History 200
Doing History: An Introduction
MWF 1:00 to 1:50, Wyatt 206
Spring 2011
William Breitenbach
Office phone: 879-3167
E-mail: wbreitenbach@ups.edu
Web: http://www.pugetsound.edu/faculty-sites/bill-breitenbach/
Office: Wyatt 141
Office hours:
MWF 10-11; TTh 9-10
and by appointment
After taking this course I realize that liking history is very different from being
a historian. We almost need two majors—one called “History” and the other
called “History for Historians.”
D. Davis, comment in History 200 class (Dec. 4, 2000)
This is a different kind of history course. It is designed to introduce prospective majors and
minors to the discipline of history. In it, you will learn what history is and how historians think
and work. One goal of the course is to give you training in the methodology of history at the
time when it will do you the most good—at the beginning of your career as a history major or
minor. Another goal is to provide all history students with some shared expectations, standards,
and experiences. History 200 is set up to be a practical course, with emphasis placed on the
skills of reading, analyzing, discussing, researching, and writing history. The course will teach
you how to do the two things that historians do: develop original interpretations from primary
sources and critically evaluate the interpretations advanced by other historians. Paper
assignments will allow you to practice the types of historical writing that will be expected of you
in upper-division history courses. In the second half of the semester, you’ll have a chance to put
together everything you’ve learned as you undertake an independent research project. If all goes
as planned, by the end of the course you will be better prepared for success in your chosen
discipline and you will be more engaged with and excited about the study of the past.
READINGS
The following required books can be bought at the University Bookstore. Those marked with an
asterisk are available on reserve at Collins Library.
Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, 6th ed. (Boston: Bedford, 2010)
Jenny L. Presnell, The Information-Literate Historian: A Guide to Research for History
Students (New York: Oxford University Press, 2007)*
Kate L. Turabian, A Guide for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 7th ed.
(Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007)*
Michael Harvey, The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing (Indianapolis: Hackett, 2003)*
History 200 Readings Packet for Spring 2011 (cited in the syllabus as [RP])
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History 200
Spring 2011
PROCEDURES, REQUIREMENTS, AND EXPECTATIONS
Class participation
This course will be a workshop. By enrolling in it, you have indentured yourselves as
apprentice historians. Like all apprentices, you will learn the craft by doing it. In the weeks
before midterm, you’ll be trained in the tools and rules of the trade. After that you’ll be turned
loose on some raw material and allowed to fashion some history yourselves.
Because History 200 stresses practical training, much of your learning will occur in the
classroom as you try your hand at doing history. Taking this course is like learning to drive a
car: success depends on the daily accumulation of skill and experience. If you cut a class or skip
an assignment, it’s a certainty that you’ll be unprepared for some situation down the road. So
show up on time, ready and willing to work, with all assigned readings and exercises completed.
To help you get ready for class, I have provided a “prep” in the syllabus for each session.
Sometimes the prep involves a short writing exercise. Other times it simply asks you to think
carefully about questions raised by the reading. In either case, you’ll be a better participant if
you have completed the prep, thought critically about the reading, and jotted down a few ideas or
questions before coming to class. To facilitate your participation in discussions, please bring to
class your copies of the assigned readings, along with your notes and written exercises.
Your regular attendance and thoughtful, informed participation will be important factors in
determining both the success of the course and the grade that you receive in it. After every class,
I’ll evaluate your contribution to other students’ learning. These daily scores will be used to
calculate a participation grade, which will count for 15% of the course grade. Students who miss
too many classes (normally six or more), without providing documentation of a serious illness or
emergency that prevents class attendance, will be dropped from the course. For more details, see
the handout on attendance, participation, and classroom conduct.
Short writing exercises
In this course, you will do a lot of informal writing. These exercises are not busy-work; rather,
they are designed to train you in specific skills and move you by easy stages toward the successful
completion of longer paper assignments. You might be asked to bring a brief written response to
assigned readings or, after you’ve begun your research project, written work related to it. Six of
the writing exercises will be collected and evaluated; these appear in the syllabus in bold print.
Others will be collected and examined but not graded. Exercises are due at the beginning of class;
late or emailed exercises will not be accepted, except in cases of documented illness or
emergencies. The six evaluated exercises count for 10% of the course grade.
Formal papers. In addition to the writing exercises, there will be five formal graded papers:
1. Due Wednesday, February 2, at the beginning of class: a paper about the Jefferson-Hemings
controversy (3 pages); counts for 7.5% of the course grade.
2. Due Friday, February 18, at the beginning of class: an interpretive essay based on a primary
source (3-4 pages); counts for 12.5% of the course grade.
3. Due Friday, March 11, at the beginning of class: a review of a scholarly article in a history
journal (3-4 pages); counts for 15% of the course grade.
4. Due Monday, April 18, at the beginning of class: first draft of a research paper (8-10 pages
of text); counts for 15% of the course grade.
5. Due Monday, May 9, by 2:00 p.m. at Wyatt 141: final draft of a research paper (10 pages of
text plus annotated bibliography); counts for 25% of the course grade.
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Writing and researching help
I am eager to discuss course assignments and to provide advice on research and writing
during my office hours or by appointment. On research and writing days, when the class does
not meet, I’ll be available in my office during the normal class period.
Peggy Burge, the reference librarian who will be leading our two library session, is also
available for individual appointments to discuss your research project. She’s very helpful!
The Center for Writing and Learning is located in Howarth 109. Its mission is to help all
writers, whatever their level of ability, become better writers. To make an appointment with a
writing advisor, call 879-3404, email writing@ups.edu, or drop by Howarth 109.
