HIST 481: Understanding History
Spring 2012
LL 229
TTH 1:30-3:10
Dr. Roxanne Easley
LL 100-I
963-1877
Office Hours: M-H 10-11
COURSE SYLLABUS
HIST 481 enables senior history majors to refine, expand, and ultimately
demonstrate the skills and understanding acquired throughout the pursuit of
the major: the philosophical foundations of the discipline; research
methods; analytical tools; and writing conventions of the profession. The
culmination of the seminar will be the completion of an individual research
paper on the issues, trends, personalities, and/or events of nineteenthcentury Russia. In preparation for the research paper, students must
demonstrate their skills through class presentations, discussions, peer
critiques, and in-class exercises.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
After successful completion of this course, you will have improved your
ability to:
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Reconstruct patterns of historical continuity and change in
nineteenth-century Russia
Isolate the central question(s) and perspective(s) of different kinds
of historical narrative
Identify the relationship between historical fact and historical
interpretations
Analyze cause and effect relationships, bearing in mind multiple
causation
Present original historical analysis orally and in writing
Plan and write a substantial research paper on a topic of your
choice related to nineteenth-century Russia
Locate finding aids, primary and secondary materials in the library
Learn formal source citation and avoid plagiarism
Bring sound and relevant analysis to the service of informed
decision-making
REQUIRED TEXTS (available at CWU Bookstore):
1. Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and
Dissertations (7th ed.)
2. Derek Offord, Nineteenth-Century Russia (course packet)
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
READING: The study of history requires frequent and considerable
reading, outside of class. The research process for your paper requires that
you exhaust the library’s reference tools to locate, read, and think about a
wide variety of sources on your topic. In a ten-week course, it is crucial
that you begin the reading early and stay on top of it throughout the term.
Begin your project with primary sources that you can assess for yourself;
then approach secondary sources with an eye toward mining the experts’
assertions and the sources they have cited.
ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION: Because of its workshop
format, our class will meet irregularly. It is up to you to attend class or
consult the updated schedules in order to determine the days we will meet.
Each class session will require your active participation. Quizzes, writing
assignments, short exercises, peer critiques, and presentations are essential
training for your final research paper, and are factored into your course
grade. Given the complexity of our tasks and the short time to complete
them, attendance at scheduled class meetings is mandatory. The instructor
must excuse all absences, or the course grade will be adversely affected.
More than two absences will result in a failing grade.
WRITING: The main goal of the course is to help you plan and prepare a
research paper of no less than fifteen pages, excluding endnotes and
bibliography, on a topic of your choice relevant to nineteenth-century
Russia. The paper must make use of at least two primary sources and ten
book-length secondary sources (articles, internet sites, chapters, parts of
books count as ½ source).
The preparation of the paper will proceed according to the following six
mandatory steps: selection of a general topic, based on an available primary
source or sources; a brief (4-5 pp.) analysis of the selected primary
source(s); a properly formatted and annotated bibliography of secondary
sources on your topic; a paper outline, with a clear and practical thesis
statement; two rough drafts of the research paper, one each for peer and
instructor review; and finally, the final paper itself. See the tentative course
calendar for due dates, and be sure to consult the website for scheduling
updates.
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COURSE EVALUATION:
10% Participation (attendance, peer critiques, quizzes)
20% Primary source analysis
10% Annotated bibliography
10% Outline
20% Rough draft
30% Final paper
SPECIAL NEEDS:
Students who have special needs or disabilities that may affect their ability
to access information or material presented in this course are encouraged to
contact me or the office of Disability Support Services at (509) 963-2171
for additional disability-related educational accommodations.
THE WRITING CENTER:
All student writers are invited to meet with consultants at the University
Writing Center. Sessions typically last from 30 to 50 minutes and can
include brainstorming ideas, developing research skills, organizing an
essay, revising, and discussing writing and rhetoric in any discipline. The
format is two writers talking about writing. It is helpful if the student brings
the course syllabus, the assignment sheet, and related materials. The center
has two locations. The Hertz 103 center is open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday
through Thursday. The satellite center, in the Library’s second-floor Fish
Bowl, is open 2-7 p.m. Sunday. Students may drop by and take a chance
there is an opening, or they may call 963-1296 and make an appointment.
PLAGIARISM POLICY:
Using others’ words and ideas without proper attribution will result in
automatic course failure and full prosecution according to University
procedure.
LATE POLICY:
Unexcused late assignments will adversely affect your course grade. No
late assignment will be accepted after those submitted on time are
graded and returned.
ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES:
Choosing A Topic
Remember the parameters of our course theme! Clear all doubtful topics
with me.
Rather than choosing a topic for which there may be no primary sources
readily available, choose a source first. Locate primary readings in the
library, and note which seem most appealing to you.
Do a quick search in the library to see if there are sufficient secondary
sources to support the topic. See me for help with ideas.
NOTE that a primary source is a work that was written or created at a
time that is contemporary or nearly contemporary with the period or
subject being studied (a secondary source, by contrast, is one that is
written about the subject but is written after the time contemporary
with it).
Neatly type your topic proposal, and include full bibliographic information
on the primary source(s) you’ve chosen.
Primary Source(s) Analysis
Research in primary sources is the backbone of any good historical analysis.
This project will provide the most important evidence in support of
conclusions you draw in your final research paper. Note that the primary
source analysis is also a stand-alone paper, with a thesis and
conclusions of its own. It is NOT a proposal or prospectus. The primary
source analysis should be from 4 to 5 pages in length (typed in 12 pt. font, 1
inch margins, double-spaced).
1. Preparation. Begin by reading the primary source(s) carefully and
completely. Question the sources! Remember that no primary source is
complete or objective. How do you interpret the evidence that is given?
Remember that this assignment should not depend on secondary research-draw your thesis and conclusions only from the primary source itself and
general background information available in basic secondary works.
Present your interpretation of the primary source. Detailed secondary
research comes into play later.
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2. Introduction. Using general secondary accounts, place the source in its
wider historical context. Include general information that we need to
know in order to understand the primary source. Why is your topic
important for understanding the history of nineteenth-century Russia? Does
your specific topic reflect larger forces or processes at work?
3. Thesis. Make a specific historical claim about the topic based on the
primary evidence you’ve read. This is what you will spend the rest of the
primary source analysis paper trying to prove, based on the evidence in the
primary source. The thesis should stand alone as a statement and impart to
the reader a useful interpretation. Be realistic. Your thesis needn’t be grand
or all encompassing; remember that your argument is limited by the primary
evidence available.
4. Summary. Describe the kind of primary source(s) are you using. Who
wrote it (them), where, and why? BRIEFLY indicate the contents of the
primary source(s).
5. Analysis. Break the thesis into manageable subpoints. Give evidence
(examples or quotations from the primary source(s)) in support of the
subpoints. Quotations should not be used to carry the weight of the
argument, but only to illustrate or logically support points you make in your
own words. ALWAYS credit others when you borrow their words or
central ideas. For this paper, references may be parenthetical (author, page
number), but be sure to attach a bibliography crediting the sources in full.
6. Conclusion. Indicate how the evidence you’ve given proves your thesis
claim. Suggest questions that remain unanswered by the primary
evidence you have. What information is needed to fill in these gaps?
7. Editing. Proofread your essay carefully for errors in spelling,
grammar, and punctuation. Be sure that each paragraph contains a topical
sentence, and that your writing flows smoothly from point to point. Watch
out for passive voice constructions, sentence fragments, and inconsistent
verb tenses. Plain sentences and precise vocabulary are a foolproof stylistic
combination for writing in the humanities.
Annotated Bibliography
As you continue to locate relevant primary source material (2 minimum),
now seek other educated opinions on your research topic. For this
assignment, you must consult as many relevant secondary sources as you
can find (10 book-length sources, minimum; chapters, articles, internet
sites, etc. count as ½). Keep a running list throughout the term. Be sure
that internet sources are scholarly and respectable. The more primary and
secondary sources you consult, the richer your analysis will be. The
bibliography MUST contain at least one each of the following types of
secondary sources: scholarly article, internet site, book-length secondary
source from our library, a Summit item, and an Interlibrary Loan item.
Begin with your tentative thesis statement. Then separate and list your
primary and secondary sources. For each source, include full
bibliographic information (Turabian style). Next, compose a DETAILED
paragraph on each source, describing what specific information the source
provides about your topic and specifically how the source helps you to
refine your analysis. What is the author’s argument? Compare sources
when appropriate.
Actively seek out secondary authors who disagree with your and each
other’s analyses. In the final research paper, you will not only state your
own conclusions but also attempt to address contrary opinions posed by
other historians.
