Hickey Home Page

Historiography and Historical Methods

M. Hickey  Old Science Hall Office 130  389-4161 hickey@bloomu.edu

Office Hours:  M, W, 4:00-5:00; T, Th 2-3:30.

Navigation links for this syllabus:

Introduction     Required Texts    Course Grade Scale    Paper Form

Class Participation    Multi-Part Library Assignment      Definition of Research Topic and Research Questions

Common Reading Précis Assignments       Individual Reading Précis Assignment

Primary Source Locator Assignment    Historiographic Essay    Research Proposal     

Weekly Schedule of Assignments  

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On Plagiarism vs Quoting    On Disruptive Behavior     On Endnote Form    

Hickey's Library and General Research Resources Page

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Link to the Library Assignment

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Introduction:

This course has two basic components:  a) an introduction to the branch of historical inquiry known as Historiography; b) an introduction to some basic historical research methods.

a) Historiography is the history of historical writing.  We will focus on how people in "western civilizations" have understood the meaning and purposes of history, beginning with the ancient Greeks.  We also will study how methods of "doing" history have changed, particularly during the past 200 years.  

b) Historians ask questions about the past, which they try to answer on the basis of research.  To do this, historians must learn how to read for argument (how to know what another historian is arguing), how to ask historical questions, and how to find historical sources.  We will devote considerable attention to these critical skills.  The culmination of this course will be the production of introductory papers on your own individual research projects. 

Required Texts:

Joyce Appleby, Lynn Hunt, and Margaret Jacob, Telling the Truth About History (New York:  Norton, 1995).

Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, any edition.

both texts are required and are available in the University Store.

Course Grade Scale:

A grade of "A" in this course means that your cumulative score on assignments equals 93 percent or more of possible points. A-=90-92; B+=88-89; B=83-87; B-80-82; C+=78-79; C=73-77; C-=70-72; D+= 68-69; D=60-67.

Your grade will be based upon: Class Participation (10 percent); a Multi-Part Library Assignment (total of 10 percent); Definition of Research Topic and Research Question (total of 10 percent); a Common Reading Précis Assignments (total of 10 percent); an Individual Reading Précis Assignment (10 percent); a Primary Source Locator Assignment (10 percent); a Historiographic Essay (20 percent); and a Research Proposal (20 percent).   

Absence/Late Paper Policy:  I will consider as "excused" absences only those medical, family, or activity related events (etc.) that the student has discussed with me in advance and/or that are documented by the university administration.  I will accept no late papers and I will give no "make up" assignments unless the student has an excused absence. 

Paper Form

All papers for this course must be written in a standard 12 point font (I prefer Times Roman), with one inch margins.  Put your name in the top right hand corner of the page.  All pages must be numbered.  Staple papers in the top left hand corner. 

All quotations must be placed in quotation marks and all quotations, paraphrases, and direct summaries must be accompanied by endnotes in proper form.  See On Plagiarism vs Quoting and On Endnote Form.  Note that there are far more detailed instructions on quoting and paraphrasing in Rampolla, chapters 6 and 7.

A "Do Not Do!" list:  Do not "double-skip" between paragraphs; do not skip lines before starting your first paragraph; do not use fancy or unusual fonts! 

I will not tolerate plagiarism in any form.  Again, see On Plagiarism vs Quoting and Rampolla, chapter 6.

Class Participation (10 percent)

This class is organized as a seminar.  My minimum expectation is that you attend every class having completed all readings for the week. Study questions on the readings are linked to the weekly schedule of assignments (below).  You are to answer these questions as you read and bring your answers to class.  Your grade will be based upon the quality of your contributions to class discussions.  I reserve the option of giving short in-class quizzes on the assigned readings; if I do so, these will be calculated in to your discussion grade.

Your participation grade will fall in direct ratio to the percentage of class meetings that you miss.

Multi-Part Library Assignment (total of 10 percent)

Linked to the syllabus is an Multi-Part Library Assignment.  The assignment is designed to help you develop skills and habits necessary to conduct your own research projects. 