Harvard University’s Writing Center has a website with useful advice on writing academic
essays: http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr. Click on “Writing Resources.” You’ll find links
to a “Brief Guide to Writing the History Paper” and eighteen “Strategies for Essay Writing.”
Grading
Grade ranges are: A (93-100), A- (90-92), B+ (87-89), B (83-86), B- (80-82), C+ (77-79),
C (73-76), C- (70-72), D+ (67-69), D (63-66), D- (60-62), and F (below 60). I will round up to a
higher letter grade when the numerical score is within 0.2 points of the cut-off (e.g., 89.8 to A-).
Weighting of grades: class participation 15%, writing exercises 10%, paper on the JeffersonHemings controversy 7.5%, primary source paper 12.5%, article review 15%, first draft of
research paper 15%, and final draft of research paper 25%.
Late work, missing work, extensions, and “Incomplete” grades
Normally I do not grant extensions or Incomplete grades, except for weighty reasons like a
family emergency or a serious illness. If you are facing circumstances beyond your control that
might prevent you from finishing a paper or writing exercise on time, talk to me early about the
possibility of getting an extension. Provide written documentation supporting your request from
a medical professional; the Counseling, Health, and Wellness Services; the Academic Advising
Office; or the Dean of Students Office.
Late papers should be slipped under my office door at Wyatt 141. If Wyatt is locked, you
may send me the paper by email in order to stop the penalty clock, but you must subsequently
give me an unaltered hard copy at the first opportunity. Unless I have granted an extension, a
late paper will be marked down substantially. It is imperative that you meet the deadline for the
first draft of your research project. No late paper will be accepted after 5:00 p.m. on Friday of
final exam week. Students who do not submit all five formal papers will get a WF for the course.
Other policies
Students who want to withdraw from the course should read the rules for withdrawal grades
in the Academic Handbook (link provided below). Monday, February 28, is the last day to drop
with an automatic W; thereafter it is much harder to avoid a WF. Students who are dropped for
excessive absences or who abandon the course without officially withdrawing will receive a WF.
Students who cheat or plagiarize, help others cheat or plagiarize, invent or falsify their
research, mark or steal library materials, or otherwise violate the university’s standards of
academic integrity will receive an F for the course and will be reported to the Registrar. If you
do not know what counts as academic dishonesty at the University of Puget Sound, read the
section on “Academic Honesty” in the Academic Handbook (link provided below). Ignorance of
the concept or consequences of plagiarism will not be accepted as an excuse.
In matters not covered by this syllabus, I follow the policies in the current Academic
Handbook, which is available online at http://www.pugetsound.edu/student-life/studentresources/student-handbook/academic-handbook/.
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CLASS SCHEDULE
All reading assignments, preps, and exercises are to be completed before class on the day for
which they are listed. Bring this syllabus to class along with the readings assigned for the day.
UNIT I: WHAT IS HISTORY, ANYWAY?
Historical thinking, in its deepest forms, is neither a natural process nor something that springs
automatically from psychological development. Its achievement, I argue, actually goes against
the grain of how we ordinarily think. This is one of the reasons why it is much easier to learn
names, dates, and stories than it is to change the fundamental mental structures that we use to
grasp the meaning of the past.
Sam Wineburg, “Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts”
Our hardest task as teachers is to keep antiquity accessible while stressing its ineffable
strangeness. Such understanding requires not only empathy with the past but awareness of its
unbridgeable difference. The past was not only weirder than we realize; it was weirder than we
can imagine. However much we strive to know them, past minds remain opaque to us. To link
us with precursors while accepting the unlikeness of their worlds, we must somehow convey the
past’s mysterious affinity.
David Lowenthal, “Dilemmas and Delights of Learning History”
There is a tendency to freeze the present and project it back upon an unchanging past. If you can
get beyond this in a history course—well, you’re on third base!
Lawrence W. Levine, lecture at UPS (March 20, 2001)
The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.
L. P. Hartley, The Go-Between
This introductory unit raises issues and lays down assumptions that are fundamental to the course
and to the discipline of history itself. The unit aims to show that history is a craft with a distinctive
method, that history is interpretive, that evidence is constructed and not just discovered, and that
historians disagree both about the interpretations proposed by their colleagues and about the very
nature of historical knowledge. We’ll get at these issues by considering just what distinguishes
historical thinking from non-historical thinking about the past. By the end of this unit, you should
have a better idea of what is meant by that ugly term “historical-mindedness.”
1.
Wed., Jan. 19: Introduction to the Course
Questionnaire (used for History Department assessment purposes)
Eyewitnesses and historical evidence: looking at a poster
2.
Fri., Jan. 21: Stories of a Past Event
History 200 syllabus (This is your agreement with me. Read it!)
Rampolla, Pocket Guide, 1-5
Raymond Queneau, Exercises in Style, trans. Barbara Wright [RP, 3-8]
Jonathan Zimmerman, “Revisionists, Get Out of Florida” [RP, 9-11]
Prep: Decide which of Queneau’s stories is the best history of the incident and
write a couple of sentences explaining why. Write your own story (with title)
about the incident. Write a brief paragraph discussing what the Queneau
stories imply about the Florida legislators’ quest to ban revisionist history.
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3.
Mon., Jan. 24: Is History Relativistic or Objective? Is It an Art or a Science?
