Historiography and Historical Methods (Spring 2011) 

42.298.02  Tues-Thurs, 9:30

Professor:  M. Hickey    Office:  OSH 130  x-4161  mhickey@bloomu.edu 

Office hours:  T-Th, 2:00-3:15; Wed., 1:00-2:45 and 5:30-6:00.

Navigation links for this syllabus:

Basic course information:

• Course introduction (scope, objectives, methods, assessment)    
• Required Texts   
• Grade Components and Grade Scale   

Course policies:

• Mandatory Verification that you have read the syllabus

• Plagiarism Policy
• Link on Plagiarism/Guide to Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing Correctly   
• Attendance (Mandatory) Policy
• Excused Absence, Late Paper, and Make-Up Assignment Policy
• Link on Disruptive Behavior    
• Link on Endnote Form    

• Mandatory Paper Form

Graded Assignments

• Class Participation   
• Multi-Part Library Assignment      
• Definition of Historiographic Research Topic
• Revised Historiographic Reading List
• Definition of Research Questions    
• Common Reading Précis Assignment      
• Individual Reading Précis Assignment 1
• Individual Reading Précis Assignment 2
• Primary Source Locator Assignment   
• Historiographic Essay   
• Research Proposal   

Quick Link to the Library Assignment

Hickey's 12 steps

Weekly Schedule of Assignments  

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Course Introduction:

Scope

This course has two basic components.  The first is an introduction to Historiography.  The second is an introduction to basic historical research methods.

Historiography is the history of historical writing.  This course will survey ways that historians in western civilizations have understood the history's meaning and purposes.  Historiography is critical to understanding a culture's intellectual history.  But it also is integral to doing historical research.

Historians ask questions about the past, which they try to answer based on research.  They don't study the past in some kind of intellectual vacuum.  They do so in a sort of unending dialogue with their sources about the past, and with previous historians.  To be blunt:  If you don't know what other historians written and argue about a topic (if you don't know the historiography), you can't begin to do serious historical research about that topic.

This course will introduce you to the history of historical writing and help you learn how to master the historiography on a topic that interests you.

Among the things you must know if you are going to do serious historical research (or be a good historian, period), are how to read for argument, how to ask valid historical questions, and how to find historical sources. 

This course is designed to help you learn how to read for argument, ask historical questions, and find sources relevant to your research interests.   It is a pre-requisite for 42.398, Research and Writing.  But the skills you will develop in this course also are essential to success in all other upper-level history courses. 

Objectives

If you take your work in this course seriously, it will help you meet these objectives: 

1) relate the development of history as a scholarly discipline to broader historical contexts

2) recognize and accurately explain the arguments in secondary sources (works by historians)

3) compare and contrast the arguments of different historians who have examined the same topic (which also means being able to differentiate between various "schools" of historical analysis

4) apply basic historical research tools to finding primary and secondary sources on a specific topic

5) define and clarify coherent historical research topics and questions

6) organize the first stages of a historical research project 

 

Methods:

• Mini-lectures and seminar discussions of readings on historiography (to address objectives 1-3)
• Readings on historical methods (to address objectives 4-6)
• Library / Research tools exercises (to address objective 4)
• Writing assignments that focus on explanation of arguments in secondary sources (to address objectives 2-3)
• Writing assignments and individual conferences on the formulation of historical topics and questions (to address objective 5)
• Compilation of bibliographies of secondary and primary sources on a specific topic (to address objective 4)
• Writing assignments that focus on the historiography of a specific topic (to address objectives 1-3)
• Writing assignments that present a research program on a specific topic and access primary sources relevant to the topic (to address objectives 5-6)

Assessment

• Participation in class discussions (relates to objectives 1-3)

• A Multi-Part Library Assignment (relates to objective 4)

• Definition of Historiographic Topic conference and paper (relates to objective 5)

• Historiographic Reading List/Bibliography (relates to objective 4)

• Definition of Research Question conference and paper (relates to objective 5)

• Readings Précis Assignments (relates to objectives 1-3)

• Primary Source Locator Assignment (relates to objectives 4-6)

• Historiographic Essay (relates to objectives 1-5)

• Research Proposal (relates to objective 6)   

Required Texts:

Hoefferle, Caroline.  The Essential Historiography Reader.  Boston:  Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2011.

Rampolla, Mary Lynn.  A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, 6th Edition.  Boston:  Bedford-St. Martins, 2010.

