HIS 400-01:  Seminar in Historical Methods

 

Instructors:      Howard Berger                                                                                                  Spring 2008

                        Steven Maughan (course administrator)

                        Jeff Snyder

Office:   209A Strahorn                                                                                                   TuTh – 4:00-5:30

Office hours:  Mon., Weds.  9:20-10:10                                                                                      STRA 201

                                               2:15-3:15

                                         (and by appointment)

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES:  The Seminar in Historical Methods is designed to achieve three goals.  Students will: 1) conduct and complete an original independent historical research project; 2) gain familiarity with major schools of thought and historiography; and 3) discuss the meaning and significance of history, both philosophically and in its historical practice in relation to the assigned readings and papers. 

 

This course is intended to be the culmination of the students' undergraduate academic career as an historian and will expose the students to different approaches to history during sessions conducted by different members of the History Department.  Through this exposure students will be encouraged to pull together intellectual strands from all of their previous courses.  Thus, in this course you will be required to bring to discussion and research the information learned and interpretive skills developed in your four years as a history major, both in course discussions and in written assignments.  You will also be required to demonstrate ability to grapple with major themes in historiography with informed and intelligent contributions to the seminar discussions and in the production of your final research paper.

 

Required Texts:

Joyce Appleby, Lynn Hunt and Margaret Jacob, Telling the Truth About History (1994).

Daniel Boorstin, The Genius of American Politics, (1953).

Paul A. Cohen, History in Three Keys: The Boxers as Event, Experience, and Myth (1997).

Articles linked in the on-line syllabus.

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

Readings and Response Papers (35%):  There are five response papers due during the first seven weeks of class.  The papers should NOT be “reports” that summarize the readings but rather each should be a critical analysis of the central points of the arguments presented by the author(s).  As you read the chapters and articles, consider: What central questions are being asked?  What is the debate?  How do the authors’ define the role and purpose of history?  What are the methods, assumptions, and results?  All response papers are due at the beginning of class.  All writing for the course should follow these General Writing Requirements.

 

Research Paper (15 page minimum, 20 page maximum) and Portfolio:  History is an interpretive discipline.  While few historians may disagree about whether or not a particular event occurred, historians do debate and disagree, at times vigorously, about the meaning, the significance, and the consequence of that event.  History is also a dynamic discipline where the past is always contended, negotiated, and reexamined.  At the heart of the discipline are primary source documents—the building blocks of historical interpretations.    

This assignment requires you to write a ca. 15 page, primary source driven, original research paper on a topic of your choice.  For this project, you will be asked to thoughtfully consider how historians have understood and presented an historical event, provide a critical evaluation of those works, and finally, show how your work contributes to historical understanding and the historical debate.  This is a multi-step assignment.  Be prepared to discuss your evolving topic during group meetings and with history faculty.

All students will work closely in groups of four or five with one history faculty member.  On the days designated, each group will meet separately to discuss the progress, problems, challenges, and successes of the research project.  The purpose is to insure individual attention and to help each of you successfully complete your project.  Final grades on the project will be determined by the history department faculty as a whole.

1)      Topic Proposal:  Pick a historical event or topic of your interest and briefly explain your choice (e.g. nineteenth-century American immigration, Meiji Japanese modernization, post-World War Two American political speech, the causes of World War I, etc., etc.).  

2)      Preliminary Proposal (2%) Due March 4:  In a brief paragraph elaborate on the proposed topic by narrowing your idea to a specific issue, event, or theme that you want to explore (e.g. immigrants to Idaho, etc.).

3)      Proposal and Bibliography and Revised Proposal and Bibliography (3%) Due March 11 and March 18:  In a page or two, elaborate on your topic by discussing your focus and some of the issues that explains its significance (e.g. Irish immigrant workers in Idaho mines in late nineteenth century, etc.).  Include a preliminary bibliography of at least eight secondary sources and most importantly, identify and discuss the significance of the primary source documents (the collection and the titles) you will use and how you will acquire the materials. By March 18, revise and develop your proposal following small group discussion and individual consultation with your faculty research advisor.