Carl L. Becker, “Everyman His Own Historian” [RP, 12-20]
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, “Mr. Everyman Buys Coal” [RP, 21-22]
Robin G. Collingwood, “The Limits of Historical Knowledge” [RP, 23-27]
Simon Schama and Gordon S. Wood on “Dead Certainties” [RP, 28-29]
Richard J. Evans, “Objectivity and Its Limits” [30-31]
Prep: Exercise #1: Write a 1-page paper responding to an issue raised by
today’s readings. Here are possible questions: What is objectivity? Can
historians be objective? Should they be? Are historical explanations
true? Why does history change? Is history an art or a science? Would
Becker and Collingwood agree in their answers to these questions?
4.
Wed., Jan. 26: How Non-Historians Think about the Past
Samuel S. Wineburg, “Probing the Depths of Students’ Historical Knowledge” [RP, 32-35]
Keith C. Barton, “Research on Students’ Historical Thinking and Learning” [RP, 36-37]
Douglas L. Wilson, “Thomas Jefferson and the Character Issue,” with a subsequent
letter to the editor by Fel Rouse III, and Wilson’s response [RP, 38-40]
James J. Sheehan, “How History Can Be a Moral Science” [RP, 41-42]
Prep: According to Wineburg and Barton, what are the important differences
between historians’ and students’ ways of using historical sources and
understanding the past? What is presentism? How can it be avoided?
Should it be avoided? Should historians make moral judgments about the
past? Do you agree with Douglas L. Wilson or with Fel Rouse?
5.
Fri., Jan. 28: How Historians Think: Historical-Mindedness
Robin G. Collingwood, “Who Killed John Doe?” [RP, 43-51]
Sam Wineburg, “Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts [RP, 52-59]
Conal Furay and Michael J. Salevouris, “Historical-Mindedness” [RP, 60-65]
Rampolla, Pocket Guide, 39-45
Prep: List some differences between the ways that good historians, bad historians,
and non-historians think about the past. What does Collingwood mean when
he says “the scientific historian does not treat statements as statements but
as evidence”? Why does Wineburg view historical thinking as an “unnatural
act”? Is it? What constitutes historical-mindedness? How do historians
think? Are you beginning to think that way? Does it feel unnatural?
6.
Mon., Jan. 31: Writing Workshop: Clarity, Cohesion, and Emphasis
Rampolla, Pocket Guide, 45-57
Harvey, Nuts and Bolts, vi-33
Harvard Writing Center, “Brief Guide to Writing the History Paper” [RP, 66-69]
Prep: Read ahead and begin work on your Jefferson-Hemings paper.
7.
Wed., Feb. 2: Founding Father? A Paper on the Jefferson-Hemings Controversy
Barbara Murray and Brian Duffy, “Jefferson’s Secret Life” [RP, 70-74]
Lewis Lord, “Holding Out for an Icon” [RP, 75-76]
David Murray, “Jefferson Gets Spun as Science Meets the Press” [RP, 77-79]
Leef Smith, “Certainty of Jefferson-Hemings Affair is Overstated, Critics Say” [RP, 80-82]
Lisa Jones, “Grave Matters at Monticello” [RP, 83-86]
Lewis Lord, “The Tom-and-Sally Miniseries (cont.)” [RP, 87]
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The William and Mary Quarterly 57 (Jan. 2000): 121-210, contains a forum entitled
“Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings Redux,” JSTOR. Read the “Introduction”
by Jan Lewis, 121-24, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2674360; and the article by
Fraser D. Neiman, “Coincidence or Causal Connection? The Relationship between
Thomas Jefferson’s Visits to Monticello and Sally Hemings’s Conceptions,” 198210, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2674366. The optional articles by Joseph J. Ellis,
“Jefferson: Post-DNA,” 125-38, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2674361; and Annette
Gordon-Reed, “Engaging Jefferson: Blacks and the Founding Father,” 171-82,
http://www.jstor.org/stable/2674364 make interesting and pertinent points.
The Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation has a website with much information
about the Jefferson-Hemings controversy, including the majority and minority
reports of its own Research Committee. It also has links to the original article in
Nature about the DNA evidence and to follow-up articles in other journals. See
http://www.monticello.org/plantation/hemingscontro/hemings_resource.html
Prep: Paper #1 is due at the beginning of class. Do you think that the new
DNA evidence, in conjunction with other evidence, establishes that
Jefferson had at least one child with his slave Sally Hemings? As you
make your case, show your historical-mindedness by analyzing the
strengths and weaknesses of the various kinds of evidence brought forward
by the disputants in this controversy.
_____ UNIT II: THE RAW MATERIALS: WORKING WITH PRIMARY SOURCES _____
“Have I told you about my condition? I can’t make new memories. Everything just fades.”
Leonard Shelby, protagonist in Memento, who tries to
reconstruct the past from obscure, incomplete, unreliable,
and evanescent evidence. His condition is the historian’s.
To answer the question implied here, we are forced to stare at the thick curtain formed by lack of
specific evidence. Yet if we go on something of a diet concerning data and become patient with
very small and occasionally uncertain portions, we may learn something about why these Second
Creek slaves thought and acted the way they did.
Winthrop D. Jordan, Tumult and Silence at Second Creek
Muskrat’s Much-In-Little: Why x How = What
Russell Hoban, The Mouse and His Child (This is the
formula for writing a good interpretive essay in history.)
This unit builds on the lessons of the preceding one by giving you the chance to dirty your hands
with primary sources. The assigned readings provide advice and models for assessing the
authenticity, reliability, and usefulness of primary sources. After developing guidelines for the
critical examination of evidence, we'll take a close look at some primary source materials.
