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42. 298  Historiography and Historical Methods

Fall 2006

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

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

Navigation links for this syllabus:

 

Basic course information:

Explanations of graded assignments:

Weekly Schedule of Assignments  

Hickey's Library and General Research Resources Page

Quick Links:

Quick link to the Library Assignment     Quick link to Breisach study questions

Quick link to Rampolla study questions    Quick link to sample outline

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Introduction:

This course has two basic components.  The first is an introduction to the branch of historical inquiry known as Historiography.  The second is an introduction to basic historical research methods.

Course Focus 1.  Historiography.  Historiography is the study of writing about history.  We will survey the history of writing about history in the "West" (in Europe and North America).  In particular, we will examine changes in the ways people have understood the meaning and purposes of writing history. 

Understanding historiography is a great way to understand the cultural and intellectual history of a country, region, or time period.  But it is also an integral to doing original historical research. 

Course Focus 2.  Research Methods.   What historians "do" is ask questions about the past, then try to answer those questions by doing research.  A good historian knows how to ask clear historical questions and how to find reliable historical sources.  A good historian also knows how to "read for argument," to understand what an author is arguing and how the author is using evidence to support that that argument.

During this semester, we will concentrate on honing three fundamental "methods skills" that all historians need:  reading for argument, asking clear historical questions, and finding reliable historical sources. 

This course is a pre-requisite for 42.398 (Research and Writing Skills).  What you learn this semester will be essential to doing well in 42.398, but it also will help you in every other  upper-level history course you take. 

All of the assignments in this course are designed to help you meet the following objectives: 

 

Required Texts:

Ernst Breisach, Historiography:  Ancient, Medieval and Modern, 2nd edition (Chicago:  University of Chicago Press, 1994).   Link to study questions.

Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, 5th edition (Boston:  Bedford/St. Martin's, 2006) (but the 4th edition will do, also).  Link to study questions.

Both 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:

 

Absence Policy:  Your participation grade will fall by 10 percent for every unexcused absence.  I will consider absences "excused" only in cases of medical, family, or university/work-related events about which you have informed me in advance, in writing, or in cases that are documented in writing by the university administration. 

Also, if as a result of an unexcused absence you miss giving a presentation, taking a quiz, etc., you will fail that assignment.

Late Paper Policy:  If you do not turn an assignment in on the day that it is due, I will deduct 10 percent from the grade for every 24 hours that passes until you turn in the paper.  The only circumstance under which I will allow a paper to be late is if you have an excused absence (see above). 

 

Paper Form

Warning #1:  If your paper does not follow the proper form, I will give it back to you un-graded.  You then will have 48 hours to correct it.  If you do not correct the form, you will receive no credit for the assignment.  You will have only one chance to revise. 

Warning #2:  If I find more than 5 obvious errors in grammar or spelling on any one page of your paper, I will stop reading the paper and give it back to you un-graded.  You then will have 48 hours to correct the spelling and grammar errors in the paper.  You will have only one chance to revise.

Warning #3:  I will not tolerate plagiarism in any form. 

 

Class Participation (10 percent)

This class is organized as a seminar.  

Your grade will be based on the quality of your contributions to seminar discussions.  

I reserve the option of giving short in-class quizzes on the assigned readings.  If I do so, these will be calculated into your discussion grade.

 

Multi-Part Library Assignment (total of 10 percent)

You will find a Multi-Part Library Assignment linked to this syllabus.  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 is sub-divided into several exercises,  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!

DUE DATES

Link to the Library Assignment

 

Definition of Research Topic (5 percent)

Pick a topic that interests you.   

This semester you will not be writing an actual research paper on that topic. 

Instead, you will be reading secondary sources (books and articles written by other historians), so that you can learn more about the topic and so that you can write a paper about the historiography of the topic (the history of what other historians have written about the topic). 

Make sure that the topic interests you enough to hold your attention for the entire semester. 

It also is important to choose a topic that is "do-able," that is neither too broad nor too narrow. 

For instance, "The history of the Civil War" is too broad.  It would take years to finish!  On the other hand, "The uniforms worn by firemen in Bloomsburg's Fourth of July Parade in 1905" is too narrow.  It is unlikely to help us understand important historical issues, and you probably would not be able to find enough evidence for a term paper.

