KHID 3085 - Arguing in Public: The Art of Critical Writing

Historians are used to talking amongst themselves. How can they better communicate with others?

This course is an introduction to how to write for a broad public. How do you maintain academic nuance without getting drained in the details? How can you introduce readers to scholarship and ideas? How can these pieces of writings influence public debate?

Over the course of the semester, we will read and talk about works of critical writing—by historians, but also by other writers. We will discuss techniques used and strategies to follow. Then, you will embark on your own work of critical writing.