You'll learn how to scrutinize these materials, how to draw inferences from them, and how to
organize those inferences into plausible historical interpretations.
8.
Fri., Feb. 4: The Untrustworthy Witness: How Primary Sources Can Deceive
Rampolla, Pocket Guide, 6-14
Presnell, Information-Literate, 92-101, 130
David L. Ransel, “The Ability to Recognize a Good Source” [RP, 88-90]
Conal Furay and Michael J. Salevouris, “Evidence” [RP, 91-95]
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Lionel H. Kennedy and Thomas Parker, An Official Report of the Trials of Sundry
Negroes, “Witness 1 in the trial of Rolla” [RP, 96-98]
History 200 Internal Criticism form [handout]
Prep: (1) After reading “Witness 1,” fill out the Internal Criticism form. Be ready
to answer these questions: What problems would the testimony of Witness
1 pose for a “scissors-and-paste historian” who takes the words at face
value? Why would a “scientific historian” be skeptical about it? How might
a scientific historian make use of it? Despite its problems, what can this
document be made to reveal? (2) In the next few days, pick a short but rich
primary source document for your next paper. Look for a document related
to the likely topic of your research project. Good places to start are the
“American Memory” website at http://lcweb2.loc.gov/amhome.html and the
“History Matters” website at http://historymatters.gmu.edu/ (click on “Many
Pasts”). A book that lists top websites for sources in U.S. history is History
Matters by Alan Gevinson et al. (Ref E175.88 G48 2005; also on Reserve).
9.
Mon., Feb. 7: The Witness Examined: Explication, Verification, and Context
Jacques Barzun and Henry F. Graff, The Modern Researcher [RP, 99-102]
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, “Erasing History” [RP, 103-04]
Levi Hart, letter to Joseph Bellamy, 11 Mar. 1773, photocopied A.L.S. [RP, 105-08]
Try to read the handwritten letter before looking at the typed transcript on 108.
Will of Martha Emons [RP, 109]
Barbara Clark Smith, "Analyzing an 1804 Inventory" [RP, 110-12]
Prep: (1) Spend five minutes deciphering Levi Hart’s handwriting. After giving
it a shot, read the typed transcript. (2) Using reference encyclopedias (in
Collins or online), place Hart’s letter in historical context: Who were Hart
and Bellamy? What was the letter about? What were “Hopkintonians”?
(3) Next, use the Oxford English Dictionary (available online among the
Collins Library’s “Databases A-Z” or in hard copy in the library’s
Reference stacks) to look up one of these words, which Hart used in a
special, uncommon sense: “character,” “settle,” or “convictions.” Copy
out the definition in the OED that applies to Hart’s use of the word. In
choosing a definition, consider the historical context that you have
developed for the letter. (4) After studying Emons’s will, calculate the
value in pounds of Benjamin Emons’s inheritance, and explain who gave
him what, and how much, and when. Show your calculations. (5) Read
Barbara Clark Smith’s analysis of the 1804 inventory, and be ready to do in
class a comparable analysis of the Emons will.
10. Wed., Feb. 9: The Third Degree: Close Readings, Topics, Questions, and Evidence
Patricia Kain, “How to Do a Close Reading” [RP, 113-14]
Dan White, “Interpretation and Close Reading” [RP, 115]
William Breitenbach, “How to Read a Primary Source” [RP, 116-20]
Kennedy and Parker, Official Report, “Introduction” [RP, 121-23]
Prep: Exercise #2: Write a 1-page close reading of Kennedy and Parker’s
“Introduction.” Here are the steps to take before you start to write.
Begin by taking notes on what you notice. Be alert for anything odd or
surprising. Think of a historical topic for which the “Introduction”
would be a useful source. What would make it valuable as a source for
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this topic? What would be its limitations? Turn the topic into a
historical question. In doing this, ask a how or why question about the
document that forces it to be a “witness in spite of itself”—i.e., pose a
question that makes the document tell you something that Kennedy and
Parker did not intend it to reveal. Incorporate quotations from the
document which, when closely analyzed, help you answer that question.
Finally, explain why another historian studying the Vesey conspiracy
would consider your question and answer to be significant ones.
11.
Fri., Feb. 11: The Witness Squeals: Interpreting a Primary Source
Rampolla, Pocket Guide, 31-32
Harold D. Woodman, “Do Facts Speak for Themselves?” [RP, 124-26]
William Breitenbach, “Writing History Papers Based on Primary Sources” [RP, 127-29]
Optional: For a masterful example of a historian going through the process of source
analysis that we have been learning in this unit, read Michael P. Johnson,
“Denmark Vesey and His Co-Conspirators,” William and Mary Quarterly, 3d
ser, vol. 58 (Oct. 2001): 915-76 (JSTOR: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2674506)
Prep: Bring to class a hard copy of the primary source that you’ll be writing
about in your upcoming paper. Read it carefully and fill out an “Internal
Criticism” form for it. List any limitations and problems that the document
poses for historians. Choose a topic for which the document would be
useful evidence, turn the topic into a historical question, and answer that
question with a disputable claim. (Remember that you want the source to
tell you something that the author did not intend it to reveal.) Copy out the
quotation from the document that most powerfully supports your claim.
Explain how and why that quotation helps to prove your claim. Finally,
consider the historical significance of your interpretation. If some other
historian heard your question and your claim and then said, “Okay, but so
what?” how would you respond? Write out all of this work in a clear way.
12.