To ensure that you choose a "do-able" project (and prevent you from spending a lot of time going down dead-end streets), I require that you:

The following topics are "banned" (because they have been done to death and I will leap off the East Street Bridge if I read one more paper on the topic): 

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

If I do not approve your topic and reading list, you will have one week to repeat the process until I approve of your topic and reading list.

DUE DATE:

 

Definition of Research Question (5 Percent): 

Choosing your topic is the starting point for historical research.  It allows you to begin reading secondary sources and working on your historiography.

But before you can begin detailed research using primary sources, you need to define a question that you hope your research will answer. 

The questions you ask often shape the types of primary sources you need to examine and influence the methods you use to analyze those sources.  Also, you need to define your research questions before you can write a research proposal, which is the final requirement for this course!

Defining a clear historical research question is not as easy as you might think...

What are the elements of a good question?

What do you want to avoid?!?

So, how do you start defining a clear historical research question? 

Following these steps should help you to generate questions:

ONCE you come up with a question, write out one or two paragraphs that explain the questions as clearly as possible.

 

 Before the end of Week XI, you must:

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

If your question is not clear, well-focused, or answerable on the basis of historical research, you will have one week to repeat the process until I approve of your questions.   

DUE DATE:

 

Common Reading Précis Assignment (5 percent)

A précis is a very concise summary.  Writing a précis of an article, chapter, or book requires that you grasp the author's main point and boil it down to a few paragraphs of summary.  (See Rampolla, section 3 b-1 "Summaries.")  

Why do this?  First, historians must learn to "read for argument."   When you read a book or article, you need to understand the author's main point (the "thesis").  Remember, historians don't just list "facts"; they interpret evidence and propose arguments to explain what the "facts" mean.  Second, if you learn to write a précis well, you then can write one for every book and article that you read for your historiography paper, which will make the historiography paper must easier to write.  (You can apply this new skill to any of your classes as well.) 

This assignment will focus on Ernst Breisach, Historiography:  Ancient, Medieval and Modern. 

At our last in-class discussion of Breisach, you will chose a chapter (by lottery) on which you will write an in-class précis. 

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, you must explain the author's thesis (your job is not just to describe the topic of the chapter)!

If you don't understand the assignment, be sure to discuss it with me.

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

PROBABLE DUE DATE:   Thursday of Week VIII

 

 

Note form vs bibliography form quiz (5 percent)

I am going to quiz you on proper endnote form and proper bibliography form.  You must learn how to use endnotes correctly and you must learn the difference between endnotes and bibliography entries.

So, study Rampolla, chapter 7!  In particular, pay very close attention to the differences between the form used for endnotes/footnotes (7 b1; 7 d1) and the form used for bibliography entries (7 b2; 7 d 2).

Your grade will reflect the number of correct answers you give on the quiz.

Due Date:  Week  IX

 

 

 

Individual Précis No. 1 (5 percent)

Pick one book from your secondary source reading list.  Write a précis (a summary) of that book's thesis.   

The book on which you write your précis must be on your approved reading list and meet the following criteria:

In a one-page précis:

Remember, explain the thesis (don't simply describe the topic of the book).

If you do not understand the assignment, see me before you start writing!

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

DUE DATE:  Thursday of Week IX

 

 

Individual Précis No. 2 (5 percent)

Pick a second book from your secondary source reading list.  Write a précis (a summary) of that book's thesis.   

The book on which you write your précis must be on your approved reading list and meet the following criteria:

In a one-page précis:

Remember, explain the thesis (don't simply describe the topic of the book).

If you do not understand the assignment, see me before you start writing!

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

DUE DATE:  Thursday of Week X

 

Outline of Historiographic Essay (5 percent)

Your historiographic essay will explain how historical interpretations of your topic have changed over time and how “schools” of historical interpretation regarding your topic differ from one another.  

In other words, you are going to write a "comparison/contrast paper" that compares and contrasts what historians have argued about your topic and how the arguments have changed over time.   

Before you can begin writing your paper, you must complete reading and analyzing all of the secondary sources on your approved reading list and any other secondary sources that you have read in addition to those on your list. 

 

These are the basic requirements for your historiographic essay:

Before you begin to write your historiographic essay, you must produce an OUTLINE.

Directions for the Outline:

Because this is an outline, you do not have to write in complete sentences and paragraph.  Instead, use "bulleted" sentences or sentence fragments that make clear your main points or topics in each paragraph.  Be sure that you also clearly identify the secondary sources that you will use as evidence in each paragraph.

