.
A good knowledge of the modern period is also required: it is advisable to review the Bac 1 subject from time to time.

In addition, it is absolutely necessary to have a good command of the French language. I therefore warmly advise students who are unsure of their language skills to contact the teaching assistant of the course, who will help them to overcome any weaknesses (see contact details below).

The mastery - at least passive - of foreign languages will be a real asset. It should also be remembered that Latin is still a common language in modern times. 

Finally, writing assignments requires mastering at least the basics of word processing (Word or LibreOffice).

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

We will meet each week in person, in an ex cathedra class that requires a high level of responsiveness from students.

You will be introduced to bibliographical research in modern history during compulsory rehearsals organised for 3 weeks in a row by the student instructor (small groups to be formed and schedule to be agreed). You will also be able to practise through online bibliographic rehearsals.

You will complete various assignments of varying difficulty and nature. These assignments should be seen as preliminary steps to the final assignment. These assignments will require you to spend time in the library.

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

Face-to-face course


Further information:

Face-to-face course

Course materials and recommended or required readings

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Exam(s) in session

Any session

- In-person

written exam ( open-ended questions )


Further information:

 

Formative Assessments

Throughout the semester, you will be required to complete a series of assignments of progressive difficulty and varied nature. The grade awarded for these tasks will be indicative only and will not be included in the final grade.

These assignments constitute essential preparatory steps for the summative assessments. Detailed instructions and deadlines will be communicated as the semester progresses.

Summative Assessments

Two assessments will take place in the library:

  • The first is designed to evaluate the ability to conduct information retrieval and bibliographical research on a topic in modern history.

  • The second focuses on the analysis of a modern history source, demonstrating the achievement of the intended learning outcomes of the course. Detailed instructions will be provided during the semester.

Both assessments are open book: all printed materials are permitted (personal documents, manuals, lecture notes, library books, etc.). The use of computers or digital media will be subject to specific guidelines that will be communicated later.

Integration of Summative Grades

If both parts are passed (minimum 10/20 in each), the arithmetic mean will be calculated: each part counts for 50% of the total grade.

If one of the two parts is failed, the final grade will correspond to the lowest grade obtained.

This is because the two assessments address complementary but inseparable competencies: information retrieval and source analysis are both essential and interdependent aspects of the historian's work. Mastery of only one in isolation does not allow the expected learning outcomes to be achieved, which justifies the requirement to pass both components.

Important Note

Any written academic work must be a personal and original production. At the end of every assignment or production, you must certify that it is not the result of a generative artificial intelligence tool and disclose any use of such a tool for language enhancement purposes only (exclusively spelling and grammar correction; translation). Any false or incomplete declaration will be considered fraud and sanctioned accordingly.

 

Work placement(s)

Organisational remarks and main changes to the course

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Contacts

Enseignant titulaire : Annick Delfosse, Département des Sciences historiques, Histoire moderne Quai Roosevelt, 1b - Bât. A4, niveau 1/006. Tél : + 32 4 366 5455 adelfosse@uliege.be  

Assistants : Martin Strasser
(Bureaux : Bât. A4, niveau 0, couloir secondaire)

Assistante pédagogique : Cécile Gorré (cgorre@uliege.be) (Bureau : Bât. A4, niveau 0, couloir secondaire)

Etudiante-monitrice : Juliette Deliège (Juliette.Deliege@student.uliege.be)


Secrétaire de section : Corinne Bolsée, Département des Sciences historiques, Secrétariat Histoire Quai Roosevelt, 1b - Bât. A4, niveau 0 Tél : +32 4 366 5875 (corinne.bolsee@uliege.be) 

Association of one or more MOOCs