Mon., Feb. 14: Writing Workshop: Evidence and Coherence.
Turabian, Manual, 51-53t, 109-19
Harvey, Nuts and Bolts, 56-85
Prep: Bring again the primary source you’ll be analyzing in your next paper.
UNIT III: CONSUMING HISTORY: WORKING WITH SECONDARY SOURCES____
For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong.
H. L. Mencken
We do, in truth, demand that pupils perform an unconscionable number of reverse somersaults.
First, we say that there is no single right answer to any of the really significant questions in
history and that pupils must work things out for themselves. Then we say: “But not any answer
will do. Some answers are indefensible even if no one answer is clearly right! And some
admissible answers are not as good as other admissible answers.” Pupils then spend
considerable time and effort learning how to determine which answers and accounts are better
than others. If they succeed, we say: “But even though some accounts are better because more
valid or coherent or parsimonious than others, there is no one best account, since we find it
useful to vary questions, assumptions, and perspectives.” This is difficult to appreciate.
Denis Shemilt, “The Caliph’s Coin”
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This unit of the course is designed to teach you four things: (1) how to read secondary sources
efficiently and effectively, (2) how to evaluate critically the explicit arguments and implicit
assumptions found in history writing, and (3) how to recognize the historiographical significance
of historical interpretations, and (4) how to write book and article reviews.
13.
Wed., Feb. 16: Critical Consumers: How Historians Read History Books
Turabian, Manual, 5-11, 32b-34, 129-30
Norman F. Cantor and Richard I. Schneider, “How to Read Secondary Sources” and
“A Practical Lesson in How to Read a History Book” [RP, 130-42]
Conal Furay and Michael J. Salevouris, “Reading History” [RP, 144-49]
Rampolla, Pocket Guide, 15-19
Presnell, Information-Literate, 86-91
William Breitenbach, “How to Read a Secondary Source” [RP, 150-51]
William Breitenbach, “Taking Reading Notes on Scholarly Arguments” [RP, 152]
Prep: Do a subject search in the Collins Library online catalogue to identify
several scholarly books on your intended research topic. When you go to
get them, spend time browsing the nearby shelves to find other relevant
titles. The book that you select and sign out should be a historical
monograph (i.e., a study of a single, focused topic that is based on the
author’s original research in primary sources. A good monograph poses a
research question about the topic and attempts to answer that question by
proving an interpretive claim. See Presnell, Information-Literate, 45-58. )
Choose a book that was written by a professional historian, that is not a
collection of essays or a biography, that has footnotes or endnotes, that was
published after 1980, and that is no longer than 300 pages (preferably, no
longer than 250 pages). Bring the book to class. Jot down the titles of two
other monographs on the same topic that you found in the stacks. Be ready
to explain in class why you chose the book you did over them. How can
you select the best historical monograph on a topic from a shelf of them
without taking the time to read them all? What factors should you consider
in judging the quality and potential value of a monograph?
14.
Fri., Feb. 18: Library Session #1. Today’s class will be held in Library 118
Presnell, Information-Literate, 44-58, 61-85
Turabian, 24-35; skim very quickly 409-29
Rampolla, Pocket Guide, skim very quickly 134-47
Prep: Paper #2 is due at the beginning of class. This library session will focus
on using research databases, especially America: History and Life. By today
you should have an idea of the topic of your research project. You will have
the chance to find a scholarly article on that topic for your upcoming article
review. If you have a wireless laptop, please bring it to class.
15.
Mon., Feb. 21: Identifying Historical Arguments: Questions, Claims, Reasons, Evidence
Rampolla, Pocket Guide, 20-23
Turabian, Manual, 36-39, 48-53
Drew Gilpin Faust, “Culture, Conflict and Community,” Journal of Social History
14 (autumn 1980): 83-97; JSTOR at http://www.jstor.org/stable/3787087
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Prep:
After reading the scholarly article by Faust, fill out the first part of the
worksheet on evaluating secondary sources.
16.
Wed., Feb. 23: Evaluating Historical Arguments: Concessions, Warrants, Counter-Claims
Turabian, Manual, 53-61
Drew Gilpin Faust, “Culture, Conflict and Community” (read it again)
Prep: After reading Turabian and re-reading Faust’s article, finish the worksheet
on evaluating secondary sources.
17.
Fri., Feb. 25: Gutting a Book
Gutting worksheet [handout]
Prep: Exercise #3 (part 1): Spend no more than 2 hours “gutting” the
historical monograph you have chosen. Complete the worksheet.
18.
Mon., Feb. 28: Reviewing Books and Articles
Steven Stowe, “Thinking about Reviews” [RP, 153-55]
Henry J. Steffens & Mary Jane Dickerson, “Reviewing Books and Articles” [RP, 156-57]
Rampolla, Pocket Guide, 26-28
Presnell, Information-Literate, 38-39
Prep: Exercise #3 (part 2): Find and print or photocopy three reviews from
history journals of the monograph that you gutted. Useful databases
for finding reviews by historians include America: History and Life,
JSTOR, History Cooperative, H-Net Online Reviews, Academic Search
Premier, and ProQuest Research Library Complete (see Presnell, 71-79).
After reading the reviews, complete the worksheet on book reviews.