The assignment is divided into two basic sections:  Section A (Secondary Sources); and Section B (Primary Sources).  Each Section has several parts, which require you to complete a number of tasks.  Be sure to read the directions for each part carefully before beginning that portion of the assignment!

You must complete each portion of the assignment on schedule (see the weekly schedule of readings and assignments).    You will get credit for a portion of the assignment only if you have completed that portion of the assignment correctly, according to the instructions.  If you have made errors, you will have two days (after I return your paper) to correct that portion of the assignment.  If, when you turn in the revised paper, it is correct, then you will receive credit; if not, you will receive no credit.

If you complete the entire library assignment (all 11 parts) correctly, you will receive full credit (10 percent of the course grade).  Your grade will fall in direct ratio to the number of portions you fail to complete correctly.

DUE DATES: 

• A 1  Week II

• A 2, A 3  Week III

• A 4, A 5  Week IV

• B 1, B 2  Week V

• B 3, B 4  Week VI

• B 5, B 6  Week VII

Link to the Library Assignment

Definition of Research Topic and Research Questions (total of 10 percent)

You must pick a topic for your own preliminary research project.  You won't be writing a full primary-source based research paper on this topic this semester (that is what students do in 42.398, Research and Writing Skills).  Instead, you will do the "background" research on your topic--you will study what other historians have written on the topic, and you will begin to identify primary sources on the topic.

Definition of Research Topic:  Think about a research topic about which you are interested, and about which you are able to identify a large number of secondary sources.  It is important to choose a topic that will hold your interest, because this topic will be the focus of more than half of your assignments, which account for more than half of your grade. 

It also is important to choose a topic that it "do-able." Students often try to do research on topics that are simply too broad ("the history of the Civil War") or too narrow ("the participation of firemen in the Bloomsburg Fourth of July celebration in 1865").   To ensure that you choose a feasible topic, I require that you:

• Schedule a brief conference with me to discuss your topic.

• At the conference, present me with a clear written statement of your research topic. This should be no more than a paragraph, in complete and grammatical sentences.

• At the conference, present me with a reading list of secondary sources that includes at least 15 sources on your topic (scholarly books and scholarly journal articles only), in proper bibliographic form (see Rampolla, chapter 7, part d-2).

{You don't have to read all of these books and article before you turn in the reading list, but you should start reading them as soon as possible!}

If I approve of your topic and your reading list, you will receive full credit (5 percent).

If I do not approve of your topic and reading list, you will repeat the process until I approve of your topic/reading list.

Definition of Research Questions:  Having a topic is only the most rudimentary starting point for historical research; to carry out serious research, you need to define the questions that you hope to answer.   The questions shape the types of primary sources you must pursue and how you will analyze those sources.  To write a research proposal (one of the requirements of this course),  you must have clear research questions.

Students sometimes try to ask questions that are simply to big to answer in a one semester research project ("how has the influence of big oil companies shaped US foreign policy since World War Two?"), or that are not answerable on the basis of historical research (e.g., because they are really philosophical questions, like "was Stalin more evil than Hitler?"), or that simply have been done to death,  so that the student is unlikely to learn anything "new" (e.g., "Why did Truman drop the A-bomb?" or "Who really killed JFK?").

You really can't start defining clear questions if you haven't read much about your topic.  So I STRONGLY suggest that you begin reading the books and articles on you secondary source reading list as soon as possible.

To prevent you from spending a lot of time on a dead-end project, I want to be sure that  you define your questions as clearly as possible (given the early stage of your research).  I require that you:

• Schedule a brief conference with me to discuss your research questions.

• At that conference, present me with a clear written definition of your main research questions.  This should be no more than a paragraph, in complete and grammatical sentences.

If your questions are clear, well-focused, and appear answerable on the basis of historical research, you will receive full credit (5 percent).

If your questions are not clear, well-focused, and answerable, you will repeat the process until I approve of your questions.   

DUE DATES:

• Definition of research topic and reading list approval, by the end Week IV

• Definition of research questions, by the end of Week VI.

