HISTORY 451
FALL 2013
TUESDAYS, 4:00-6:40
HISTORIANS AND THE PUBLIC
General: Structured as a seminar, this class has been designed to introduce students to the
public history profession and to enhance their skills in the fundamental practices of researching a
variety of historical topics based on an array of sources. This course will examine how
historians work in local history library collections and archives.
History 451 is one of the Department of History’s capstone courses. Accordingly, this course
will require the same intellectual rigor as History 450W (Writing of History) and History 452
(Advanced Internship in Applied History), the Department’s other two capstone courses.
Student Learning Goals: In addition to understanding the main avenues and issues for
practicing public history in libraries, archives, and museums, students who complete this course
are expected to
-undertake research based on both primary and secondary sources;
-write in a style that is used by professional historians;
-strengthen critical thinking skills;
-integrate primary and secondary sources to create an effective interpretative essay; and
-understand the relationship between interdisciplinarity and historical discourse.
Requirements: This is an extremely demanding course and students must consider at the outset
whether they have the time, the energy, the discipline, and the passion that are necessary to
satisfy this course’s demanding requirements.
Class Participation (40%). Informed student participation is critical for the success of a course
that has been structured as a seminar. Students are expected to offer insightful, evidence-based
opinions of all assigned readings and deliver similarly well-crafted oral reports of weekly
research assignments (these assignments will be announced in class by the instructor). Informed
class participation also includes students’ progress reports and summations of essays, and
constructive criticisms of peers’ oral progress reports and summations. Students, then, must be
prepared to contribute significantly to all discussions, which will be offered every class meeting.
The instructor will maintain a weekly record of how effectively a student offers thoughtful,
insightful, and evidence-based comments about a particular subject under review. The principal
criterion used for evaluating a student’s participation is the frequency a student offers oral
commentary in ways that enrich the learning experience of all in the seminar. Some students
may attempt to dominate class discussions or may discuss that are not germane to that under
review. These practices will diminish the quality of the learning experiences of others in the
seminar; accordingly, such practices will not be tolerated, and the participation grade of any
student who engages in such practices will be negatively affected.
Because of the format of this course, the full participation of every student is of critical
importance. Obviously, if a student does not attend every class and required office consultation,
he/she will not be able to participate fully. Moreover, attending every class meeting is all the
more essential because this class meets only once a week. Therefore, for every unexcused
absence of a class and/or required office consultation, a student’s participation grade will be
lowered by a full letter grade (for example, “B” to “C”). Only documented instances of illness
and hardship will be considered as excused absences. Absences that are not authorized (that is,
for reasons other than documented illness or hardship) will negatively affect the grade assigned
to the participation component of this course.
A student’s participation grade will be derived from a “curve” that will be developed by
comparing his/her performance as a participant with other students in the class.
Research Paper on Archives Management (20%). Students will write a research paper, not to
exceed seven pages in length (double-spaced, using 12-point font, including text, source
citations, and “Sources Consulted” section), that examines a feature(s) of archives management.
Possible topics might be (but by no means are limited to) “Archivists and the Challenges of
Participating in the Online Archive of California,” “Fund-Raising for Historical Society Archives
in an Age of Diminishing Resources,” and “Archivists and Public Programs in the 21st Century.”
No fewer than ten scholarly sources (journal articles [such as from The American Archivist,
which is available as an electronic journal] and/or books) are to be used for developing this
essay. Faye Phillips’ Local History Collections in Libraries (one of the course required readings)
may be used as one of these sources; Phillips’ bibliographical references will also be of value for
locating some other sources. A scholarly source constitutes an article from a scholarly journal, a
scholarly monograph, or a study within a collection of scholarly studies. Students may wish to
select a topic for this essay that can facilitate the contextual interpretation of the archives
management case study (see below). The research essay (two copies) is due in class at 4:00 on
November 5. The instructor will keep one copy of the research paper on file.