4)      Preliminary and Final Outline and Annotated Bibliography (10%) Due April 1 and April 22:  Include 1) one or two substantial single-spaced paragraphs that elaborate on your topic, focus, and issues (300 word minimum); 2) a revised and expanded bibliography of secondary and primary sources; 3) a critically annotated bibliography that assesses each of your bibliographical sources and gives insights to the central points and usefulness of each and, where appropriate, where they fit into the historiography of your subject; and 4) a detailed outline (2 pages single spaced minimum) that highlights the key points you will discuss in your paper. By April 26, revise and develop your outline and annotated bibliography following small group discussion and individual consultation with your faculty advisor.    

5)      Presentation and Abstract (10%) Due April 29 through May 8 (based on presentation schedule): There will be an eight to 10 minute oral presentation given to the class and to the history faculty.  You are encouraged to use PowerPoint.  On the day of your presentation, distribute to your audience a one page abstract of your paper (200 word minimum).  Include in this a brief paragraph summarizing the central points and your thesis, most significant sources used, your central findings, and the contribution of your study to historical knowledge and debate.  Presentations will occur over four class periods. 

6)      Final Paper (30%) and Research Portfolio (10%) Due May 20:  Submit your final paper as a part of your course portfolio.  The papers must follow the standards in the Research Paper Assignment Sheet.  This must include not only the final paper but all of the original marked and graded items from above as well as all your response papers.  Ideally, the portfolio will be collected in a slender, simple, appropriate thin cardboard binder and will be organized with a table of contents; it must not come as loose papers. Research portfolios will not be returned.    

Assignments and Late Policy:  Unless otherwise instructed, please bring a hard copy of all assignments to class.  Due dates are firm.  There will be a five percent deduction on ALL assignments not received at the beginning of class and for each subsequent 24 hour period, NO EXCEPTIONS!

 

Attendance and Participation: Attend all scheduled class and group meetings as Attendance is Mandatory.  You will be allowed NO UNEXCUSED ABSENCES!  If you must miss class for reasons of participation in college-sponsored activities, or illness, you must contact the Course Administrator BEFORE CLASS, BY EMAIL, FOR EACH DAY that you will miss, and personally provide documentation from appropriate authorities (a coach, the college nurse, a doctor, etc.) supporting the reason for your absence. This policy will be strictly enforced. If you fail to follow this procedure in all its particulars, the absence will be considered unexcused. EACH unexcused absence will result in a 1/3 grade reduction in your FINAL GRADE for the course (upon the first absence, an A becomes an A-, upon the second a B+, etc.).  It is your responsibility to make appropriate arrangements to make up assignments and stay current on course work when you have excused absences. You are expected to participate in an informed manner in the seminar discussions.

 

Email capability:  You must have a functioning collegeofidaho.edu or yotes.collegeofidaho.edu email address to take this course.  You will be responsible for changes to the schedule, assignments, and other particulars for the course as they are announced by email.  You should check your email daily and maintain a functioning account.   

 

 

COURSE SCHEDULE

[n.b. some of the links in the syllabus are "internal" C of I Intranet reserve documents: you must be on campus and logged onto the campus network to access the.]

 

WEEK ONE

Feb 26:            Seminar Introduction

                         Research Topic  --  explanation and discussion.

 

Feb. 28:           Discussion Day:

                          Read: Appleby, Telling the Truth About History, pp. 15-125.

Focus questions: (read the assignment with these questions in mind; come to class prepared to discuss them).  "What were the purposes and methods of the practice of history between the years 1700 and 1900?  Who did history?  Why did they do it?  What were its methods, assumptions and results in the production of knowledge?  Were there broad phases of development in the writing of history?  If so, briefly identify the phases and what forces affected them.  From this history of the first 200 years of modern historical practice, can you identify what elements are necessary for one to "do history"?  Is history a science?  Why or why not?  At its most basic, what is "history"?  What is it to do "good history"?  To you, what does it mean to "do history" or be a historian?"  There will be a short reading quiz on this material.

           

WEEK TWO

Mar 4:            College Learning Assessment (CLA) examination.  All students in the seminar must report to the Covell Hall computer laboratory.  Attendance will be taken.

 

                        Preliminary Proposal Due [must be a formal, typed submission.]

