Fulbright History Lab

History is everything because everything has a history. This experiential gateway course gives majors and non-majors the chance to explore the tools of historical research and learn what it means to do history. Students will study the roots of historical thinking in Europe and Asia, read and critique the fields foundational texts, challenge their assumptions about objectivity, and debate the best ways to explore the past. Using Ho Chi Minh City as their laboratory, students will try out the historians toolkit and use different methodological approaches to explore history in local, regional, and global contexts. Throughout the course, students will analyze a wealth of primary sources, visit a local archive, conduct oral interviews, experiment with digital history, and design their own research project. This year, Fulbright History Lab will collaborate with Princeton University’s History Dialogues Project to provide students an introduction to oral history methods, research ethics, and project design. As part of this semester-long module, students will have the opportunity to interact with students from Princeton’s partner institutions around the world. Following the completion of this course, students will be eligible to carry out the research proposals they design in Fulbright History Lab over the summer as part of the History Dialogues Project’s optional Independent Research Seminar.