.

SSHV101:
METHODOLOGY
OF HISTORY
& WORLD
HISTORY.
Part 1 (Units 1-6) will lead us into the terrain of historical
methodology and the exploration of concepts that will The objective of Part 1 is to
clarify the basic concerns of the historian, such as understand the principles of
meaning, scope, the variety of sources, critical historical research.
evaluation and the possibility of objectivity in
interpretation and synthesis. In short, it will be
contended that while both the historical past and the
historian are fraught with the complexity, ambiguities
and subjectivity of human nature, it is possible, even
essential, that history is maintained as a scientific
discipline.
The objective of Part 2 is to
Part 2 (Units 7 and 8) will deal with the emergence of understand how humans emerged
humans, their migrations, the Neolithic Revolution and and how one of the earliest
one of the earliest ancient civilisations in Africa, the civilisations took root and flowered.
Nubian Civilisation.
GENERAL MODULAR INFORMATION
NQF Level 5
Credit value: 6 credits
Duration: 1 Term

LECTURER:
Dr Pat Gibbs.

Please feel free to email your lecturer to have any content related queries answered. Note that anything
pertaining to the module which is not content-related (i.e. the handing in of doctor’s certificates, timetable
problems, queries about your marks, etc.), should also be directed to your lecturer.

MODULE UNITS
The module has been divided into 2 Parts.

PART 1: Historical Methodology: The Concerns of History

 The Purpose of History
 The Basic Concerns of History
 History as a Discipline
 The Variety and Categorization of Historical
 Sources
 Historical Methodology: Objectivity
 Historical Methodology: Interpretation and Reinterpretation of History

PART 2: World History

 The emergence of humans
 The Nubian Civilisation

PART 1: HISTORICAL METHODOLOGY

History is more complex than many people realize. It is so much more than memorizing names, dates,
and places. History is a reconstruction of the past and derived from historical evidence, which is
collected, tested and interpreted according to scientific principles. This section will lead us into the
terrain of historical methodology and the exploration of concepts that will clarify the basic concerns of
the historian, such as meaning, scope, the variety of sources, critical evaluation and the methodology of
interpretation, including the possibility of objectivity. In short, it will be contended that since the historical
past is fraught with the complexity and ambiguities of human nature, so the historian must utilise tools
to get as close to the truth of the past as possible. Thus, it is essential, that history is followed as a
scientific discipline.

PART 2: EARLY HUMAN BEGINNINGS

Having clarified the historian’s approach in Part 1, in Part 2, we will overview early developments in the story of
the beginnings of humankind which eventually led into the early, great civilizations. We will question how humans
developed and then why civilizations became established later and what expressions and achievements they
gave rise to. In particular, we will study the fascinating history of Ancient Nubia and explore its political phases,
economies, systems of power, their thought and art and their interrelationship with Egypt and the contribution of
the Nubians to Civilization in general.

This Module will thus lead into a module in the second term, where further civilizations will be taught.
 LECTURE SCHEDULE

LECTURE DATES, TOPICS AND ASSESSMENT

DATE UNIT & TOPIC APPROXIMATE

DATES OF
ASSIGNMENTS
21 Feb Introduction to module
23 Feb PART 1: Historical Methodology
A Helicopter View of History
28 Feb The 3 Basic Concerns/ Focus of History
The Scope of History
2 March The Discipline of History
7 March Sources
9 March Creating Historical Knowledge:
- Testing the Sources
14 March Creating Historical Knowledge: ASS 1
- Interpreting the Sources - – Language; Objectivity, Reliving, Context
16 March The Reinterpretation of History
21 March PUBLIC HOLIDAY – HUMAN RIGHTS DAY
23 March Part 2: Ancient Civilisations
Human Origins
28 March Human Origins
30 March Neolithic Revolution
4 April The Nubian Civilisation ASS 2
6 April The Nubian Civilisation

RECESS FRIDAY STARTS 7 APRIL TO SUNDAY 16 APRIL 2023

TEAMS LECTURE TIMES

Term 1 (2022)  Lecture Timetable For Module: INTRODUCTION TO WORLD HISTORY
(A) (SSHV101)

Period Time Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 7.45   L 35 0000 5        
-
2 -   L 35 0000 5      
9.00
3 09:00       Online Teams    
-
4 -       Online Teams    
10:30

Lectures will provide you with a good overview of the Units, which will facilitate your reading, and
provide you with an opportunity to have your questions answered and concepts clarified. To excel in
this module, lecture attendance is vital. Lecturers may mention concepts and theories during the
lectures that you might not come across in your texts. You are required to attend two double lectures
per week (see module timetable above)
SOME MATERIAL (SUCH AS LECTURES, BOOKS, ARTICLES, NOTICES, ASSIGNMENT
QUESTIONS) WILL BE UPLOADED ONTO MOODLE, A UNIVERSITY PLATFORM
READING
The various texts referred to below will assist students in achieving a fuller understanding of the study
topics. As it is not possible to cover all topics in detail in lectures, it is expected that students will read
additional material to broaden their critical understanding of the issues under discussion. A list of
recommended reading is provided below:

You will also be provided with a manual of exercises which will help you to understand PART 1 of the
course through practical experience. This will be posted on Moodle (the university’s forum for lecturer-
student contact)

PART 1 - RECOMMENDED READING

 Atkinson, R.F., Knowledge and Explanation in History. An Introduction to the Philosophy of
History, London, Macmillan Press, 1978.
 Carr, E.H., What is History?, Harmondsworth, Middlesex, Penguin, 1964.
 Collingwood, R.G. The Idea of History, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1946
 Donnely, M. & Norton C. Doing History. Routledge, 2012. (Selected chapters)
Available at Rehab and Van Schaiks bookshop.
 Marwick, A., The Nature of History, London, Macmillan, 1970.
 Stern, F.R., The Varieties of History, from Voltaire to the Present, New York, Meridian books,
1956.
 Tosh, J.,Pursuit of History: Aims, Methods and New Directions in the Study of Modern History ,
Longman, 1984.
 What is History? A new approach to History for Students, Workers and Communities,NECC,
Skotaville Educational division, 1987. Selections provided.

OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of PART 1 you should be able to:
1. Understand what the basic concerns of the historian are
2. Understand the chronological range of history’s focus
3. Draw an accurate Timeline
4. Know the full range of sources available to the historian and why they are categorized as they
are
5. Understand the importance of objectivity
6. Apply the concepts involved in the critical evaluation of sources
7. Understand how the historian interprets the data found.

PART 2 – RECOMMENDED READING

 https://australian.museum/learn/science/human-evolution/the-first-migrations-out-of-africa/
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdP-Wjd1qSY
 Armelagos, George, Life and Death on the Nile: A Bioethnography of Three Ancient Nubian
Communities, Florida, University Press of Florida, 2017
 Baynes, Marcia, ‘Nubia: Land of the Bend’, Calliope. Nov/Dec 96, Vol. 7 Issue 2
  Mann, Kenny, Egypt, Kush, Aksum: Northeast Africa , (1st ed.), Parsippany, N.J., Dillon Press,
c1997.
 Markowitz, Yvonne J. ‘Trade in Ancient Nubia’, Calliope. Nov/Dec 96, Vol. 7 Issue 2, p20. 
 Nobles, Vera L. ‘Nubia and Egypt’, Journal of Black Studies. Mar 1996, Vol. 26 Issue 4, p431
 O'Connor, D., Ancient Nubia : Egypt's rival in Africa, Philadelphia, University Museum of
Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, c1993.
 Price, Stuart. ‘Welcome to ‘God’s Land’ ‘, New African. Jan 2005, Issue 436, p38-45. 
 Schuster, Angela M.H. ‘Ancient Nubia. Egypt’s Rival in Africa’, Archaeology. Jan/Feb 93, Vol.
46 Issue 1, p60
 Török, László, The kingdom of Kush : handbook of the Napatan-Meroitic civilization , Leiden,
Brill, 1997
 Trigger, B., ‘Kerma: The Rise of an African Civilization’, The International Journal of African
Historical Studies , 1976, Vol. 9, No. 1 (1976), pp. 1-21 Published by: Boston University African
Studies Center

(The titles above in inverted commas are articles available on the NMU library database)

OBJECTIVES
 To understand what phases of development humans went through
 To understand their dispersal from Africa across the globe
 To understand how humankind began and where they migrated to and from
 To understand what the Neolthic Revolution was
 To understand how the Nubian Civilisation came into being
 To understand iNubia’s cultural and military achievements and its ties to Egypt
 To understand the importance of how it was shaped to a large extent by the environment

KEY CONCEPTS

Man and Society Internal Criticism

Change through Time Historism
The unique and particular Objectivity
Critical evaluation Subjectivity
External criticism The Relativity of History

INTERESTING WEBSITES

Engaging students with primary sources https://historyexplorer.si.edu/sites/default/files/PrimarySources.pdf

http://www.hist.cam.ac.uk/prospective-undergrads/virtual-classroom/secondary-sources

Dunn, Michael. How and why does history get rewritten? (10th May 2013). theoryofknowledge.net.
http://www.theoryofknowledge.net/areas-of-knowledge/history/how-and-why-does-history-get-rewritten/ Last accessed: 2nd
March 2016

USING ELECTRONIC DATA BASES

You will have learnt how to access journals through the library orientation which you attended at the beginning of
the academic year. The following is an example of how to access online journals on the university’s intranet: click
on In-house Links and then on Library and Information Services. Once you have reached the Library and
Information Services site, under Electronic Resources, click on Online Databases. This will take you to a page
with a list of databases. Find and click on the EBSCOhost on-campus access link. A new window will open. Once
the ESBCOhost website has loaded, click on the EBSCOHOSTweb link. Select all of the databases and click to
continue. Type the name of the journal article or author into the search field and click on Search. Once your
results have loaded, you can choose to open the pdf version of your journal article.

The library regularly offers short sessions that introduce students to the use of electronic databases effectively. It
is highly recommended that students take part in one of these sessions as the finding and using of suitable
academic sources is essential in producing quality assignments and obtaining good results.

ASSESSMENTS
You will be evaluated by means of two assessments. Both assessments are compulsory. Details of the
assessments and their due dates will be communicated to you on Moodle (the university’s forum for lecturer-
student contact)

EXAMINATION
There is a TWO-hour examination during the July 2023 examination period.

MARK ALLOCATION
Students must obtain a mark of at least 40 per cent for the module to be allowed to write the
examination. (Note rule G1.6.6). This mark is determined by the combined mark allocated of the two
assessments. A two-hour examination constitutes the remaining 50 per cent (Note rule G1.6.10).
There is a 40 per cent sub-minimum mark for the examination. A mark of 45 per cent is required for a
reassessment. The final mark obtained for the re-examination may not exceed 50 per cent. (Note rule
G1.6.18.4)

The weighting of your marks will be as follows:

Assessment 1 50 marks (50% of class mark)
Assessment 2 50 marks (50% of class mark)
Examination 100 marks

Your final module mark will comprise of a 50/50 ratio of your class and examination marks.

ENJOY THE COURSE!

DR. PAT GIBBS.