Paper Outline
Now that you have your source evidence identified, you need to organize
your analysis. The outline is a good way to clarify in your own mind where
the paper is going and how it gets there. Begin by developing a clear,
revised thesis statement. Be sure that the thesis makes a specific and
arguable historical claim (Why? How? Caused by what? With what
consequences? Reflective of what?) Beneath the thesis statement, list the
key subpoints that you will develop in the paper. These statements should
support or develop the main claim you’ve made in the thesis. One easy way
to visualize these subpoints is to consider them the topical sentences of your
eventual paragraphs. The subpoints MUST be complete sentences, and
should present claims subordinate to the thesis. Lastly, beneath each
subpoint, list examples and evidence that you will use to prove the subpoint
claims.
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Your finished outline MUST use the following format:
THESIS: While Stalin’s purges may seem like the expression of
irrational paranoia, they actually represent Stalin’s attempt to eliminate
Party factionalism and interference in matters he believed contrary to
socialist construction.
the “Writer’s Checklist, attached). Quote liberally from your primary
sources in support of your main points, citing them in full (again, using
good Turabian citation style). Remember that the primary source or sources
are your most important evidence, and that the focus of the paper should be
conclusions you draw from the primary sources. One rarely needs to
quote secondary sources; paraphrase and cite them instead.
1. Stalin did show evidence of mental instability.
Childhood influences and attitudes (seminary, physical
disabilities, sense of national inferiority)
Deaths of those close to him (Allilueva’s suicide)
Nervous breakdown after invasion of Russia (doctor’s report)
Personal participation in tortures and compilation of execution
lists (the four lists, friendship with Ezhov)
Megalomania (execution of all political challengers)
Attach a full, formal bibliography (not annotated, and with primary and
secondary sources combined).
2. Party factionalism interfered with political centralization
Competition for Lenin’s mantle (The Testament)
Accusations and counter-accusations (right/left controversy)
Trotsky’s popularity and theoretical expertise (permanent
revolution vs. socialism in one country)
Stalin’s plan for political and economic centralization
(principles of the Stalin Revolution)…
Next, type a one-page critique addressing the strengths and weaknesses of
the paper as a whole. Use the “Writer’s Checklist” attached. Present your
main points of criticism to the author in class, and provide both the author
and me with a copy of the written critique. Treat the author respectfully,
but don’t hold back valid criticisms for fear of hurting feelings. Learning to
deliver and accept constructive criticism is an important part of scholarship.
Rough Drafts
The rough drafts that you make available to your peers and to me must be as
near completion as possible. Do not abbreviate or leave passages for
composition later. Be sure that your footnotes and bibliography follow
Turabian’s guidelines exactly. Above all, edit the drafts for logical
inconsistencies, awkward transitions, grammatical and spelling errors, and
formatting problems.
For the body of the paper, use 12 pt. font with one- inch margins, and
double-space (quotations of more than three lines are single spaced and
indented).
Organize the paper to include a detailed introduction, a firm thesis claim,
a sophisticated and logical analysis, and a compelling conclusion (see
Peer Critique
As a peer critic, you must first edit the draft for awkward transitions,
grammatical and spelling errors, awkward word choice and sentence
construction, citation problems, and formatting. Write these on the draft
itself for presentation to the author.
Final Paper
Address all of your readers’ concerns and criticisms. Edit again! In the
final draft, editing errors will result in a lower grade. Attach an
appropriately formatted title page, including a descriptive title, your name,
the course name, and the date. Use Turabian’s model. Be sure to include a
full bibliography, again formatted according to Turabian.
At this point you will each meet individually with me for final corrections
and suggestions before turning in the finished paper.
Paper grades are assessed according to the “Writer’s Checklist,” according
to the following general criteria:
Argument (thesis and logical development)
Content (factual material)
Organization (paragraph, sentence, whole)
Style (grammar, spelling, flow)
Research (depth, primary and secondary)
Format (page and citation style)
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TENTATIVE COURSE CALENDAR (CHECK THE WEBSITE
OFTEN FOR UPDATES!)
WEEK 1: 3/27, 3/29
U:
Course introduction
H:
Overview of Nineteenth-Century Russia
Offord Study Questions
WEEK 2: 4/3, 4/5
U:
Overview of Nineteenth-Century Russia
Offord Study Questions
H:
How to locate primary sources
Offord Study Questions
WEEK 7: 5/8, 5/10
U:
Outline due
Writing tips
H:
No class. Work on draft.
WEEK 8: 5/15, 5/17
U:
Rough draft due to peer
In-class peer review
Sign up for consultations
H:
Peer review due; meet with peer
Revised draft due to Easley’s box by Friday, 5/22
WEEK 3: 4/10, 4/12
U:
Library orientation (MEET IN LIBRARY FOYER)
Offord Study Questions
H:
Discuss Offord questions
Potential paper topics/primary sources
WEEK 9: 5/22, 5/24
U:
No class: Individual office consultations
H:
WEEK 4: 4/17, 4/19
U:
Paper topic and primary source list due
How to locate secondary sources
Discuss primary source analysis/argument
H:
No class. Work on primary source analyses.