____________ UNIT IV: MAKING HISTORY: A RESEARCH PROJECT _______________
We write the best history when the specificity, the novelty, the awe-fulness, of what our sources
render up bowls us over with its complexity and its significance. Our research is better when we
move only cautiously to understanding, . . . crafting our stories with attentive wondering
care. . . . Surely our job as teachers is to puzzle, confuse, and amaze. We must rear a new
generation of students who will gaze in wonder at texts and artifacts, quick to puzzle over a
translation, slow to project or to appropriate, quick to assume there is a significance, slow to
generalize about it. . . . For the flat, generalizing, presentist view of the past encapsulates it and
makes it boring, whereas amazement yearns toward an understanding, a significance, that is
always just a little beyond both our theories and our fears.
Every view of things that is not wonderful is false.
Caroline Walker Bynum, “Wonder,” AHA Presidential Address
In this unit, you will have the chance to put together everything that you have learned by
undertaking a limited research project in U.S. history before 1900. You’ll decide on a specific
topic to investigate, and then you'll research, write, and revise a paper on that topic. While you
are working independently on the project, we'll use class time to learn about the effective use of
the library (reference room, electronic databases, bibliographical aids, inter-library loan); the
management of research (note-taking systems, research logs, avoiding plagiarism); the
techniques of writing clear, graceful, persuasive prose; and the stylistic conventions for
preparing history papers (quotations, footnotes, annotated bibliographies, paper format).
Although there are daily assignments listed in the class schedule, they are fairly short.
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History 200
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Nevertheless, you’ll have plenty to do—what is more, you'll be doing it on your own. The
independent work needed for your research project will test your diligence, persistence, and selfdiscipline. Successful completion of this research project should prepare you for writing long
papers in upper-division History courses and in the research seminar, History 400.
19.
Wed., Mar. 2: Getting Started on a Research Project
Turabian, Manual, 3-11, 129-30 (review)
Harvard Writing Center, “Brief Guide to Writing the History Paper” [RP, 66-69]
Gordon Harvey, “Elements of the Academic Essay” [RP, 158-60]
Presnell, Information-Literate, 1-8, 206-11
Liena Vayzman, “Practical Advice for Writing” [RP, 161-62]
See a model research paper in Diana Hacker, “Research and Documentation Online”
at http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/; click on “History>Sample Paper”
Prep: Be ready to talk about your past experiences with research projects. Start
thinking about possible research topics. The sooner you settle on a specific
topic, the better off you’ll be. I recommend that you purchase a research log
(spiral notebook or lab book) to use as an intellectual journal of your
project, recording in it your ideas about the process and content of your
research. Get started by brainstorming in it about topics and questions.
20.
Fri., Mar. 4: Choosing a Topic and Constructing a Research Problem
Rampolla, Pocket Guide, 66-70t
Turabian, Manual, 12-23
Presnell, Information-Literate, 8-11
Prep: Think of a possible research topic, narrow it, and pose a question about it
that might conceivably become a research problem. For ideas about topics
and sources, you can run keyword and subject heading searches in the
Collins Library catalogue, browse the library stacks, examine a U.S. history
textbook, consult the American Historical Association’s Guide to Historical
Literature (Reference D20. A5 1995), scan the list of U.S. history websites
in History Matters by Alan Gevinson et al. (Ref E175.88 G48 2005; also on
library reserve), peruse specialized subject encyclopedias in the library’s
Reference stacks, or look at the course-related webpage for History 200.
21.
Mon., Mar. 7: Building a Bibliography
Rampolla, Pocket Guide, 70-82
Turabian, Manual, 24-35; skim and mine 409-29
Presnell, Information-Literate: As you have opportunity over the next few weeks,
use the chapters in this book to guide you in your research: chap. 2, pp. 19-43
(reference encyclopedias); chap. 3, pp. 44-60 (monographs); chap. 4, pp. 61-85
(journals, magazines, newspapers); chap. 6, pp. 92-118, 128-35 (primary
sources); and chap. 7, pp. 136-58 (Internet). Depending on your topic, you might
use chap. 8, pp. 159-76 (maps); or chap. 9, pp. 177-205 (images, films, audio).
Prep: Begin to acquire background information and start to build your
bibliography. Find and read the best overview of your topic available in a
subject encyclopedia. Use the Collins catalogue and browse the stacks to
find the most important monographs, and then mine their footnotes and
bibliographies for additional citations. Above all, locate the primary sources
that you will use as the basis for your paper. By today you should be
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History 200
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confident that there are sufficient primary sources available in Collins
Library, from Summit, or online for your project to be feasible. By week’s
end, you should be familiar enough with the essential sources to be able to
compose a preliminary research outline for your project.
22.
Wed., Mar. 9: Academic Honesty and Plagiarism
The Expectations and Rules
Wayne C. Booth et al., “The Ethics of Research” [RP, 182-83]
Rampolla, Pocket Guide, 86-93
Turabian, Manual, 39b-42m, 77-80b, 348
University of Puget Sound, The Academic Handbook, section on “Academic
Integrity,” at http://www.pugetsound.edu/student-life/student-resources/studenthandbook/academic-handbook/academic-integrity/
Some Bad Examples and Cautionary Tales
Joyce Meyerowitz, “History’s Ethical Crisis: An Introduction” [RP, 171]
Philip J. Hilts, “When Does Duplication of Words Become Theft?” [RP, 172]
Fred Barnes, “Stephen Ambrose, Copycat” [RP, 173-75]
Hillel Italie, “More Plagiarism Problems for Ambrose” [RP, 176]
Justin Garland, “Ambrose Demonstrates Plagiarism’s Merits,” The Trail [RP, 177]
G. B. Trudeau, Doonesbury cartoon about Stephen Ambrose, 21 Apr. 2002 [RP, 178]
Doris Kearns Goodwin, “How I Caused that Story” [RP, 179-80]
“Letters to the Editor: Doris Kearns Goodwin” [RP, 181]
Prep: Were Oates, Ambrose, and Goodwin guilty of plagiarism? Would they
have been judged guilty under the rules at the University of Puget Sound?
