Research and Writing Skills Spring 2003 42.398. Section 1
M. Hickey Old Science Hall Office 130 570-389-4161 hickey@bloomu.edu
Office Hours: M, W 2:00-3:00; T, Th 2-3:30
Navigation links for this syllabus:
Epigraphs Introduction Grading Criteria Required Texts
Detailed Descriptions of Assignments Schedule of Assignments
Quoting, Paraphrasing, Summarizing, Plagiarism/ Footnotes, Endnotes, Parenthetical Citations
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Here. . . we shall preserve the broadest interpretation of the word 'history.' The word places no a priori prohibitions in the path of inquiry, which may turn at will toward either the individual or the social, toward momentary convulsions or the most lasting developments. It comprises no credo; it commits us, according to its original meaning, to nothing other than 'inquiry.'
Marc Bloch, The Historian's Craft
What is history? . . . a continuous process of interaction between the historian and his facts, an unending dialogue between the present and the past.
E. H. Carr, What is History?
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Introduction
This is a seminar course about the process of researching and writing history. We will discuss the nature and functions of historical inquiry, historical interpretations, schools of historical thought and how they shape historical inquiries, the pursuit of sources, methods of source analysis, the construction of coherent historical arguments, forms of logical organization in support of historical arguments, and norms of contemporary historical writing. You will put what you learn into practice, by conducting research, writing, and presenting your own research paper.
You will design your own research project, which must be tailored so as to allow you to ask and answer a significant historical question based upon the use of primary sources. I must approve your topic at several stages of the research and writing process.
Your major tasks for the semester are to formulate a clearly articulated research question, frame your inquiry in terms of its historiographic importance (how it fits into large historical issues and historians’ interpretations), locate primary source materials directly related to your question, and write a long essay (20-25 pages) that presents a thesis answering your question and supports this thesis with analysis of primary sources.
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Grading Criteria
A final grade of "A" in this course means that your cumulative score on all assignments adds up to 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.
I will enforce university policy on cheating and plagiarism, as it is defined at the web site http://www.bloomu.edu/academic/acadpol.shtml.
Also, I expect you to attend every scheduled class session; in keeping with university policy as defined at the web site http://www.bloomu.edu/about/govern/pol_3506.htm, absences will be excused only if they are discussed with (and approved by) me in advance or if documented by the university administration.
You will complete a series of assignments designed to guide you through the process of writing a formal paper based upon original research. These include graded writing assignments as well as several un-graded writing, reading, and discussion assignments, presentations, and one-on-one conferences.
Failure to complete any assignment will result in failure for the entire course.
Graded assignments include a library exercise (5 percent of total grade); an article precis (5 percent); a primary source analysis paper (10 percent); a research proposal with a bibliography (10 percent); an historiographic essay (10 percent); an annotated bibliography of primary sources (10 percent); a completed draft of your research paper (10 percent, “pass-fail”); and your completed, revised research paper (40 percent).
Un-graded but mandatory assignments will include: a one-on-one topics conference; presentation of the research proposal; two in-class progress reports; a one-on-one draft conference; and presentation of the completed research project.
The specific tasks involved in each assignment are explained below, as are specific grading criteria for each. I expect you to completed each assignment as directed in a manner that is factually correct, employs clear and sound logic, provides appropriate evidence, follows technical conventions of historical writing (including use of source citations), and uses clear, grammatical English.
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Required Text
Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, 3rd ed. (Boston and New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2001).
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Detailed Descriptions of Assignments
Links to specific assignments:
Library exercise Article precis Primary source analysis paper One-on-one topics conference
Research proposal with a bibliography Presentation of the research proposal Historiographic essay
Annotated bibliography of primary sources In-class progress reports
Completed draft of research paper One-on-one draft conference
Presentation of the completed research project Completed, revised research paper
Library exercise
Linked to this page, you will find an exercise that requires that you find books, articles, and other sources at BU's library. The assignment will take you several hours to complete. It also will require that you make photocopies, so you will need some money for a copy card or some coins for the copy machines.
Your grade on this assignment will be based upon the percentage of questions that you complete successfully.
