Advanced One-Name Studies (#902)

Take your one-name study to new levels. Whatever drew you into the investigation of your surname you are now deeply immersed in gathering and analysing data. You have mastered the practical aspects of managing your project and are eager for more discovery. This course will give you the skills to venture into new territory. All one-namers with a substantial collection of data are potentially in a position to shed new light on old historical problems. A one-name study provides the glue that melds together disciplines as diverse as population studies, place-names, etymology, as well as genealogy and local history. Using an interdisciplinary approach your research and analysis will shed new light on the past and contribute to historical knowledge. The course assumes you are familiar with the material covered by Introduction to One-Name Studies (Pharos course #901) and that you have collected a large amount of data from core records in at least one country. The next levels in this course include collecting data world-wide, a review of current published work on surnames, venturing into more complex interdisciplinary analysis, and working toward the publication of findings. Students will normally have a registered One-Name Study with the Guild of One-Name Studies and should be familiar with the Guild’s seven pillars of wisdom. If you are not already a Guild member, please contact us for advice before paying for the course. The course offers two options and one of these must be selected when registering and paying for the course. Option One – lessons contain short answer exercises within the lessons (responses not assessed) [£49.99] Option Two – Same as Option One with the addition of the preparation of a 2 – 3,000 word written article about your one-name study (assessed). [£59.99] The best articles from Option Two may be selected for publication in the Journal of One Name Studies. The Guild and Pharos will jointly be awarding a Certificate of Attainment for those successfully completing Option 2. The course lasts for six weeks, with five lessons and a research week.

Instructor: Helen Osborn

• The world-wide One-Name Study
• Interdisciplinary studies – beyond Vital Records
• Surname case studies – Learning from others
• Research and Reading Week
• Synthesis – More than family history
• Spread the Word – Get Published

Set Reading: The Surname Detective, C D Rogers (1995), One hour chat session per week. See How the Courses Work.

Relevant Countries: General