This site is now undergoing reconfiguration and reconstruction, reflecting a shift in priorities since (1) the publication of Investigating Cholera in Broad Street (a documentary source book); and (2) current preparation of a video series featuring the 1854 London cholera epidemic.
Some links from the old site are either outdated or will lead you to an error message during the reconstruction phase. I will revise this Welcome page as I proceed.
Peter Vinten-Johansen, June 2023
This web site is about experimentation in historical narration and historiography, with applications for historical pedagogy.
"Doing History" — My journey ....
[temp] end of my journey.
Narratives & Unpacking — The narrative essays feature free indirect and indirect reported styles as described by James Wood. Topics include the London cholera epidemic of 1854; the death of John Snow; the Danish dramatist, journalist, and Young Hegelian Johan Ludvig Heiberg; and the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. Most of the narrative essays are accompanied by historical unpacking essays.
History Workshops — A type of course, designed on the Aristotelian principle that "we learn an art or craft by doing the things that we shall have to do when we have learnt to do it" (Nichomachean Ethics, book 2, 1103a, 30): Class settings where students learn to do history via a limited set of shared readings and writing exercises; problem-based, limited documentary sources; individual and collaborative analysis of evidence; integrating writing with historical research. This section includes pedagogical material such as course syllabi, lessons plans, and schemas I used when teaching students how to prepare historical essays and undertake historical research.
Video Scripts & Refs — This video series addresses United Kingdom, GCSE (General Certificate in Secondary Education) History 8145 examination specifications for a paper on a case study entitled, “Fighting Cholera in London (1854); attempts to prevent its spread; [and] the significance of John Snow and the Broad Street pump.” This page contains video transcriptions, as well as hyperlinks to references and Video Figures , whether shown in the videos or created for supplemental study.
—