This course introduces students to the purpose and methods of historical thinking through the exploration of a specific topic situated in time, space, and theme. Through rigorous engagement with primary documents as well as secondary historical interpretations and arguments, students develop their understanding of the nature and limits of historical evidence, their ability to make persuasive claims about change over time, and their capacity to balance the complexity of perspectives and voices. Among the central historical concepts introduced are chronology, context, causation, contingency, agency, and scale. HI 1001 cannot be repeated for different topics.