I don't care if you use a formal outline with roman numbers, etc., or if you simply have headings for each section and paragraph, with the bulleted points and source references indented. 

Your Outline must have the following elements:

    1.  A section for the Introduction.  In the outline of the Introduction, you must plan how you will explain the topic of your historiography and how you will give the reader historical background about the topic.  You also must state your thesis about the historiography.

    2.  A section for MANY Body paragraphs.  In the outline of the Body, you must plan how you will analyze the historiography on your topic and how you will provide examples and evidence.  The specifics will depend upon whether you use a chronological or thematic organization.  In either case, the body should be divided up into several subsections.  Each subsection should deal with a specific time period or theme.  Each subsection must include analysis of the most important books and articles from that time period or on that theme.  And you must clearly identify the secondary sources that you are going to use as evidence in each paragraph.

    3. A section for the Conclusion.  In the outline of the Conclusion, you must plan how you will summarizes your main argument about the historiography on your topic.

You really can not write your Introduction and Conclusion until you have figured out what your thesis is and how you are going to organize the Body.  So the most difficult and most important part of the Outline will be planning the Body paragraphs.

First, decide if it makes more sense to organize chronologically of thematically. 

Chronological:  Did most historians in a certain time period generally agree with one interpretation (was there a consensus?), that then was challenged and changed by historians in a later time period, who formed a new consensus?  And was that new consensus then challenged and changed by historians in a third time period (etc.)?  If you see that sort of pattern in the historiography, then devote each Body section of your paper to analyzing the major books and articles that characterize the consensus view of a time period and the new arguments that challenged that consensus, in chronological order (tell the story of how the arguments changed over time).

Thematic:  Are there certain debates (disagreements over interpretation) that seem to cut across time periods?  Are there historians in several time periods who argue X, and historians in those same time periods who argue Y, and other historians in those same time periods who argue Z?   If you see that sort of pattern in the historiography, then explain the several arguments (themes) that persist in the historiography and devote each Body section of your paper to analyzing the major books and articles from different time periods that present one argument, and then the next argument, and then the next argument (etc.).

See link to an example of an outline.

I will grade your outline on the basis of its clarity, logic, and thoroughness.

Warning:  If you do not turn in an outline, I will not read your historiographic essay. 

Due Date:  End of Week XII

 

 

Primary Source Locator Assignment (5 percent)

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

Once your source is approved, write a 2-3 page paper that follows these 4 steps:

1. In the Heading, identify the source collection in bibliography form (see Rampolla, 7-b2 and 7-d2)

2. In the First Section, describe in detail the sorts of information found in this source collection.

3. In the Second Section:

    a) explain the research questions that can be addressed using these documents ("What questions can these documents help to answer?")  If at all possible, try to ask questions that are similar to (or the same as) your basic research questions from the "Definition of Research Question" assignment!

    b) describe the best methods for analyzing these documents ("How can you get information from these documents that answers the questions in 3.a?)  Notice that I am asking about methods for finding answers; I am not asking you for the answers themselves!  Describing "methods" is generally confusing for most historians-in-training.  Think about this:  If your sources are multiple accounts of the same event, would you compare testimonies in different eye witness accounts and try to tease out and explain the differences between each account?  If your source is the 1920 census report for the town of Berwick, would you count how many households were headed by women, how many households rented out rooms to borders, etc.?  If you are working with a compilation of all of the Soviet government's public statements and press releases on the Chernobyl accident, would you look for day-by-day, hour-by-hour changes in the language used to describe the accident? As should be obvious by now, the methods you use to analyze the sources will differ based upon the questions you ask. 

4. In the Third Section, discuss whatever limits these sources have for answering your research questions.  ("What about your topic can these sources help you to understand, and what can't they help you understand?  Why?" Be sure to Explain!

REMEMBER, I am asking you to identify a collection of sources, not one specific document! 

Examples of OK vs Not OK sources: 

Get the idea?  If not, talk to me about it!

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

DUE DATES

 

Historiographic Essay (20 percent)

Your historiographic essay will explain how historical interpretations of your topic have changed over time and how “schools” of historical interpretation regarding your topic differ from one another.  

In other words, you are going to write a "comparison/contrast paper" that compares and contrasts what historians have argued about your topic and how the arguments have changed over time.   