Is academic dishonesty widespread at UPS? Should UPS professors use a
plagiarism-detection service like “turnitin.com”?
23.
Fri., Mar. 11: Planning and Managing Research
Rampolla, Pocket Guide, 82-83
Turabian, Manual, 36-47
Presnell, Information-Literate, 11m-18
Jules Benjamin, “Creating a Research Outline” [RP, 163]
William Breitenbach, “Bib Cards, Note Cards, Research Logs [RP, 164-66]
Prep: Paper # 3, an article review, is due today at the beginning of class.
Today we’ll discuss one of the two options you have for taking and
organizing notes on your research—using paper index cards (or virtual
index cards created on your computer). After completing your paper and
finishing the day’s reading assignment, sketch out a research outline for
your project. If you don’t have time, do the research outline over the break.
SPRING BREAK: MARCH 14-18
24.
Mon., Mar. 21: Library Session #2. Today’s class will be held in Library 118
Roy Rosenzweig, “Historical Note-Taking in the Digital Age” [RP, 167-70]
Prep: Reference librarian Peggy Burge will teach us how to use Zotero, a second
option for note-taking. It is a web tool that can track your research, store
notes, and organize citations. If you have a wireless laptop, please bring it.
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History 200
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25.
Wed., Mar. 23: Chicago Manual Citations: Notes and Bibliographic Entries.
Turabian, Manual, read 133-57m; skim 157-215 to see what’s in it.
Rampolla, Pocket Guide, 99-105; skim 105-28.
Prep: Prepare a properly typed initial note (including a note number) and
bibliographic entry for each of the following kinds of sources: a
monograph, a journal article, a reference encyclopedia article, a book
review in a history journal, and a website. Use examples from your own
research project whenever possible. If Turabian and Rampolla clash,
Turabian wins! Bring to class any questions you have about the Chicago
Manual documentation system.
26.
Fri., Mar. 25: Using Sources: Quotations as Evidence
Rampolla, Pocket Guide, 94-99
Turabian, Manual, 52-53, 73-76, 347-58
Prep: Bring to class a hard copy of a key secondary source for your paper. Write
a few sentences analyzing how the historian effectively uses quotations on
one page of the source. Also, type up a short quotation and a longer block
quotation from this source as they might appear in the text of your own
research paper. Be sure to introduce the quotations with your own words,
setting up the quotations and integrating them grammatically into your own
sentences. Punctuate and capitalize the sentences properly. If you can
manage it, use an ellipsis in one of the quotations and brackets in the other
one. Insert footnote numbers in the correct places.
27.
Mon., Mar. 28: Readjusting Your Research
Rampolla, Pocket Guide, 9-14 (review)
Jules R. Benjamin, “Creating a Research Outline” [RP, 163] (review)
Prep: Bring to class a hard copy of a key primary source for your paper. We’ll
work on it in class. Calculate how much time you have available for your
project during the next three weeks and readjust your research outline
accordingly. This is a good week for an appointment with Peggy Burge.
28.
Wed., Mar. 30: Research Day. No class meeting.
29.
Fri., Apr. 1: Progress Reports
Turabian, Manual, 122-26 (for advice on oral presentations)
Prep: In class today everyone will give a 2-minute report on the current status of
his or her research. Has your topic or thesis shifted? Have you identified,
located, and read the key tertiary, secondary, and primary sources? Is there
some type of source that you would love to lay your hands on if it existed?
30.
Mon., Apr. 4: The Working Hypothesis: A Problem and a Claim
Turabian, Manual, 12-23, 48-61
Rampolla, Pocket Guide, 41-49
Harvey, Nuts and Bolts, 53b-55
Instructions for Preparing the First Draft [handed out in class for later use]
Self-Evaluation of First Draft [handed out in class for later use]
Prep: Exercise #4: Write and bring to class your working hypothesis (the
disputable claim that is the answer to your research question) and the
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History 200
Spring 2011
three best quotations from primary sources that support it. Write an
explanation of the chain of reasoning that leads from each quotation to
the proof of your working hypothesis—i.e., explain how the words in
the quotations lead logically to your claim. Remember that your
working hypothesis should be a solution to the problem that is puzzling
you about your topic. Start with a puzzle!
31.
Wed., Apr. 6: Research and Writing Day. No class meeting.
Prep: Go through your notes and re-categorize them as needed. Push hard on
research and writing. If you want to meet, we can set up an appointment.
32.
Fri., Apr. 8: Planning and Outlining the Argument
Turabian, Manual, 61-70
Rampolla, Pocket Guide, 83-84
David Kornhaber, Harvard Writing Center, “Outlining” [RP, 184-85]
Prep: Write out your claim and a “point-based outline” for your research paper.
A point-based outline is composed of complete sentences that state the
reasons that prove your paper’s claim. (See Turabian, 63-64. The first
example is a point-based outline; the second one is just a list of topics.)
Read your outline aloud to check that it presents a sustained argument.
33.
Mon., Apr. 11: Getting Off the Dime: The First Draft
Turabian, Manual, 71-81
Rampolla, Pocket Guide, 52-55
Joseph M. Williams, “Coherence” [RP, 186-87]
Joseph M. Williams, “Headings and Drafting” [RP, 188-89]
Prep: Type up a long paragraph from anywhere in your research paper except the
introduction and bring it to class. If you don’t know what to write about,
choose the section of the paper that is giving you the most difficulty
34.