No class: Individual office consultations
WEEK 10: 5/29, 5/31
U:
No class: work on final paper
H:
Student evaluations, assessment questionnaire
Final paper due. No late papers will be accepted.
WEEK 5: 4/24, 4/26
U:
Primary source analysis due
Discuss annotated bibliography/citation (BRING TURABIAN)
H:
No class. Work on annotated bibliography.
WEEK 6: 5/1, 5/3
U:
Annotated bibliography due
Discuss outline/thesis
H:
No class. Work on outlines.
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HIST 481: WRITER’S CHECKLIST
Peer critics: read the draft once through, marking editing changes as you go. Then briefly address the following
questions, on this page. Attach a separate page with a paragraph or two on your most important criticisms. BE
HONEST (but respectful). These comments can only help your peer!
1. Completion. Is the paper complete? What is missing?
2. Introduction. Does the essay include an introduction indicating the broader historical significance and interest of the
topic? Does the introduction include specific background information necessary for placing the topic in context?
3. Thesis. Does the essay include a clear, specific, and historically relevant thesis (a claim provable within the limits of
the essay)?
4. Argument. Does the essay include both narrative and analysis? Is the argument sufficiently sophisticated and
convincing? Is the logic clear, specific, and sound, and does it support the thesis? Are there logical elements missing?
Are other interpretations addressed? Are key terms and concepts clearly defined?
5. Evidence. Are the main points in the essay supported by quotations and examples from the historical evidence
(primary and/or secondary reading, lectures, discussions, logic, and common sense)? Are the sources fairly
summarized, in the author’s own words? Does the essay show a clear and accurate understanding of source materials?
Does the essay make use of a wide number (at least two primary and ten secondary—chapters, articles, parts of books,
websites count as ½ source of the required ten secondaries) and range (articles, books, internet materials, reviews,
and/or government documents) of source materials? Are there research gaps?
6. Conclusion. Does the essay include a conclusion, revisiting the thesis and reiterating key evidence? Does the
conclusion suggest the historical impact or outcome of the paper topic, beyond its specific context?
7. Citation. Does the essay follow Turabian in properly and consistently crediting others' words and ideas in the
footnotes? Is there a properly formatted bibliography?
8. Organization. Does the essay have a definable introduction, body and conclusion? Are the paragraphs topically
organized and connected by means of clear transitions?
9. Style. Is the language in the essay appropriately formal? Is the vocabulary precise and well-chosen? Does the
writing flow easily and from sentence to sentence, and is the rhythm variable? Does the essay avoid passive voice
constructions, run-on sentences, and sentence fragments? Are verb tenses consistent?
10. Proofreading. Does the paper show good editing to eliminate errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling?
11. Format. Is there a properly formatted Turabian-style title page? Is the paper at least fifteen pages in length, not
counting bibliography? Are the spacing, margins, and font appropriate and consistent? Does any part of the paper look
peculiar?
Authors: Make editing corrections and turn in a new draft to me (hard copy only). Please include your peer
reviewers’ critique. Remember, the draft you submit to me is graded, for all of the above.
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HIST 481
Spring 2012
READING QUESTIONS: Derek Offord, Nineteenth-Century Russia
BRIEFLY answer the following on a separate piece of paper, as you read:
I.
Prefatory Material and Introduction
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
II.
What does (OS) mean, following a date in Russian history?
What is the Russian alphabet called?
Offord’s book is concerned with what group of people who opposed the regime?
Name two of the three seas that border European Russia.
Name two countries that border European Russia.
Name the four nineteenth-century Russian tsars.
Chapter 1
1. Define “autocracy.”
2. From 1240 to 1480 Russia was occupied by whom?
3. For what is Peter I (the Great) known?
4. What institutions supported the tsar’s authority?
5. Were nobles required to serve the state in the nineteenth century?
6. How did tsars reward noble service?
7. Name two powers that noblemen exercised over their serfs.
8. What were the two types of serf obligations?
9. Name two of the most important consequences of serfdom for Russia.
10. What were the implications of Russia’s small middle class?
III.
Chapter 2
1. What were the cultural implications of the Tatar occupation of Russia?
2. What was the effect of Russia’s adoption of Eastern Orthodox Christianity?
3. Describe two of Peter the Great’s Westernizing reforms.
4. How did Peter the Great’s reforms affect later generations of Russians?
5. Define “intelligentsia.” What were its origins?
6. Who was Radishchev, and what did he write? How did he become a member of the
intelligentsia?