Grade Components and Grade Scale

Your grade will be based upon the following assignments (descriptions are linked to this list):

• Class Participation (10 percent of course grade; 100 points possible)

• A Multi-Part Library Assignment (10 percent of course grade; 100 points possible)

• Definition of Historiographic Topic (5 percent of course grade; 50 points possible)

• Revised Historiographic Reading List  (5 percent of course grade; 50 points possible)

• Definition of Research Question (5 percent of course grade; 50 points possible)

• Common Reading Précis Assignment  (5 percent of course grade; 50 points possible)

• Individual Reading Précis Assignment 1 (5 percent of course grade; 50 points possible)

• Individual Reading Précis Assignment 2 (5 percent of course grade; 50 points possible)

• Primary Source Locator Assignment (10 percent of course grade; 100 points possible)

• Historiographic Essay (20 percent of course grade; 200 points possible)

• Research Proposal (20 percent of course grade; 200 points possible)  

Course grade scale: 

• A = >920
• A- = 919-900
• B+ =899-880
• B = 879-820
• B- = 819-800
• C+ = 799-780
• C =779-720
• C- = 719-700
• D+ = 699-680
• D = 679-600
• E = <600

Mandatory Verification that you have read the syllabus and are aware of course policies and procedures

You must read this syllabus and then sign a form verifying that you: a) have read this syllabus; b) are aware of course policies and procedures.    Follow this link to fill out the form:   Link to the "Verification Document" Form

If you have questions about the syllabus, course policies, or assignments, it is your responsibility to ask those questions (in class, or after class, or in my office hours, or by email).  It is my responsibility to answer those questions as clearly and directly as possible.  

I will not grade any of your quizzes, exams, or papers until you have verified that you have read the syllabus (etc).

Plagiarism Policy

This class has a  zero tolerance policy regarding plagiarism and all other forms of cheating. 

For the definitions of plagiarism and cheating that apply in this course, see this link on plagiarism.  

For the University's Academic Integrity Policy and an explanation of the appeals process regarding violations of academic integrity, see the online version of the  BU student handbook, The Pilot.  

If I determine that you have cheated or plagiarized on any assignment, I will strictly follow university guidelines: 

1. You will receive a failing grade for the assignment

2. I will file a formal report with BU’s Student Standards Board.  This can lead to your academic dismissal.

3. If you have cheated or plagiarized on more than one assignment, you will fail the entire course.

Attendance (Mandatory)

Your grade in the entire course will drop in direct proportion to your unexcused absences. 

Example:  Student X has 950 out of the 1000 possible points on graded assignments (an A).

                     Student X missed 20 percent of class sessions with unexcused absences

                     200 points will be deducted from Student X's course grade, which becomes 750 points (a C).

Excused Absences, Late Assignments, and Make-Up Assignments 

Excused absences:  

A student misses class because of illness, a family emergency, or a University-related event, but has either:

a) informed the instructor in writing in advance, or

b) after the fact, provides the instructor with University-approved documentation excusing the absence. 

Late Assignments: 

Assignments are due on the date and at the time indicated in the syllabus. 

10 percent of the possible grade total will be deducted from the grade of a paper that is late, with an additional 10 percent deducted for each additional day that it is late. 

At the instructor's discretion, this policy may be waved in the case of medical or other emergencies. 

Make up Assignments:

Missed in class assignments or conference appointments can be made up or rescheduled at a later date only if the assignment/conference was missed due to an excused absence.  In such cases, the make up quiz or exam will be administered at a time and place chosen by the instructor.

In all other cases, you will fail the assignment (which includes failing assignments that are based on confernces).

Mandatory Paper Form

• All papers must be in 12 point Times Roman font, with one inch margins. 

• Type your name in the top right hand corner of the first page (no cover pages!). 

• All pages must be numbered.  Staple papers in the top left hand corner. 

• Do not "double-skip" between paragraphs. 

• All quotations must be placed in quotation marks (except in the case of block quotations). 

• All quotations, paraphrases, and direct summaries must be accompanied by endnotes in proper form. 

In addition to the relevant chapters in Rampolla (6 and 7), see the links On Plagiarism and On Endnote Form. 

Class Participation (10 percent; 100 points)

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

You must attend every class session  having completed all readings for the week.   

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

There are study questions on the assigned readings linked to this syllabus.  Answer these questions.  Bring your written answers to class.

