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Most of the introductions to methodology, including the book I recently edited, are published for upper division undergraduates and beginning graduate students, and there are good reasons for that, namely the way history has been taught to students in secondary school. Just explaining that there is such a thing as historical method is a leap for most students, who have been taught to think of history as a series of given facts to be memorized. I'm not sure it would be a good idea to try to explain to the average beginning undergraduate about the details of historical methodology. I was once TA for a class where the students in the discussion section demanded to know "How does he [the professor] know this stuff?" After he explained in a lecture they were sorry they asked. But I don't think it's a bad idea to acquaint them with the fact that history must be reconstructed, that's it's not all given (i.e. data) and that there are controversies in history. I try to do that myself. I do wish Professor Carotenuto luck, and I would ask him, if he finds a good, brief article, to let us know. I rather suspect that he will have to write something himself for his students, either a lecture, a handout, or both. I suggest he look at the books and articles mentioned already in this thread, browse through old issues of _History in Africa_ and try to write something appropriate for undergraduates who probably haven't decided their major yet. He may even inspire someone to go into history.
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