History 700: Historiography
Spring 2003
Tuesday 7:00-9:20
Sullivan Building 106
Dr. Brad Austin

Introduction and Course Description
According to page 178 of the Salem State College, 2000-2002 Graduate School Catalog, the historiography “course includes an examination of the mechanics employed in the study, research, and writing of history.  The philosophies, techniques, styles, emphases, and interpretations employed by prominent historians through the ages are studied.  Lectures, discussions, oral reports, and written papers will be utilized.”

This is one of the most important, and most challenging, courses you will take in your graduate career.  Its larger goal is to prepare you to be a history professional and for serious study and research in history.  During this semester, we will study the methods, assumptions, theories, and the cultures of historians over the years.  While we will critically examine several important schools of thought and address large questions of why and how historians do what they do, this course will also focus on the more mundane and practical challenges facing historians.  In short, this course is about helping you become better readers, researchers, and writers of history.

If our goals are to learn about the history of the profession while also becoming more skilled at functioning properly within it, then we will only accomplish them by working diligently.  You will have to give yourself enough time to read the assignments, think about them, and prepare the numerous written assignments.  Make no mistake, this course requires a great deal of reading and writing, but each assignment is designed to increase your historical knowledge and improve your professional skills.

Required Reading
Davidson, James West and Mark Hamilton Lytle. After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection. 4th ed. 2000.

Gaddis, John Lewis. The Landscape of History: How Historians Map the Past. 2002.

Maier, Charles S. The Unmasterable Past: History, Holocaust, and Germany National Identity. 1988.

Novick, Peter.  That Noble Dream: the Objectivity Question and the American Historical Profession. 1989.

Turabian, Kate L.  A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, sixth edition. 1996.

Woodward, C. Vann.  Thinking Back: The Perils of Writing History. 1986.
    --Also, numerous articles and chapters on reserve in the library.

Contact Information
Office Hours: My office is in the Sullivan Building, room 106A.  I will be happy to meet with you during my office hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 10:00-11:15, and Tuesday,  4:30-6:00.  I will be in the office almost every day, so you can try to catch me at other times, and I am, of course, available for scheduled appointments at other times.  
Phone: Work 978-542-7143 (SSC ext. 7143)
    Mobile 978-985-3501 (Please use only in case of emergencies)
Email: brad.austin@salemstate.edu

Assignments and Grading
Class Participation (25%): This course simply cannot succeed without active and thoughtful class participation.  To add to the course, and to receive credit for participation, you must come to each class prepared to discuss the readings and the topics under consideration.

Historiography paper (40%):  This is the course’s most significant assignment, and it is the one that will require the most effort and out-of-class preparation.  During the course of the term, you will write a 14-16 page historiography paper dealing with an historical issue or question of your choosing.  At a minimum, this paper should consider at least eight scholarly monographs and five articles from academic journals.  This essay must focus on the changes in interpretations of and approaches to your selected topic, and it should draw from the discussions and readings on theories, schools of thought, and types of evidence that the class conducts.  The rough draft of the historiography paper is worth 15% of the course grade, and the final draft is worth 25%.   We will discuss this assignment as the course progresses.

All other writing assignments are each worth 5% of the course grade, with the assignments due on January 28th collectively worth 5%.  

Make-Up Policy:  
If for any family or medical reason you find it absolutely necessary to miss a due date, you must contact me before the class session and have my consent to your absence if you wish to submit your paper later. Without such permission, you will not be able to submit late work.

Equal Access Statement
Salem State College is committed to providing equal access to the educational experience for all students in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans With Disabilities Act and to providing all reasonable academic accommodations, aids, and adjustments.  Any student who has a documented disability requiring an accommodation, aid, or adjustment should speak with the instructor immediately.  Students with Disabilities who have not previously done so should provide documentation to and schedule and appointment with the Office of Students with Disabilities and obtain appropriate services.
 
Academic Honesty
“Salem State College assumes that all students come to the College with serious educational intent and expects them to be mature, responsible individuals who will exhibit high standards of honesty and personal conduct in their academic life.  All forms of academic dishonesty are considered to be serious offences against the College community.  The College will apply sanctions when student conduct interferes with the College’s primary responsibility of ensuring its educational objectives.”  (From the Salem State College Undergraduate Catalog 2002-2004, p. 293.  Consult the same page for additional details on the College’s Academic Integrity Regulations and in particular, the College’s definition of Academic Dishonesty)