Archives Management Case Study (40%). Students will write an interpretative “case study”
report, not to exceed fifteen pages in length (double-spaced, using 12-point font, including text,
source citations, and “Sources Consulted” section) on some feature(s) relating to the
management of the archives of the San Diego History Research Center (SDHRC), later renamed
the Center for Regional History (CRH). The Center was a public history facility (an archives
and museum) that was housed in the San Diego State University Library. For this report,
students will examine the Center for Regional History Collection (located in the San Diego State
University Archives) and then interpret their narrowly defined “case studies” within contexts
developed from appropriate archives administration scholarship. A finding aid for the Center’s
archives is available online: go to http://scua2.sdsu/archon, enter “Center for Regional History”
as the search term, and then follow directions to access this finding aid. Students are strongly
urged to begin developing this “case study” early in the semester (this advice is reiterated on the
next page). The “case study” (two copies) will be due in class at 4:00 on December 10. The
instructor will keep one copy of the “case study” on file.
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Because this course places particular emphasis on writing, students are expected to follow the
practices of professional historians by employing formal writing and carefully crafting all their
written work. Accordingly, all written work that is done for this class that contains more than
two contractions, or two incomplete sentences, or two misspelled words, will be lowered one full
letter grade for each occurrence of an additional contraction, or incomplete sentence, or
misspelled word.
All written work for this class will be assessed according to the same criteria professional
scholars use when writing studies for scholarly, peer-reviewed journals: 1) focus/specificity; 2)
structure; 3) writing style, including clarity of expression; 4) originality of subject/approach; 5)
interpretation within contexts of public history scholarship; and 6) the use of and citation of
relevant sources (following Turabian). While all criteria are important, particular attention will
be given to criteria 1, 3, 4, and 5.
Essays that exceed the required limit will be penalized. Moreover, all essays that are submitted
late will be severely penalized. No essays submitted after 4:30 on the due dates will be accepted.
Moreover, written work that is submitted electronically will not be accepted. “Make-ups” of
assignments are not automatic and will be considered only in cases of documented hardship or
illness.
Students are strongly urged to begin writing both the research paper and the “case study” early
in the semester. Students often do not perform well in this course because they neglected to
follow this advice. If students have not already learned this fundamental fact of the historian’s
craft, they will in this course: archives-based research requires extraordinary amounts of time
and mental energy!
Finally, any student who does not complete all course requirements will automatically receive
the course grade of “F.” “Incompletes” for the course will be considered only in exceptional
cases of documented illness or hardship.
Readings: The two required books for this course are:
Faye Phillips, Local History Collections in Libraries (Englewood, CO: Libraries
Unlimited, Inc., 1995).
Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 7th
ed. or 8th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007/2013).*
*Students may also wish to consult the University’s of Chicago’s “Turabian Quick Guide” for the 8 th Edition
(“Google” this by entering “Turabian Citation Guide - University of Chicago Press”); this provides an effective
summary of citation formats for notes and bibliography based on Chapters 16 and 17 of the 8 th Edition.
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Students are also required to read one article of their choice selected from the Oral
History Review, The American Archivist, or The Public Historian (these journals are
accessible electronically through the SDSU Library’s PAC).
There are also two required articles that are available electronically through the SDSU
Library’s PAC:
Marjorie L. McLellan, “Case Studies in Oral and Community History,” Oral History
Review 25, no. 1/2 (Summer/Fall 1998): 81-112.
John Overholt, “Five Theses on the Future of Special Collections,” RBM: A Journal of
Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Cultural Heritage 14, no. 1 (Spring 2013): 15-20.
The required readings for each week are given below in the Course Outline. Because the lengths
of these readings vary weekly, students should plan their study schedules accordingly. Students
are required to bring the required readings with them to the class for which the readings were
assigned.
Grading Criteria: All written work and participation will be graded according to the following
percentages: “A” (100); “A-” (89); “B+” (88); “B” (85); “B-” (79); “C+” (78); “C” (75); “C-“
(69); “D+” (68); “D” (65); “D-” (59), and “F” (0). For example, a student who received a “C” on
the “case study” would have earned a percentage of 75 on that assignment; put another way, this
student would have earned 30 points (75% of 40 possible points) for that assignment. His/her
other course work will be calculated in the same manner, yielding a total number of points. The
total number of points earned for the entire course will then be correlated to letter grades as
follows: “A” (90-100 points), “A-” (89 points), “B+” (88 points), “B” (80-87 points), “B-” (79
points); “C+” (78 points), “C” (70-77 points), “C-“ (69 points), “D+” (68 points), “D” (60-67
points), “D-“ (59 points), “F” (58 points and below).