Click on this link to go to the library exercise.
Article precis
From any historical journal in our library, select a secondary source research article related to the paper topic you are considering.
By historical journal, I mean a scholarly journal, such as The American Historical Review, The Journal of American History, or The Journal of Social History, that publishes the original research of historians (not a magazine).
By article, I mean a research essay (not a book review or a primary source).
I must approve your choice. Either e-mail me with complete bibliographic information on your selection, or give me this information on paper in person. You may not write your paper until I give you formal approval.
After I approve of your article, you are to write a one-page precis (maximum length) that explains the author's thesis without quoting the article.
A precis is a very sharply focused summary. What I want to know is this: what was the author's main question and what is the author's thesis (the main point of their answer to this question)?
Notice: I do NOT want you to sum up all of the information in the article or tell me what it is "about"--I want you to explain the thesis, and that it all! Also, I am NOT asking you if you agree with the article or if you "liked" the article! If you understand what you are reading, then you should be able to explain the main point in one or two paragraphs.
Also, you should know that I actually read the articles before I approve them. People who try to fake their way through these assignments always fail this course...
Make sure that your paper includes (at the head) all necessary bibliographic information on the article.
I will grade your paper on the basis of its accuracy, logic, and clarity.
Primary source analysis paper
You must locate and then present me with a primary source (preferably a rather brief document) that is related to your research topic. Once I have approved of the document, you are to write a 2-3 page paper that interprets this document.
The paper must have two sections:
Section A must present a logical thesis that explains the evidence in the document. You should include some background and narrative to set the document into its proper historical context, but your main task is to explain what you think the document shows or proves. [DO NOT just summarize what the document "says"!]
Section B must explain the analytical process by which came reached your thesis. Focus in particular on source criticism. For instance, what questions did you ask of the document? Why did you ask these questions? What "biases" did you have to consider in the document and in your own reading of it? What are the limitations of the conclusions that you can draw from the document? Why? (etc.)
You must bring two copies of your paper and a photocopy of the document to class. You will trade papers with someone in class and then read and comment on each other’s papers. We will discuss your interpretations of the evidence and your comments on each other's papers in class. You will turn in one copy of your paper and the photocopied document at the end of class. I will grade your paper on the basis of its accuracy, logic, and clarity.
One-on-one topics conference
You must schedule an appointment with me. At this conference, we will discuss the topic of your research paper. You must come to this conference with the following (in writing):
1. A clearly formulated research question on a specific historical topic related to our theme.
2. An extensive list of secondary sources that you have read/are in the process of reading that are related to your topic and/or provide you with methodological models for your research.
3. An extensive list of primary sources that you plan on consulting in the course of your research.
If you are properly prepared and I approve your topic, then you may proceed with your research. If you are not prepared and/or I do not approve your topic, then you will have to meet with me again. We will repeat this process until I have approved your topic.
Topic approval is a prerequisite to all further graded activities in this class. If I do not approve your topic, you will receive no grade for any further activities.
NOTE also that if you make an appointment for this conference and then do not attend without prior notice, there will be no opportunity to "make up" the meeting.
Research proposal with a bibliography
You must prepare a proposal (4-5, not counting the bibliography) that explains the following:
1. The precise question you will address in your research
2. How your question relates to issues raised/discussed by other historians who have worked on similar/related topics (what do the secondary sources say?)
3. Why this question is worth answering (from an historian's viewpoint)
4. What primary sources you will use to answer this question
5. What methods of analysis will you use to draw answers out of the primary sources.
Your proposal must be on the topic we discussed at your conference.
You will attach to the proposal a typed bibliography that follows the guidelines in Rampolla, 83-93. This bibliography must include all primary and secondary sources that you have identified related to your research.
Your bibliography should be divided into the following sections:
I. Primary Sources (subdivided into)
Archival and other unpublished sources (if any)
Newspapers and periodicals (if any)
Interviews (if any)
Other published print sources (if any)
Electronic Media Sources (if any)
II. Secondary Sources (subdivided into)
Dissertations (if any)
Published Print Sources (books and articles)
Electronic Media Sources (if any)
I will grade your proposal and bibliography on the proposal's logic, clarity, and coverage of the issues detailed above, and on the comprehensiveness and accurate form of the bibliography. The proposal will account for 75 percent of the grade and the bibliography for 25 percent. Your grade on this assignment will fall by10 percent for every day that it is late.