Multi-Part Library Assignment (10 percent; 100 points)

There is a Multi-Part Library Assignment linked to this syllabus.  The assignment is designed to help sharpen skills and habits necessary for research projects. 

The assignment is divided into two sections:  Section A (Secondary Sources); and Section B (Primary Sources). 

Each section is sub-divided into several exercises,  which require you to complete several tasks.  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).   

• You will get credit for a portion of the assignment only if you have completed it correctly, according to the instructions. 

• If you have made errors, you will have two business 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), you will receive full credit. 

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 Historiographic Topic (5 percent; 50 points) 

Pick a historical topic that interests you.  I must approve your topic. 

There are some topics that I will not approve, because they are overdone or have proven untenable  (e.g., the JFK assassination; the Molly Maguires; the decision to bomb Hiroshima; anything having to do with the Mafia).

You will read 10-20 secondary sources to learn about the topic and its historiography (what other historians have argued about the topic). 

• Pick a topic that will hold your interest for the whole semester. 

• Assignments related to your topic will account for more than half of your grade! 

• Pick 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!  But "Bloomsburg's Fourth of July Parade in 1905" is too narrow (you would not be able to find many sources)!

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:

• Sign up for an individual conference to discuss your topic.

• At the 10 minute conference, give me a clear written statement that defines your topic.  (One paragraph, in complete and grammatical sentences.)

• At the 10 minute conference, give me with a reading list of at least 15 secondary sources on your topic.    These must be scholarly books, book chapters or articles in scholarly journals. 

• Your list of secondary sources must be in proper bibliographic form (see Rampolla, chapter 7).

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

If I do not approve your topic and reading list, you can repeat the process once.

If you fail to attend your scheduled conference appointment or fail to schedule a conference, you will fail this assignment.

Revised Historiographic Reading List (5 percent; 50 points possible)

Once you begin reading,  you will find that some titles are more important than others.  You also will learn about important titles that were not on your initial list.

Therefore, you will revise and supplement your reading list.  

• Your revised reading list must include at least 15 secondary sources on your topic.    

• It must include the most important scholarly books and articles on your topic.  (If there is a title that shows up in "everyone's" bibliography, then it should be on your reading list!)

• It should include several titles from different decades, so you can trace changes in historical interpretation over time.

• It must be in proper bibliographic form (see Rampolla, chapter 7).

70 percent of your grade will be based upon your inclusion of the most significant appropriate works (scholarly books and articles); 30 percent will be based on use of correct bibliography form.

Common Reading Précis Assignment (5 percent; 50 points possible)

A précis is a very concise summary. 

Historians must learn to "read for argument."   To understand a book or article, you must 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. 

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.  (See Rampolla, "Summaries.")  

You all have a common reading assignment--an article from a scholarly journal:  Jeanette Keith, "The Politics of Southern Draft
Resistance, 1917–1918: Class, Race, and Conscription in the Rural South," Journal of American History 87, no. 4 (March 2001): 1335-1361.

1. Use your library skills to obtain a copy of this article

2. Read the article and take careful notes. 

3. We will discuss this article in class

4. You then will write a précis on that article. 

• Without quoting the authors, explain the thesis (main point) of the article in one or two paragraphs. 

• Begin by clearly stating the fundamental problem/question that the author is trying to solve/answer. 

• Then explain the article's main argument.

The paper must follow the mandatory paper format.

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

Definition of Research Questions (5 percent; 50 points)

Choosing a topic is the starting point for historical research.  But before you can begin serious work with primary sources, you need to define your basic research questions.  

The questions you ask can shape the types of primary sources you need and the methods you use to analyze those sources. 

Defining a clear historical research question is not as easy as you might think.  Avoid questions that are simply too big to answer in an undergraduate research project ("How have big oil companies shaped US foreign policy?").   Avoid questions that don't require research ("Did the US aid the Shah of Iran?).  Avoid questions that don't really add to understanding of larger historical issues ("What kind of guns did marines at the US embassy in Iran have in 1979?").  Avoid questions that can't be answered by historical research, even though they might be important ("Was it moral for the US to aid the Shah?"). 

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

You can't ask a good question about a topic until you've read something about that topic.  Therefore, you should be thinking about "do-able" research questions as you read the books and articles on your secondary source reading list.

You must:

• Meet with me for a brief (10 minute) conference to discuss your research questions.