Common Reading Précis Assignments (total of 10 percent)

A précis is a very concise summary.  Historians (like all thinking persons) must learn to "read for argument" (in other words, to read in a way that focuses on understanding the author's main point, called the "thesis").  Remember that historians interpret evidence of the past; they make arguments about what the "facts" are and what the "facts" mean.  To understand history and historiography, you must read for argument as well as for "facts."  Writing a précis of an article, chapter, or book requires that you grasp the author's main point and boil it down to a brief explanation. 

Common Reading Précis Assignment 1 will focus on Ernst Breisach, Historiography:  Ancient, Medieval and Modern. 

At the course session at which we complete discussion of Breisach, each of you will chose a chapter (by lottery), on which you will write an in-class précis. 

• Without quoting the author at all, you must explain the author's thesis (main point) in this chapter in one or two paragraphs. 

• Begin your paper by stating as clearly as possible the fundamental question that the author is trying to answer in the chapter. 

• Then explain as clearly as possible the main point the author makes in answering that question.

You can use your notes to write this in-class précis.  So it is in your best interest to take good notes both when you are reading the book and when we discuss each chapter.  

Remember, I want you to explain the thesis; don't simply describe the topic of the chapter!

If you don't understand the assignment, be sure to talk to me before this class session!

I will grade each précis on the basis of its logic, clarity, and accuracy. 

The assignment will count for 5 percent of your course grade.

PROBABLE DUE DATE:  Weds. of Week VIII

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Common Reading Précis Assignment 2 will focus on Joyce Appleby, Lynn Hunt, and Margaret Jacob, Telling the Truth About History.  Each chapter in this book constitutes a coherent essay.  Your task in this assignment it to write a one-page précis of Chapter 4 of Telling the Truth About History. 

• Without quoting the authors at all, you must explain the authors' thesis (main point) in this chapter in one or two paragraphs. 

• Begin your paper by stating as clearly as possible the fundamental question that the authors are trying to answer in the chapter. 

• Then explain as clearly as possible the main point the authors make in answering that question.

Remember, I want you to explain the thesis; don't simply describe the topic of the chapter!

If you don't understand the assignment, be sure to talk to me before you start writing!

I will grade each précis on the basis of its logic, clarity, and accuracy. 

DUE DATE:  Week X

Individual Reading Précis Assignment (10 percent)

You will chose one book from your secondary source reading list on which you will write a précis.  Again, it would be a good idea to start reading the books and articles on your list ASAP!

The book on which you write your précis must be one of the books on your research topic approval reading list, and it must meet the following criteria:

• a secondary source
• a monograph in book form
• published by a scholarly press

In a one-page précis:

• Without quoting the author at all, you must explain the author's thesis (main point) in one or two paragraphs (max. length of one page). 

• At the head of your paper, identify the author, title, and publication information for the book using proper bibliography form (Rampolla, 7-d2).

• Begin your paper by stating as clearly as possible the fundamental question that the author is trying to answer in the book. 

• Then explain as clearly as possible the main point the author makes in answering that question.

Remember, I want you to explain the thesis; don't simply describe the topic of the book.

If you do not understand the assignment, be sure to talk to me before you start writing!

DUE DATE:  Week XI

I will grade each précis on the basis of its logic, clarity, and accuracy. 

Primary Source Locator Assignment (10 percent)

To write a paper based upon your own original research, you need to locate primary sources.  This paper is designed to get you started in the search for primary sources related to your research topic.  

1. Locate and identify a primary source collection or database related to and useful for your research topic. 

2.  Schedule a conference with me to discuss your primary source.

3.  At the conference, present me with a written identification the source collection in correct bibliographic form (see Rampolla, 7-d2).  If I approve, then you can go on to step 3; if I do not approve, then you must repeat steps 1-2.

3.  Write a brief (2-3 page) paper that:

• in its heading identifies the source collection in correct bibliographic form (see Rampolla, 7-d2)
• describes in detail the sorts of information found in this source collection
• explains the kinds of research questions you can address using this collection and why this evidence allows you to address these questions.

REMEMBER, I am asking you to identify a collection of sources, not one specific document!  For instance, you can use entire volume of published memoirs or autobiographies, but you can not use excerpts from a published memoir or a short memoir/autobiographical sketch; you can use an on-line collection of dozens of archival documents, but you can not use an on-line collection with 3-4 documents (etc.).