                                                             

Mar 6:           

Discussion Day:   Sources / research demonstration

                        Read:  and explore the Research Process Guide

                                                     the History Department Research Links Page,

                                                                        and the Electronic Source Listings Page.

                        Read:  Jules R. Benjamin, A Student's Guide to History, 10th ed. (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's,

                                                                         2006), Chap. 4   and   Chap. 5 [intranet]

    

           

WEEK THREE

Mar 11:          Discussion Day:

                        Read:  Appleby, Telling the Truth About History, pp. 129-207.

                                    Raymond Williams, "History," in Keywords [intranet].

Response Paper Due: Write a 3-4 page reaction essay (750-1000 words) on the questions:  "What were the purposes and methods of the practice of history between the years 1900 and 1995?  Who did history?  Why did they do it?  What were its methods, assumptions and results in the production of knowledge?  What were the leading schools of history (list the most important) and what assumptions did their writing of history rest on?  What forces shaped the changing approaches to history that arose in the twentieth century?”  You must come to class prepared to intelligently discuss these questions.  There may be a short reading quiz on this material.  Any class member may be required to read their reaction essay to the class.  You will be graded on your participation, knowledge and coherence in the class discussion.

 

Historical Agents Description Due: each student will write up a 250-300 word summary of the theory, practice and/or significance of an assigned theorist, historian or historical school. Each will be responsible for acting as the expert on your assigned individual/group and be prepared to discuss and represent the assumptions, importance, and impact of your assigned topic to the practice of history. You should draw on specific information from Telling the Truth About History but also on other relevant reference sources, such as The Encyclopedia of Historians and Historical Writing (Terteling Library: Reference D14.E53 1999 ) in order to fully represent your charge.

Proposal and Bibliography Due 

 

Mar 13:         

Research Group Meeting: (research groups announced).

                        Read:  Jules R. Benjamin, A Student's Guide to History, 10th ed. (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's,

                                                                         2006), Appendix A. [intranet] and explore the

                                                                        Online Student's Guide to Research

                         

WEEK FOUR

Mar 18:          Discussion Day:

                        Read:  Appleby, Telling the Truth about History, pp. 1-12, 207-309

                                    Stanley Fish, "Postmodern Warfare," Harper's Magazine (July 2002): 33-40. [intranet]

                                    Bennett, Grossberg, Morris, "History," New Keywords [intranet]

Response Paper Due:  Write a 3-4 page reaction essay (750-1000 words) on the questions:  “What is the nature of the post-modern critique of history?  What are the primary assertions of post-modernist and post-colonial theory and how do they relate to the practice of history?  What are the status of historical “truth” and “objectivity” under these critiques?  How should the historian respond to them?  Can there be "historical knowledge" in a post-modern world?"  You must come to class prepared to intelligently discuss these questions.  There may be a short reading quiz on this material.  Any class member may be required to read their reaction essay to the class.  You will be graded on your participation, knowledge and coherence in the class discussion.

 

                                    Revised Proposal and Bibliography Due

 

Mar 20:          Historical Writing Analysis Exercise:

                        Read:  Susan Pedersen, "Hannah More Meets Simple Simon: Tracts, Chapbooks, and Popular Culture in Late Eighteenth-Century England," Journal of British Studies 25 (Jan. 1986): 84-113. [intranet]

Response Exercise Due:  Write a an analytical outline of sections and paragraphs in this article according to this exercise prompt.

 

WEEK FIVE

Mar 25:          No Class

                                               

Mar 27:           Boorstin, The Genius of American Politics

Response Paper Due:   Write a 3-4 page reaction essay (750-1000 words) on the questions: Boorstein suggests that American political experience is different from that of other nations and cultures.  Upon what argument and what evidence does he base this claim?  Is it a credible argument given what you know about American history and the history of other nations and other times?  You must come to class prepared to intelligently discuss these questions.  There may be a short reading quiz on this material.  Any class member may be required to read their reaction essay to the class.  You will be graded on your participation, knowledge and coherence in the class discussion.