• At that conference, present me with a clear written definition of your main research question or questions.  This should one or two paragraphs, in complete and grammatical sentences.  It should explain the question and explain why that question is worth asking (in other words, why is it of historical significance).

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.   

If you fail to attend your scheduled conference appointment or fail to schedule a conference, you will fail this assignment.

Individual Précis No. 1 (5 percent; 50 points possible)

Pick the most important book from your reading list.  Write a précis (a summary) of the book's thesis.  (See Rampolla, "Summaries.")  

The book must be:

• a secondary source
• a monograph in book form (not a textbook!)
• published by a scholarly press

In a one-page précis:

• Without quoting, 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 bibliography form (see Rampolla).

• Begin your paper by clearly stating the book's fundamental question. 

• Then explain the thesis.

Remember, explain the thesis.  Don't simply describe the topic of the book!

I will grade each précis based on its logic, clarity, and accuracy. 

Individual Précis No. 2 (5 percent; 50 points possible)

Pick another important book from your reading and write a précis on that book, following the same directions as Individual Précis No. 1.  

I will grade each précis based on its logic, clarity, and accuracy. 

Primary Source Locator Assignment (10 percent; 100 points)

To write a research paper, you  need primary sources.  This assignment is designed to get you looking for primary sources on your topic.  

1. Locate and identify an obtainable primary source collection (for example, a collection of published documents, a book series, a set of newspaper, a microfilm collection, or digital archive) that contains sources relevant to your research. 

2. Schedule a conference to discuss this primary source collection.

3.  At the conference, give me a written identification the source collection in correct bibliography form (see Rampolla). 

If I approve, you can go on to step 4.   If not, you must repeat steps 1-3.

4.  Write a 2-3 page paper that:

• in its heading identifies the source collection in bibliography form (based on Rampolla )
• describes in detail the types of information found in this source collection
• explains the questions you might address using these sources
• explains why these sources are relevant to those questions.

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

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

If you schedule a conference then fail to attend, or if you fail to meet with me for source approval, you will fail the assignment. 

Historiographic Essay (20 percent; 200 points possible)

In this paper, you will analyze what other historians have argued about your topic.  You must also explain how historical interpretations on your topic have changed over time, and the differences between “schools” of historical interpretation regarding your topic.  

In other words, compare and contrast what many historians have argued about your topic.   

Preparing for your paper: 

• You must analyze at least 10 secondary sources (10 books or the equivalent in books and articles). 
• You must include a representative sample of works written about your topic over time. 
• You must discuss the most important works on your topic.

SOME VERY IMPORTANT TIPS:

• Keep careful bibliographic records.
• Take careful notes on each author's thesis, their sources, and how their argument relates to other historical interpretations. 
• Make sure your notes indicate the exact page numbers for key quotations, etc.
• Take notes on the the relative strengths and weaknesses of each work. 
• Think about how historians' questions and interpretations have changed over time.
• Try to fit the each authors' interpretation into  a "group" or "school" of similar interpretations.      

Writing your paper:

• Your must present and defend a thesis.  The thesis is your main argument about the major trends (patterns) in historical interpretation of your topic.
• Your goal is to make an argument about the historiography, not about the topic itself.
• You must present detailed evidence from your secondary sources, including properly identified and cited quotations.
• Explain patterns of interpretation chronologically or thematically (which ever makes most sense for your topic).  
• You must provide proper endnote citations to all sources quoted, paraphrased, or summarized in your paper. 
• Your paper must be at least 7 pages long, not counting the endnotes.

I will grade this paper based on the logic of your argumentation, the clarity of your presentation, the accuracy of your analysis of secondary sources, your use of appropriate sources, and your use of proper form for quotations and endnotes (which will account for 20 percent of the grade).

Research Prospectus (20 percent; 200 points possible)

Most professors who teach Bloomsburg's History 498 (Research and Writing Skills) will require that you write a research proposal or prospectus.  It is a good skill to learn.  It requires that you think carefully about your topic, the questions you want to answer, why those questions are important, how they relate to what other historians have written, and what sources you will need for your research.  

If you have done all you assignments to this point, have already done most of the work for the prospectus.  Now you must put it all together.

You will write a brief prospectus.  Your target length is 5 pages (not counting the bibliography).  You must explain:

• The general topic (e.g., the history of the Great Depression in the United States).
• Your specific topic (e.g., ethnic and religious tensions in Pennsylvania mining communities in the 1930s).
• Your precise research questions (e.g., did employers manipulate those tensions as a anti-union strategy?).
• How your question relates to what other historians have argued about this topic or related topics. 
• How answering your question could add to our understanding of the topic.
• What primary sources you will use to answer this question.
• How you will draw answers out of those primary sources (methodology).