Presentation of the research proposal
You will explain your research proposal to the class in a presentation that takes10 minutes or less, and you will answer questions. Attending these presentations (others' as well as your own) is mandatory.
Historiographic essay
Historiography could be described as "the history of how history gets written." Your aim in an historiographic essay is to explain changes in historical interpretation across time or differences between various “schools” of historical interpretation.
In this case, you will be analyzing the historiography of your own research topic. This will require that you have completed reading all of your secondary sources, so that you can compare and contrast what each historian has written about your general topic.
I. Begin you paper by defining your topic and your specific research questions as clearly as possible.
II. Explain how your specific topic relates to broader (larger) issues of concerns to historians.
III. Analyze the secondary sources that you have read in chronological order or by historiographic “school.”
Think about how these authors' interpretations fit into "groups" or "schools." Very often you will find that historians have formed very clear "schools" of thought on your topic and that the differences between these historiographic positions is a topic discussed in your secondary sources. Sometimes these differences are based upon the kinds of sources that historians have examined, but that is not always the case.
For each book and article, discuss the author's thesis, the types of sources used, its relationship to other historical interpretations. Assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of each work or school.
IV. Finally, come to a working conclusion about the most useful interpretative approach to your topic, based upon the evidence that you are finding so far in your primary sources.
You must give proper source citations (endnotes!) to all primary and secondary sources discussed in your.
Your paper must be at least 5 pages long, not counting the endnotes.
I will grade this paper on the basis of its logic and clarity, on the accuracy of your analysis of secondary sources, and on the extent to which you have considered the relevant secondary sources.
Annotated bibliography of primary sources
Prepare an annotated bibliography of all of your primary sources (do not include your secondary sources). The annotated bibliography should follow the same format as the bibliography, with this exception: each entry must be followed by an annotation of one sentence to a paragraph in length that explains exactly how the information in each source relates to your own research.
This requires, of course, that you have already read the sources before writing your annotated bibliography! In some cases you will have to explain that the source is of no use for your research. In a very few cases, you may base an annotation upon catalogue descriptions of a source that you are still waiting to see, but you will have to explain why you have not yet obtained the source! You must have annotations for all of your primary sources. I will grade this assignment on the basis of the clarity of your annotations and your attention to proper bibliographic form.
In-class progress reports
You will present the class with short (5 minute) status reports on your project. Explain what sources you have found, how these sources are helping you answer your question, and the problems you are confronting in your research. Attending these presentations (others' as well as your own) is mandatory.
Completed draft of research paper
You will turn in a complete draft of your entire paper (20-25 pages plus endnotes). Remember, a draft does not mean your first draft! I expect that you will have already gone through several drafts and rewrites before you turn in your paper.
Your draft must include the following elements:
1) An introduction, in which you define your question clearly and explain how it fits into the context of what historians have written on this issue (the historiography on the topic);
2) A brief discussion of the sources on which your study is based, and of the methodology you have used to exploit these sources;
3) An extensive argument based upon primary source materials that answers the question posed in your introduction, which can take either a narrative or non-narrative form, and which may be organized either chronologically or thematically;
4) A conclusion that sums up the major findings of your research and makes clear the importance of your answers to understanding larger historical questions.
5) Documentation of all quotations, paraphrases, etc., in correct endnote form.
Do not include a bibliography.
I will not accept incomplete or late papers. If your draft includes all of the elements described above, your will get full credit (pass) on the assignment; if it does not include all of these elements, you will fail the assignment (and therefore the course).
One-on-one draft conference
You will schedule an appointment with me to discuss my comments on your completed research paper draft. I will give you a typed copy of my comments, which will explain the strengths and weaknesses that I find in your draft as well as my suggestions for improving the paper. I will discuss these suggestions with you at the conference. This is a mandatory conference. If you make an appointment for this conference and then do not attend without prior notice, there will be no opportunity to "make up" the meeting.