I will grade your paper on the basis of its logic and clarity and your use of correct form.

DUE DATES: 

• You must meet with me for approval of primary source by Week XI at the latest
• The deadline for turning in the paper is the end of Week XII

Historiographic Essay (20 percent)

In this paper, you must explain what historians have argued about your topic.  You must explain how historical interpretations on your topic have changed over time, and you must explain the differences between various “schools” of historical interpretation regarding your topic.   In other words, you need to compare and contrast what many historians have argued about your topic, and you need to think like a historian about why interpretations have changed.   

Preparing for your paper: 

• You must analyze at least 20 secondary sources (scholarly books and articles in scholarly journals, excluding book reviews and general textbooks!). 
• Your secondary sources must include a representative sample of  works written about your topic over a broad period of time.  (For instance, if you are writing about the Civil War, you will want to look at works from the "Gilded Age," the Progressive Era, the 1940s-1950s, the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, etc..)
• Keep very careful bibliographic records on your sources (remember the information you wrote down for each book and article in the Library Assignment?).
• As you read each book and article, be sure that you take careful notes on the author's thesis, the types of sources the author uses, the relationship between the author's argument and other historical interpretations, etc.  Be sure that your notes indicate the exact page numbers for key quotations, etc.
• As you read, take notes on the the relative strengths and weaknesses of each work. 
• As you read, think about how these historians' questions and interpretations have changed over time and try to fit the authors' interpretations fit into "groups" or "schools."  Think about the categories of historical schools discussed by Breisach and in Appleby, et. al..  Very often you will find that historians have formed very clear "schools" of thought on your topic, which are discussed overtly in your secondary sources.    

Writing your paper:

• Your paper must present and defend a thesis--your argument about the major trends or schools in historical interpretation of your general research topic.
• Remember, your goal is to make an argument about the historiography on your topic, not about the topic itself.
• In defending your thesis, you must present detailed evidence from your secondary sources.  These must include properly identified and properly cited quotations from your secondary sources.
• To support your argument, you must analyze the development of the historiography on your topic either chronologically or thematically (by historiographic “school”), in a manner that traces changes and explains differences in interpretation.  
• You must provide proper endnote citations to all sources quoted, paraphrased, or summarized in your paper.  Your notes must be precise; they must refer to the specific sections and pages of works that demonstrate the interpretations you are examining in your paper. 
• Your paper must be at least 5 pages long, not counting the endnotes.

I will grade this paper on the basis of the logic of your argumentation, the clarity of your presentation, the accuracy of your analysis of secondary sources, the use of appropriate sources, and your use of proper form for quotations and endnotes.

DUE DATE:  Week XV

Research Proposal (20 percent)

Writing a formal research proposal requires that you think carefully about the questions you wish to answer in your research, why those questions are important, how they relate to what other historians have written, and what specific (existing) sources you will need for your research.  

Your research proposal for this course builds upon your earlier assignments, so you have already done most of the work.

You will write a brief proposal--an essay with a target length of 5 pages (not counting the bibliography) that explains the following:

• The general area of history addressed by your research (e.g., the history of the Great Depression in the United States).
• Your specific research topic (e.g., ethnic and religious tensions in Pennsylvania mining communities towns during strikes and other labor conflicts in the 1930s).
• The precise questions you will address in your research (e.g., how did employers manipulate such tensions as a anti-union strategy, and how did union organizers act to build multi-ethnic/multi-religious alliances).
• How your question relates to issues raised/discussed by other historians who have worked on similar/related topics; in other words, what do the secondary sources say?  (Use the main ideas explained in your historiographic essay.)
• Why this question is worth answering from an historian's viewpoint (how would your project contribute to our understanding of the topic?).
• What primary sources you will use to answer this question.
• What methods of analysis will you use to draw answers out of the primary sources.

You will attach to the proposal a typed bibliography that follows the guidelines in Rampolla, chapter 7, part d-2. This bibliography must include all primary and secondary sources that you have identified related to your research.

Your bibliography should be divided into a section for Primary Sources and a section for Secondary Sources.