Attach a typed bibliography that follows the guidelines in Rampolla. 

• Make sure that it is in correct bibliography form. 
• It must include all your primary and secondary sources
• It must be divided into two sections:  Primary Sources, and Secondary Sources.

I will grade your proposal based on its logic, clarity, and thoroughness.   I will grade your bibliography based on its inclusion of key sources and use of accurate form.  The proposal will account for 75 percent of the grade; the bibliography for 25 percent of the grade. 

Thursday: 

•     Read Hoefferle, chapter 2.  

•     Be prepared to identify any or all terms that Hoefferle has "highlighted" using text in the margins.

•     Class discussion of Early Modern European Historiography.

•     You must write out answers to the study questions for each document in Hoefferle, chapter 2.

•     Discussion student answers to study questions on documents in Hoefferle, chapter 2.

• DUE:  Library Assignment  Part A 2 and A 3

• Readings for next week, Hoefferle, chapters 3 and 4.  You must be able to identify any or all terms that Hoefferle has "highlighted" using text in the margins.  You must write out answers to the study questions for each document.

Week IV: (8-10 February))  

Tuesday: 

•     You should have read Hoefferle, chapter 3.  

•     Be prepared to identify any or all terms that Hoefferle has "highlighted" using text in the margins.

•     Class discussion of Nineteenth Century European Historiography.

•     You must write out answers to the study questions for each document in Hoefferle, chapter 3.

•     Discussion student answers to study questions on documents in Hoefferle, chapter 3.

•     Discussion of Library Assignment Parts A 4 and A5

Thursday: 

•     You should have read Hoefferle, chapter 4.  

•     Be prepared to identify any or all terms that Hoefferle has "highlighted" using text in the margins.

•     Class discussion of Nineteenth Century American Historiography.

•     You must write out answers to the study questions for each document in Hoefferle, chapter 4.

•     Discussion student answers to study questions on documents in Hoefferle, chapter 4.

• DUE:  Library Assignment  Part A 4 and A 5

• Readings for next week, Hoefferle, chapters 5-6.  You must be able to identify any or all terms that Hoefferle has "highlighted" using text in the margins.  You must write out answers to the study questions for each document.

Week V: (15-17 February) 

Tuesday:

•     Discussion of Library Assignment Parts B1 and B2

•     You should have read Hoefferle, chapter 5.  

•     Be prepared to identify any or all terms that Hoefferle has "highlighted" using text in the margins.

•     Class discussion of Early Twentieth Century American Historiography.

•     You must write out answers to the study questions for each document in Hoefferle, chapter 5.

•     Discussion student answers to study questions on documents in Hoefferle, chapter 5.

• Due:  Revised Historiographic Reading List

Thursday:

•     You should have read Hoefferle, chapter 6.  

•     Be prepared to identify any or all terms that Hoefferle has "highlighted" using text in the margins.

•     Class discussion of Marxism, Annales, and New Left Historiography.

•     You must write out answers to the study questions for each document in Hoefferle, chapter 6.

•     Discussion student answers to study questions on documents in Hoefferle, chapter 6.

• DUE:  Library Assignment  Part B 1 and B 2

• Readings for next week, Hoefferle, chapters 7-8.  You must be able to identify any or all terms that Hoefferle has "highlighted" using text in the margins.  You must write out answers to the study questions for each document.

Week VI: (22-24 February) 

Tuesday:

•     Discussion of Library Assignment Parts B 3 and B 4

•     You should have read Hoefferle, chapter 7.  

•     Be prepared to identify any or all terms that Hoefferle has "highlighted" using text in the margins.

•     Class discussion of "New Social History."

•     You must write out answers to the study questions for each document in Hoefferle, chapter 7.

•     Discussion student answers to study questions on documents in Hoefferle, chapter 7.

Thursday:

•     You should have read Hoefferle, chapter 8.  

•     Be prepared to identify any or all terms that Hoefferle has "highlighted" using text in the margins.

•     Class discussion of Postmodernism and Historiography.

•     You must write out answers to the study questions for each document in Hoefferle, chapter 8.

•     Discussion student answers to study questions on documents in Hoefferle, chapter 8.