Before you can begin writing your paper, you must complete reading and analyzing all of the secondary sources on your approved reading list and any other secondary sources that you have read in addition to those on your list. 

 

These are the basic requirements for your historiographic essay:

I will grade this paper on the basis of:

DUE DATE:  Tuesday of Week XV

 

Research Proposal (20 percent)

Most sections of Bloomsburg's course History 498 (Research and Writing Skills) require that you write a formal research proposal.  All graduates students in history must write research proposals, as must all professional historians of all types.  So it is a good skill to learn.

Writing a research proposal requires that you think carefully about your topic, the questions you want to answer, why those questions are historically significant, how they relate to what other historians have written, and what sources you will need for your research.  

You did much of the basic work for your research proposal when you completed your earlier assignments.  Now you must put it all together.

Write a brief proposal, between 5 and 8 pages long (not counting the bibliography). 

The First paragraph of your proposal must explain:

The Second Section (many paragraphs) of your proposal must explain:

The Third Section (many paragraphs) of your proposal must explain:

Attach a typed bibliography that follows the guidelines in Rampolla, 7 b2 and 7 d-2.  The bibliography must include all your primary and secondary sources, divided into two sections:  I. Primary Sources and II. 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

 

 

Weekly Schedule and Link to Study Questions:

I may alter the dates of some assignments during the semester, so check the weekly schedule every week!

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Breisach refers to Ernst Breisach, Historiography:  Ancient, Medieval and Modern, 2nd edition (Chicago:  University of Chicago Press, 1994).  Link to study questions.

Rampolla refers to Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, 3rd edition (Boston:  Bedford/St. Martin's, 2001).  Link to study questions.

If you click on the reading assignment for each week, it will take you to a linked page of study questions.

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Week I:  Introduction to this Course; Historical Sources and Historical Questions; Introduction to the Library Assignment; Introduction Topic of Historiography

Readings:

 

Week II:  History in the Ancient "West"

Readings: 

DUE THUESDAYLibrary Assignment Part A 1

Definition of Research Topic conferences this week.  

 

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

Readings: 

DUE THURSDAY Library Assignment  Part A 2 and A 3

Definition of Research Topic conferences this week. 

 

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

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

DUE THURSDAY Library Assignment  Part A 4 and A 5

DEADLINE! THURSDAY for Definition of Research Topic conference

  

 

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

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

DUE THURSDAY Library Assignment  Part B 1 and B 2

 

Week VI:  Late 19th Century Historiography

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

DUE THURSDAY Library Assignment  Part B 3 and B 4

 

Week VII:  Historiography in the 20th Century I

Readings: 

DUE THURSDAY Library Assignment  Part B 5 and B 6

 

Week VIII:  Historiography in the 20th Century II

Readings: 

DUE TUES or THURS:  In class Common Précis Assignment on Breisach

 

Week IX:  Discussion of Research Topics, Research Questions and Other Matters 

DUE TUES or THURS!  Note form vs bibliography form quiz

DUE THURSDAY Individual Précis Assignment No. 1.

 

 

Week X:  INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCES ON RESEARCH QUESTIONS

DUE THURSDAY: Individual Précis Assignment No. 2.

 

 

Week XI:  INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCES ON RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND PRIMARY SOURCES (no class sessions)

DEADLINE! THURSDAY: Definition of Research Question.

 

Week XII:  INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCES ON PRIMARY SOURCES (no class sessions) [I will be out of town on Thursday and Friday]

DEADLINE! WEDS:  Primary Source Locator Paper Conference.

DUE THURSDAYOutline of Historiographic Essay

 

Week XIII:  INDIVIDUAL HISTORIOGRAPHY CONFERENCES  (no class sessions) THURSDAY IS THANKSGIVING

Readings:  Rampolla, chapter 3, Section b5 (on writing historiographic essays), and chapters 4 and 5 (no study questions).

DEADLINE:  before end of the week:  Primary Source Locator Paper

 

 

Week XIV:   INDIVIDUAL HISTORIOGRAPHY CONFERENCES (no class sessions)

Readings:  Rampolla, chapter 3, Section b5 (on writing historiographic essays), and chapters 4 and 5 (no study questions).

 

Week XV: Class will meet on Tuesday!!!!!   CONFERENCES/RESEARCH PROPOSAL CONFERENCES

DUE TUESDAYHistorigraphic Essay

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Week XVI Research Proposal due at final scheduled exam session 

 

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