IV.
Chapter 3
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Characterize Russia’s national mood at the beginning of the nineteenth century.
Russian nationalism in the early nineteenth century was based on what event?
Would you characterize Nicholas Karamzin as liberal or conservative?
What change do Alexander I’s two advisors, Speransky and Arakcheev, represent?
What was the cause of the Decembrists’ disenchantment?
On what occasion did the Decembrist revolt take place?
Characterize the difference between Muraviov and Pestel’s political visions.
What was the most important outcome of the Decembrist revolt?
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V.
Chapter 4
1. Characterize Nicholas I’s attitude toward culture.
2. What were the components of Official Nationality?
3. What is meant by “civic” novelists?
4. How did Chadaaev characterize Russian history and civilization in his Philosophical
Letter?
5. What Western conditions and/or ideas did Slavophilism oppose?
6. What was the peasant commune, and why did Slavophiles cherish it?
7. How did Westernizers view the reign of Peter the Great?
8. How would you distinguish “men of the forties’ from “men of the sixties”?
9. The Westernizer Botkin compared Russia to what other European country?
10. What medium did Belinsky use for his social commentary?
11. How did members of the Petrashevtsy differ from other intellectuals in terms of
class?
12. What novelist took part in the Petrashevtsy circle, and with what consequences?
13. What event in European history led to the “dismal seven years” of Nicolaevan
Russia?
VI.
Chapter 5
1. What were the causes of the Crimean War?
2. What were the major effects of the Crimean War for Russia?
3. List two areas of major reform under Alexander II.
4. The Bell was published in London by what Russian intellectual?
5. What is meant by “raznochintsy,” and with what era of Russian intellectuals is it
associated?
6. “Native soil” conservatism was associated with what values?
7. Why and how did glasnost’ affect nineteenth-century intellectual life?
8. Radicals (particularly nihilists) believed in the power of what?
9. What is meant by “didactic literature”?
10. Dobroliubov argued that the “superfluous man” should be replaced by what in literature?
11. What events in 1862 led to public dissatisfaction with radicalism?
12. What principle did Nechaev argue for in Catechism of a Revolutionary?
13. Of what crime was Nechaev later convicted?
VII.
Chapter 6
1. What form did intellectual and cultural activity take in the period 1868-1873?
2. What two strands of interest came together to create populism? Define the elements of
populism.
3. Briefly describe the point of view of Bervi’s The Condition of the Working Class in Russia.
4. What was Mikhailovsky’s “subjective method”?
5. What was the “repentant nobleman” and how did Lavrov justify this position?
6. Why did Lavrov encourage young people to go to the peasantry? What were they supposed to
do?
7. What was anarchism? How did Bakunin’s views differ from Lavrov’s?
8. How did Tkachov view the Russian peasantry? Who then would lead the revolution, in his
view?
9. Describe the “Going to the People” movement. How did the peasants receive them?
10. How was Land and Liberty different from previous populist movements?
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11.
12.
13.
14.
VIII.
How did Land and Liberty justify revolutionary violence?
How did The Black partition and The People’s Will differ?
What noticeable shift of mood and tactics occurred in the populist movement by the 1880s?
What was the significance of Alexander II’s assassination?
Chapter 7
1. How do you explain the atmosphere of despondency in the 1880s?
2. What was meant by “small deeds” activism?
3. Define Tolstoy’s post-crisis “ethical anarchism.”
4. How did Plekhanov assess the growth of capitalism in Russia? What did this mean for populists?
5. What arguments could be made for and against the applicability of Marxism (Social Democracy)
to Russia?
6. What three groups of revolutionaries were active in the 1880s?
7. What were “self-education circles,” and what was their goal?
8. How did Nicholas II view reform upon his accession to the throne? Why did political activity
grow despite this attitude?
9. What were the zemstva, and how did they nurture liberalism?
10. How did the famine of 1891 reinvigorate populism?
11. What issues divided Marxists (Social Democrats) in the 1890s?
12. What did Lenin argue in What Is to Be Done?
IX.
Assessment
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What divided educated society and the autocracy in the nineteenth century?
How did the social composition of the intelligentsia change in the nineteenth century?
How does Offord assess the strengths and weaknesses of the nineteenth-century intelligentsia?
What issue divided Westernizers of the nineteenth century? What divided revolutionaries?
What is the “distinctive character” of Russian thought, to Offord?
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