•     Readings for next week, Hoefferle, chapter 9 and Epilogue.  You must be able to identify any or all terms that Hoefferle has "highlighted" using text in the margins.  You must write out answers to the study questions for each document.

 DUE:  Library Assignment  Part B 3 and B 4

Week VII: (1-3 March) 

Tuesday:

•     Discussion of Library Assignment Part B5 and B6

•     You should have read Hoefferle, chapter 9 and Epilogue .  

•     Be prepared to identify any or all terms that Hoefferle has "highlighted" using text in the margins of both chapters.

•     Class discussion of World History and Recent Trends in Historiography.

•     You must write out answers to the study questions for each document in Hoefferle, chapter 9.

•     Discussion student answers to study questions on documents in Hoefferle, chapter 9.

•    

•     Be sure that you read the section in Rampolla, chapter 3, on writing précis papers--"Writing about Reading:  Summaries."

• READING ASSIGNMENT FOR THURSDAY:  Richard L. Kagan, "Prescott's Paradigm:  American Historical Scholarship and the Decline of Spain," American Historical Review 101, no. 2 (April 1996):  423-446.  (Use JSTOR or one of the other library databases to get a digital copy, or go the library and get a paper copy.  Read this essay and then be ready to explain the THESIS.

Thursday:

• Discuss Richard L. Kagan, "Prescott's Paradigm:  American Historical Scholarship and the Decline of Spain," American Historical Review 101, no. 2 (April 1996):  423-446.

• READING ASSIGNMENT FOR TUESDAY 16 MARCH:  Jeanette Keith, "The Politics of Southern Draft
  Resistance, 1917–1918: Class, Race, and Conscription in the Rural South," Journal of American History 87, no. 4 (March 2001): 1335-1361.

• Discussion of Common Reading Précis Assignment . 

•     DUE:  Library Assignment  Part B 5 and B 6

SPRING BREAK:  6-14 March    In addition to other assignments, Read the Rampolla Book, chapters 4, 6 and 7!

Week VIII: (15-17 March)   

Tuesday:

• Discussion of Jeanette Keith, "The Politics of Southern Draft
  Resistance, 1917–1918: Class, Race, and Conscription in the Rural South," Journal of American History 87, no. 4 (March 2001): 1335-1361.

• Discussion of Common Reading Précis Assignment . 

• Discussion of Formulating Research Questions

• Discussion of Definition of Research Question Assignment.

• READ Rampolla, Chapter 5, section "Focusing on a Research Question" AND Chapter 3, section on "Historiographic essays."

Thursday: 

• Discussion of how historians use historiography in writing history

• Sign up for times for Definition of Research Question conferences (to be held in class)

• Reading Assignment for next Tuesday:  Richard L. McCormick, "The Discovery that Business Corrupts Politics:  A Reappraisal of the Origins of Progressivism," American Historical Review 86, no. 2 (1981):  247-274.  (read to the end of the first paragraph on p. 250)

• DUE:  Common Reading Précis Assignment .   

Week IX: (22-24 March) 

Tuesday:

• Discussion of McCormick "The Discovery that Business Corrupts Politics:  A Reappraisal of the Origins of Progressivism," American Historical Review 86, no. 2 (1981):  247-274. 

• Discussion of how historians use historiography in essays

• Discussion of Individual Reading Précis Assignments

Thursday:

• Definition of Research Question conferences

Week X: (29 March-31 March):  

Tuesday: 

Week XI: (5-7 April) 

Tuesday: 

• Discussion of Primary Source Locator Assignment   

• Read Rampolla, Chapter 5, all of section "Conducting research."

• Due:  Individual Reading Précis #1

Thursday: 

• Refresher on Finding Primary Sources

• Discussion of Historiographic Essay 

• Reread Rampolla Ch. 3 section on historiographic essays

• Reach Hofferele, Appendix A and Appendix B

Week XII: (12-14 April)

Tuesday: 

• Primary Source Locator Conferences   

• Due:  Individual Reading Précis #2

Thursday: 

• Primary Source Locator Conferences 

Week XIII: (19-21 April)

Thursday: 

• Optional Conferences

• DUE:  Primary Source Locator Assignment

Week XIV: (26-28 April)

Tuesday: 

• Discussion of Research Prospectus Assignment  

Thursday:

• Optional Conferences on Research Proposal Papers

• DUE:  Historigraphic Essay. 

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Week XV: FINALS WEEK