Wed., Apr. 13: Introductions and Conclusions
Rampolla, Pocket Guide, 49-52, 55-57
Turabian, Manual, 102-08
William W. Freehling, “An Historiographical Introduction” [RP, 190]
James H. Merrell, “An Anecdotal Introduction” [RP, 191]
Prep: Decide whether to begin your paper with a historiographical summary or
with a revealing fact, quotation, or anecdote. Then write the introduction,
following the general pattern set forth in Turabian’s book. Bring two typed
copies of your introduction to class.
35.
Fri., Apr. 15: Writing day. No class meeting.
For instructions on proper formatting of your paper, along with sample pages, see
Rampolla, Pocket Guide, 129-32
Turabian, Manual, “Appendix,” esp. 373-77, 379, 386, 391-93, 397-98
36.
Mon., Apr. 18: First Drafts Submitted and Exchanged.
“In Memoriam, Wayne C. Booth” [handed out in class today]
Prep: First drafts are due today at the beginning of class. Bring two copies—
one for me and one for your peer reviewer.
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History 200
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37.
Wed., Apr. 20: Preparing for Revisions. No class meeting.
Turabian, Manual, 98-101, 109-19
Rampolla, Pocket Guide, 84-85, 57-65; then review 41-49, 52-55
Harvey, Nuts and Bolts, 46-53
Prep: After finishing the reading, do two things with your paper: (1) Highlight or
underline all of the evidence with one color ink and all of your analysis
with another color. Is evidence always followed by analysis? Are evidence
and analysis roughly proportionate? Do any sections seem to need more of
one or the other? (2) Pull the point sentence from each paragraph of your
paper. (If you used Microsoft Word for your paper, you can do this easily
by running the “AutoSummarize” utility, which is found in the “Tools”
menu.) Write these point sentences out as a single paragraph. If that
paragraph is not coherent, revise it by moving, adding, or deleting
sentences. Later you’ll need to make the corresponding changes in the
paper itself. Write down the principle of organization for the paragraph
you have just created—i.e., state the reason why the sentences are arranged
in the order they are. Is the organization chronological? simple to
complex? general to particular? something else? Ask yourself, Is this the
best principle of organization for proving my paper’s claim? Read the SelfEvaluation sheet and think about it. If more research is needed, get started.
38.
Fri., Apr. 22: Workshop with Peer Reviewer
“In Memoriam, Wayne C. Booth” [handout]
Your classmate’s research paper
Prep: Exercise #5: Read “In Memoriam, Wayne C. Booth” and then read
your classmate’s paper (write comments on it as you read). Type up a
two-page peer review, using the questions on the Self-Evaluation
worksheet as a guide. Be sure to offer specific suggestions for
improvement. Bring two copies of your review—one for the author
and one for me. In class, reviewers will discuss drafts with authors.
39.
Mon., Apr. 25: Learning from Your Returned Paper
Turabian, Manual, 120-21, 129-30
Prep: Consider your classmate’s review as you revise. Finish any remaining
research. Today in class, I’ll pass back my copy of your draft with my
comments. We’ll sign up for individual meetings this week.
40.
Wed., Apr. 27: Revision Day and Individual Meetings. No class meeting.
Self-Evaluation worksheet [handout]
Prep: Exercise #6: After considering what Turabian has to say about
revising, what your peer reviewer and I had to say about your first
draft, and what you currently think about your project, complete the
“Self-Evaluation” worksheet. Be as honest with yourself as you can.
On the back of the worksheet, list five specific things you intend to do
to improve your paper in the days remaining before the final draft is
due. Bring a copy of the Self-Evaluation worksheet to your individual
meeting with me. Keep a copy for yourself.
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History 200
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41.
Fri., Apr. 29: Revision Day and Individual Meetings. No class meeting.
Prep: If you need a refresher on citation rules, study the relevant pages in
Turabian, Manual, Part II “Source Citation.” If you are rusty on matters of
style, spelling, punctuation, and mechanics, study the relevant pages in
Turabian, Manual, Part III “Style”; and Harvey, Nuts and Bolts, 34-45.
42.
Mon., May 2: Revision Day. No class meeting.
Prep: Take a look at the model research paper in Diana Hacker, “Research and
Documentation Online” at http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/; click on
“History>Sample Paper.” Think about your introduction. Be sure that it
announces your claim and positions your argument in the ongoing scholarly
conversation. Be sure that your conclusion restates your claim clearly and
explains why it matters if you are right. Finally, write a title that describes
your topic accurately, hints at your thesis, and engages readers’ interest.
43.
Wed., May 4: Annotated Bibliography and Finishing Touches
Rampolla, Pocket Guide, 24-26
“Annotated Bibliographies,” University of Wisconsin Writing Center, at
http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/AnnotatedBibliography.html
Prep: After reading about annotated bibliographies and studying the models, begin
preparing your own annotated bibliography. Type up the first page (at least)
and bring two copies to class. Also bring a list of a few of the practical
lessons (both positive and negative) that you have learned from undertaking
this research project. What do you want to be sure to remember when it
comes time to begin your next big research project?
RESEARCH PROJECT
Completed research projects, supporting materials, and all borrowed books or
photocopies are due at my office, Wyatt 141, by 2:00 p.m. on Monday, May 9.
16