Presentation of the completed research project
This presentation should take TEN minutes and can be in whatever form you want (as long as it is appropriate to the setting). Explain your question and your thesis, how your thesis fits into the historiography on your topic, what evidence and methods you have used in your research, and the structure of your argument. Then sum up by restating your thesis and explaining the relationship between your findings and the work of other historians. Attending these presentations (others' as well as your own) is mandatory.
Completed, revised research paper
Your final paper (20-25 pages plus endnotes) must be a complete, revised essay that takes into consideration the comments I made on your drafts. It must include the following elements:
1) An introduction, in which you define your question clearly and explain how it fits into the context of what historians have written on this issue (the historiography on the topic);
2) A brief discussion of the sources on which your study is based, and of the methodology you have used to exploit these sources;
3) An extensive argument based upon primary source materials that answers the question posed in your introduction, which can take either a narrative or non-narrative form, and which may be organized either chronologically or thematically;
4) A conclusion that sums up the major findings of your research and makes clear the importance of your answers to understanding larger historical questions.
5) Documentation of all quotations, paraphrases, etc., in correct endnote form.
Do not include a bibliography.
The final paper will account for 40 percent of your grade, and I will base the grade upon the paper’s logic, clarity, use of primary sources, demonstration of relationship to other historiography, and strict adherence to guidelines for source citations.
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Schedule of Assignments (with links to assignment instructions)
Week One: Tues. Discuss syllabus, nature of historical inquiry. Read Rampolla, 1-6. START WORKING ON SELECTING A TOPIC!!!
Thurs: Sources and layers of interpretation. Read Rampolla, 6-17. Submit proposed selection for Article Precis Assignment.
START WORKING ON THE Library Exercise!!
Week Two: Tues: Library Exercise due. Discus library exercise. Read Rampolla, 17-19.
Thurs: Summary and analysis of historians’ arguments. Submit proposed selection for Primary Source Analysis Assignment.
Schedule Topics Conferences!
Week Three: Topics Conferences will take place all week, at the times that you scheduled.
Tues: Article Precis Assignment due. Discuss articles.
Thurs: Historiography and schools of historical thought.
Week Four: Topics Conferences will continue into this week if necessary.
Tues:. Primary Source Analysis Assignment due.
Thurs: Searching for sources and taking notes. Read Rampolla, 32-41. Schedule Proposal Presentations.
Week Five: Proposal Presentations on Tuesday and Thursday--YOU MUST ATTEND BOTH DAYS!.
Week Six: Tues: Proposal Presentations. YOU MUST ATTEND.
Thurs: no class session unless necessary.
Week Seven: Tues: Research Proposal Assignment and Bibliography due; Discuss the Historiographic essay assignment.
Thurs: no class session.
Week Eight: Tues: no class session.
Thurs: no class session
Week Nine: First mid-term progress report on Tuesday and Thursday--YOU MUST ATTEND BOTH DAYS!
Historiographic essay due TUESDAY. Discuss Annotated Primary Source Bibliography Assignment.
Week Ten: NO CLASS MEETINGS THIS WEEK.
Week Eleven: Second mid-term progress reports on Tuesday and Thursday--YOU MUST ATTEND BOTH DAYS! We will discuss paper drafts and source citations. Read Rampolla, chapters 3-5. The Annotated Primary Source Bibliography Assignment is due on TUESDAY.
Week Twelve: NO CLASS MEETINGS THIS WEEK
Week Thirteen: Completed research paper drafts due in my office by 9 AM on MONDAY MORNING!!! Be sure to schedule your Draft Conferences!!! NO CLASS MEETINGS THIS WEEK.
Week Fourteen: Draft Conferences.
Tues: No class session today.
Thurs: Project Presentations. YOU MUST ATTEND.
Week Fifteen: Project Presentations. YOU MUST ATTEND BOTH DAYS!
THE FINAL REVISED PAPER is due at our scheduled final exam session--Tuesday, 6 May, at 3:30!