 

WEEK SIX

April 1:           Preliminary Outline and Annotated Bibliography Due

For an example of what an Annotated Bibliography should do, and what each annotation might look like, click here.  Your preliminary outline should be headed with a provisional thesis statement, have multiple detailed headings and subheadings, and be 3 pages double spaced, minimum.  The Annotated Bibliography should have at least 7 secondary sources and 1 clearly identified primary source.

 

April 3:            No Class

                       

 

SPRING BREAK: April 7-11

 

WEEK SEVEN

April 15:          No Class.

 

April 17:          Cohen, History in Three Keys, Parts 1, 2 and 3

 

WEEK EIGHT

April 22:          Final Outline and Expanded/Refined Annotated Bibliography Due

                                                           

April 24:          No Class

 

WEEK NINE

April 29:         Research Presentations/ Abstracts

 

May 1:            Research Presentations/ Abstracts

 

WEEK TEN

May 6:            Research Presentations/ Abstracts

 

May 8:            Research Presentations/ Abstracts

                                   

WEEK ELEVEN

May 12:          History Major Exit Interviews  (signup for individual times required)

Exit Survey:  Please click on the link, read and provide a short written answer to each question. Also be prepared to discuss each area in the interview.  The survey will be collected at the end of the interview.

May 13:          History Major Exit Interviews  (signup for individual times required)

May 14:          History Major Exit Interviews  (signup for individual times required)           

May 15:          History Major Exit Interviews  (signup for individual times required)

 

WEEK TWELVE

May 20:          Final Paper and Portfolio Due

 

May 22:          No Class

 

WEEK THIRTEEN

Happy Graduation!

The Research Paper in History:  HIS 400 Assignment Sheet

 

You should use Benjamin's A Student's Guide to History both to assist with doing history research [A Student's Guide to History (chap. 4)] and to assist with writing a research paper, including citation forms and basic layout [A Student's Guide to History (chap. 5)] (N.b. both of these links are "internal" C of I Intranet reserve documents: you must be on campus and logged onto the campus network to access them).

 

Basic Requirements: (you will be docked three percentage points from the grade otherwise earned for the assignment for each requirement missing from your paper)

1)        The paper must be word processed/typed, must have  page numbers in the top right-hand corner of each page after the first, must have a maximum of 1 inch margins  throughout, must be double spaced, and must be printed out in 12 point type font  (Courier or Times Roman).  You may use a cover sheet or place necessary information in the top left-hand corner of the first page of your paper.  Each paper should have at least your name, the course for which it is being turned in, the date, and and accurate word count.  Your paper must have a brief but appropriately illustrative title.  The paper will be a minimum of 15 pages and a maximum of 20 (4500 to 6000 words). Staple or otherwise securely fasten your papers in the top left-hand corner.  Do NOT use plastic covers or binders of any sort.

2)        The paper must have at least 1 independent scholarly source for each page in length (e.g. 15 sources for a 15 page paper) and a separate bibliography  (at the end) conforming to Chicago humanities/Turabian style (Chicago-style citations (C of I); Chicago-style humanities format). While you may use reference sources like the Encyclopedia Britannica in your paper, they do not count toward the source count and should not form the basis of your paper. You may not use Wikipedia as a source.  Internet sources are acceptable, but should come from reputable, preferably academic (.edu) sites and be properly cited.  For each World Wide Web internet source you use (other than primary documents) there must be at least 3 traditional book or journal article sources (articles delivered electronically through services like JSTOR that originally appeared in refereed academic journals do not count as "internet sources").  You should cite at least once from each of the sources listed in your bibliography in the body of the paper.

A note on the quality of sources:  you should preferentially use high-quality academic sources over popular histories or older books and articles (pre-1940). You should NOT rest satisfied with the first eight or ten sources you find and should search for a variety of sources, both books and articles. Academic books can generally be identified by their publication through university or major trade presses and articles through publication in respected, refereed academic journals. Ideally your paper should rely most heavily on these types of sources and the assessment of your research and use of sources will rest heavily on your use of such sources. Thus, a paper that relies only on encyclopedias and nineteenth-century books, for example, would not be considered well researched. Generally at least half of your scholarly sources should come from recent work after about 1980.