Classroom Protocol: A classroom must provide an environment that fosters the assimilation of
knowledge and the responsible and civilized exchange of ideas. Most students attend a class
because they genuinely wish to learn a particular subject. Unfortunately, some students do not
have this seriousness of purpose and demonstrate their disrespect for the learning experience by
engaging in disruptive classroom behavior. Of course, disruptions of any kind are disturbing to
instructors and serious students alike. Accordingly, any form of behavior deemed by the
instructor to be disruptive will not be tolerated. The instructor will advise a student once that
his/her behavior is disruptive; the first time this disruptive behavior is repeated, the matter will
be turned over to the University’s Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities for appropriate
disciplinary action.
Cheating in any form (which includes plagiarism [for the University’s formal definition of
plagiarism, refer to the 2013/2014 San Diego State University General Catalog]) comprises a
grave offense. Cheating will not be tolerated, and evidence of cheating by a student will result in
an automatic “F” as that student’s course grade. Any evidence of such violations will also be
promptly reported to the Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities.
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All students are expected to adhere to “acceptable standards of conduct” as described on the web
page of the Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities (http://www.sdsu.edu/ssr/).
Pagers, cell phones, and text-messaging devices must be turned off during the class period. No
written work will be accepted that is submitted electronically.
Changes to the Syllabus and Assignments: The instructor reserves the right to make changes
to this syllabus and required assignments a he considers appropriate.
Caveat Emptor. The requirements of this course are rigorous. Students should, then, consider
at the outset whether they have the time and/or seriousness of intent to enroll in this class.
Students must keep in mind that they are responsible for all material covered in class even if they
are not in attendance for whatever reason.
Instructor: Dr. S.A. Colston. Office: Arts & Letters, Room 528. Office Hours: Mondays,
Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, 2:30-3:30. Telephone: 594-4716 (voice mail). E-mail:
colston@mail.sdsu.edu. No appointments are necessary. The instructor will return E-mail and
voice mail messages only during these office hours.
COURSE OUTLINE
Week
1
(August 27)
Introduction to course.
2
(September 3)
The diverse features of public history.
3
(September 10)
Local history library collections and archives: introduction; basic administrative
considerations. The nature of local/community history. Reading assignment: Phillips,
Introduction and Chapters 1 and 8.
4
(September 17)
Local history library collections and archives: collection development; access. Reading
assignment: Phillips, Chapters 2 and 3.
5
(September 24)
Local history library collections and archives: preservation; new technologies; patrons.
Reading assignment: Phillips, Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
6
(October 1)
Local history library collections and archives: public programs. Reading assignment:
Phillips, Chapter 7.
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7
(October 8)
Local history library collections and archives: oral history. Reading assignment:
McLellan (electronic). Also required is an article of a student’s choice selected from the
Oral History Review, The American Archivist, or The Public Historian. Each student will
present an oral summary of the principal elements of the article selected and an
assessment of the article’s value as a resource that a librarian or archivist might consult
who is planning to administer or is already administering a community oral history
program. In-class oral progress reports on the research paper. Discussion.
8
(October 15)
The world of rare books and manuscripts. In-class oral progress reports on the research
paper. Reading assignment: Overholt (electronic).
9
(October 22)
Office consultations on the research paper (required).
10
(October 29)
Final in-class progress reports on the research paper. Discussion.
11
(November 5)
Research paper (two copies) due in class at 4:00. Discussion.
12
(November 12)
Office consultations on the SDHRC/CRH case study (required).
13
(November 19)
In-class oral progress reports on the SDHRC/CRH case study. Discussion.
14
(November 26)
Office consultations on the SDHRC/CRH case study (required).
15
(December 3)
Final in-class oral progress reports on the SDHRC/CRH case study. Discussion.
16
(December 10)
SDHRC/CRH case studies (two copies) due in class at 4:00. Discussion. Conclusions to
course.
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