Inter-library loans

This is just a quick message about inter-library loans. You are able to borrow books from university libraries (eg. University of Sydney and Macquarie University) through Barker’s own library. This is an excellent way of getting really solid resources for your research.

If you want to get an inter-library loan over the school holidays, you need to see Mrs Sawyer at the library by the end of this week.

This will give both Barker’s library and the university library time enough to get the book you are after to you by the school holidays.

The University of Sydney and Macquarie University will let you borrow over the duration of the school holidays.

What is your essay topic?

The proposal deadline is drawing close! A quick survey of all students would be interesting to see the breadth of research that will be undertaken with this year’s group of History Extension students. It is also a good exercise to see whether you can articulate your research topic / investigation in to one or two sentences.

I’ll start:

My research looks at the influences of post-reunification Germany and contemporary Europe on historiographical approaches to ethnicity and ethnic identity in the Antique West.

Over to you…

(First student to reply gets a Mars bar)

STOP PRESS – Resources just in!

@ Matthew Page: letting you know that “An awkward truth: the bombing of darwin” is now waiting at the desk in the library.

@ All History Extension students don’t forget the resource:

Encyclopedia Of Historians and Historical Writing R907.202/ENC can help with historians background, particular methodology followed, principal writings. Not all covered but many are!

All students feel free to drop in and ask for any references

Mrs SAWYER -Librarian

What is the most challenging thing about your research?

We ask this question several times throughout the course as there are many different sorts of answers to this question and responses will vary depending on what stage you are up to. It depends entirely on the area that you are looking at. For me, there are two things that are very challenging. The first is having to analyse academic German. Can be a difficulty, to say the least. The other thing is making sure I thoroughly analyse the author and not recreate their arguments. My research is looking at historical traditions. Keeping an arm’s length from them can be difficult.

So, over to you. What is the most challenging thing about your research? What are you doing to overcome this challenge?

Welcome to History Extension 2011

Welcome to the new group of History Extension students! Good to have you on board. I hope you find the course as interesting and as entertaining as Mr Longney and I do.

The purpose of the History Extension blog is to provide another forum for students and staff to interact with one another re: matters historiographical. There will be regular posts, your responses to which will form a part of our assessment of your performance in this course.

Have a look around and see what the blog has… some information is still being updated so if you see something that looks like it was for last year’s Year 12 group then quietly disregard it. You will note too that alot of what you are required to do is comment on a post that is uploaded by either myself or another member of staff. You don’t have to post an article yourself – unless you wish to do so.

That’s enough for now. Enjoy your time here!

Cheers, Mr Scott