I will grade your proposal on the basis of its logic, clarity, and coverage of the issues detailed above; I will grade your bibliography on the basis of your use of accurate form.  The proposal will account for 75 percent of the assignment grade and the bibliography for 25 percent of the assignment grade. 

DUE DATE: FINAL EXAM SESSION

Week III:  History in the Late Roman Empire and in the Middle Ages

Readings:  Breisach, chapters 7-10 (pp. 77-152)

DUE:  Library Assignment Part A 2 and A 3

Option--Early Completion of Definition of Research Topic and Readings List (requires short individual conference).  Before defining your topic, be sure that you have read Rampolla, Chapter 4; before finalizing your reading list, be sure to read Rampolla, chapter 2, section B-2.  You may also find Appendix B helpful.

Week IV:  History in the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period

Readings: Breisach, chapters 11-14 (pp. 153-227)

DUE:  Library Assignment Part A 4 and A 5

Option--Early Completion of Definition of Research Topic and Readings List (requires short individual conference). Before defining your topic, be sure that you have read Rampolla, Chapter 4; before finalizing your reading list, be sure to read Rampolla, chapter 2, section B-2.  You may also find Appendix B helpful.

Week V:  History in the Early 19th Century and Introduction to Modern Historiography

We will discuss Breisach, chapters 11-14 and chapters 15-16.

Readings:  Breisach, chapters 15-17 (pp. 228-271)

DUE:  Library Assignment Part B 1 and B 2

Deadline for Definition of Research Topic and Readings List (requires short individual conference). Before defining your topic, be sure that you have read Rampolla, Chapter 4; before finalizing your reading list, be sure to read Rampolla, chapter 2, section B-2.  You may also find Appendix B helpful.  DEADLINE EXTENDED TO NEXT WEEK

Week VI:  Late 19th Century Historiography

Readings: Breisach, chapters 18-21 (pp. 272-322)

DUE:  Library Assignment Part B 3 and B 4

Option--Early Completion of Definition of Research Questions (requires short individual conference).

Week VII:  Historiography in the 20th Century I

Readings:  Breisach, chapters 22-25 (pp. 323-361)

DUE:  Library Assignment Part B 5 and B 6

Option--Early Completion of Definition of Research Questions (requires short individual conference)

Be sure that you read Rampolla, chapter 3, section B-1 (on writing précis papers)

Week VIII:  Historiography in the 20th Century II

Readings:  Breisach, chapter 26-Epilogue (pp. 362-410)

DUE:  In class précis on chapter from Breisach (chosen by lottery)

Be sure that you read Rampolla, chapter 3, sectionB-1 (on writing précis papers)

Option--Early Completion of Definition of Research Questions (requires short individual conference)

Week IX:  Defining and Critiquing "Heroic Science" 

Readings:  Appleby, introduction-chapter 4 (pp. 1-159)

Deadline for Definition of Research Questions (requires short individual conference) is Monday.

Option--Early Approval of Primary Source Locator Assignment (short individual conference). Be sure that you read Rampolla, chapter 2, section B-1 (on primary sources).  You may also find Appendix B helpful.

Be sure that you read Rampolla, chapter 3, sectionB-1 (on writing précis papers)

Week X:  New Models of Truth

Appleby, chapters 5-8 (pp. 160-309)

Due: Common readings précis 2 due on Friday.

Be sure that you read Rampolla, chapter 3, sectionB-1 (on writing précis papers)

Option--Early Approval of Primary Source Locator Assignment (short individual conference).  Be sure that you read Rampolla, chapter 2, section B-1 (on primary sources).  You may also find Appendix B helpful.

Week XI:  More on Using Libraries for Research and an Introduction to Archives

Week XIII:   No Class (Thanksgiving) 

Optional (but strongly encouraged) individual conference on historiography papers/project proposals    

Be sure that you read Rampolla, chapter 3, Section B-6 (on writing historiographical essays), and chapter 5.

Week XIV:   individual conferences  WE WILL MEET THIS SESSION

Optional (but strongly encouraged) individual conference on projects/historiography/project proposals  

Be sure that you read Rampolla, chapter 3, Section B-6 (on writing historiographical essays), and chapter 5.