Criticism of information sources and seminar in humanities

Teacher(s)

Landmeters Romain; Rase Céline; Verreycken Quentin;

Language

French

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

The general objective of this teaching unit is to train students in and acquire the methods of university work. I. With regard to training in the scientific approach - Integrate the main basic approaches and tools of research in the human sciences; - Acquire the foundations of the critical method and scientific ethics, allowing access to scientific knowledge; in particular acquire the ability to synthesize and compare different sources and the ability to report on them in a structured way (through the choice of a logical, clear and balanced plan). - Implement approaches, methods and ethics through practical exercises and seminar work; - Acquire the ability to read and understand scientific articles, regardless of the humanities discipline concerned; II. With regard to the acquisition of a general culture and interdisciplinary knowledge: - Acquiring critical knowledge with regard to general sources of information (such as the press, new media and the Internet in general, political speeches, surveys, statistics, etc.); - Acquiring a critical approach to a subject and from two human science discipline (law and history), through the seminar; III. With regard to written and oral communication, in French - Acquire the ability to communicate, in writing and orally, an idea and/or reasoning, particularly in the context of the seminar.

Content

1. The Critique des sources d’information course is first and foremost a practice-oriented method course on the implementation of the methods presented through legal questions, exercises and casus.


The learning of research principles and methods requires the theoretical definition of a number of theoretical concepts (categories of information sources, methods of documentary research and the construction of a research question, principles of criticism of information sources, legal foundations for the validity of information). However, this presentation is systematically illustrated in a practical, even participatory way. At the end of each theoretical part, a series of exercises are carried out during the lecture course, as a synthesis of the material.

2. The aim of the humanities seminar is to introduce students to interdisciplinarity and encourage them to problematize a research topic in disciplines other than law (history, economics, political science, anthropology, sociology, criminology, philosophy, etc.). Seminar themes vary according to the chairholder.

Teaching methods

The teaching unit consists of two learning activities: the course Critique des sources d’information, and the Seminar.

The course is given ex cathedra during the first term, at a rate of 2hours every two weeks.
The seminar is given at a rate of 1h30 every two weeks, during the first and second terms.

Evaluation methods

The Criticism of Information Sources course is evaluated by a dispensatory written exam, held during the January session, or a final exam held during the June and September sessions. Only the mark above 10/20 is therefore retained for the subsequent session(s) of the same academic year (art. 23 of the implementing provisions of the RGEE for the Faculty of Law).
The Seminar is evaluated both on the basis of preparatory work throughout the academic year and on the basis of a final paper, due in the second term. In the event of late submission of work (preparatory or final), 2 points out of 20 are deducted for each day of delay, up to a maximum of 5 days. Beyond this, the student is awarded a final grade of 0A/20 at the June session.
The two learning activities result in a single final rating, at the end of the June and September sessions, corresponding to the average rating of the two evaluations. However, both learning activities must have been effectively presented in order to be eligible for this average rating.

Bibliography

C. Gauvard, J.F. Sirinelli (dir.), Dictionnaire de l’historien, Paris, PUF, 2015.
K. Hillis, M. Petit, K. Jarrett, Google and the culture of search, New York, Routledge, 2012.
N. Marquis, E. Lenel, L. Van Campenhoudt, Pratique de la lecture critique en sciences humaines et sociales, Paris, Dunod, 2018.
J. Pycke, La critique historique : un long chemin à parcourir entre le témoignage et la synthèse, 3e éd., Louvain-la-Neuve, Academia-Bruylant, 2000.
R. Quivy, L. Van Campenhoudt, Manuel de recherches en sciences sociales, 3e éd. rev. et augm., Paris, Dunod, 2006.
Ch. Samaran (dir.), L’Histoire et ses méthodes, Paris, La Pléiade, 1961 (Encyclopédie de La Pléiade).
C.R. Sunstein, Anatomie de la rumeur, Genève, Ed. Markus Haller, 2012.
A. Tihon, Critique historique, Bruxelles, syllabus des FUSL, 1987 (inédit).

Faculty or entity

DRTB