3)       You should do research following the advice laid out in the Research Process Guide and using the resources provided on the History Department Research page. For more general guidance on doing history research, see A Student's Guide to History (chap. 4); on writing a research paper, including citation forms and basic layout, see A Student's Guide to History (chap. 5); for a listing of bibliographical, journal and online sources (including primary sources), see A Student's Guide to History (Appendix A), The Information-Literate Historian (Chap. 6), and The Information-Literate Historian (Chapter 7). (N.b. these links are "internal" C of I Intranet reserve documents: you must be on campus and logged onto the campus network to access them).

 

4)        You must write your paper in the stages laid out in the syllabus.  All of the stages, with grades and comments, must be included in the final research portfolio.  Late penalties will apply to each stage: 5% reduction for each 24 hour period the assignment is late.

 

General Requirements: 

1)        Read the Research Process Guide  and follow the instructions for selecting a topic, researching it, and writing a paper on it.  Be certain to utilize all the research tools available, including Interlibrary Loan, as well as electronic sources as indicated in the Primary Source Research Guide.  Please note well that Interlibrary Loan materials can take up to three weeks to arrive, and thus you should begin your research and IL requests as soon as possible.

2)         The paper must have a concrete thesis stated in its introductory paragraph.  Each following paragraph and each example/argument should be explicitly chosen and developed to support that thesis.  The conclusion should restate the thesis as an answered question and, ideally, extend the argument to issues of greater historical concern.  As the old saying goes, "Tell 'em what you're gunna tell 'em [introduction], tell 'em [and show/demonstrate to them in the body of the paper with evidence], tell 'em what you told 'em [conclusion]."  Analysis and argumentation are crucial.  Your paper should always be able to pass the “so what?” test; that is, you should always seek to convince your reader of the importance and interest of your topic.  Furthermore, the importance of the information and arguments in the paper should always explicitly support a clearly developed and defended thesis that is central to your topic.

3)        General narratives of development or descriptions of situations must be supported with concrete and specific evidence.  Specific examples, quotations, and other evidence are essential to historical analysis.  Thus, note these points:

a.       Paragraphs within the body of a research paper should generally have at least one source citation and one concrete example each.  You must cite your sources even when paraphrasing or relating information in your own words drawn from a specific source.  Judicious use of quotations, especially from primary sources, can add dramatically to the power and effectiveness of your arguments.  Even though you are writing a research paper, and will naturally rely on secondary-source analyses, incorporation of primary-source materials is central to this research project.

b.       Overuse of quotations can detract from the quality of your paper.  Generally speaking, you should only quote those phrases that are outstandingly striking and illustrative or use long quotations (of a full sentence or more) when the material is so powerful that it cannot be paraphrased without detracting from its usefulness.  If you use long quotations, note that those of over three lines should be block indented.  Furthermore, as a general rule, long quotations should be followed by at least as much independent explication of meaning or analysis as the length of the quotation.  If you are quoting from a secondary source, it is usually the best to acknowledge the author of the work in the body of the text with a signal phrase ("As Ranajit Guha notes, . . . "). A research paper should always be more than simply a set of strung together quotations of other people's arguments and analyses.

4)        If you refer to a historical debate or a contested point of interpretation among historians, you should indicate the principle figures in the debate and provide citations to key articles or books that demonstrate their various positions.  If it detracts from the flow of your paper to include these in the body of the text, provide this information in the form of an informational footnote. 

5)        In a research paper you should use and display the use of a wide range of sources in your footnotes.  It is a sign of poor research and a narrow evidential base if the same source is repeatedly referred to.  If you have several sources that convey similar information or interpretation, mix your references to these sources to demonstrate the breadth of your research work through the scholarly apparatus of the footnote.

Some common writing errors to avoid: 

1) when indicating decades, the plural, not the possessive should be used:  thus, 1960s NOT 1960's (according to the Chiago Manual of Style).

2) do not confuse its (the possessive form) and it's (the contraction): remember, it's = it is, ALWAYS!

3) do not simply string quotations from other writers together into a series of parroted points.  Paraphrase and blend the material, adding your own ideas and analysis, in order to add something new to the topic.

General Writing Guidelines and Requirements: HIS 400

 

For each paper: