Course Description

When doing history, it helps to keep in mind that there are many different ways of determining how history happens. One of the key things to remember is that historians disagree very much over why almost any event happened. In the search for how things happen, we get ideas about how to understand our present world's events and what to do about them, if anything.

This course is an introduction to two intersecting and overlapping aspects of the historian's craft. One aspect is historiography, which is the study of how history has been written and is being written today; the other aspect is historical methods, the methods used to do historical research and writing. History 700 is designed to be an introductory course, taken as soon as possible in a student's career as a history graduate student. Its curricular function is to turn out students who know how to research and write, and whose critical skills have improved through rigorous practice. And second, the course induces them to reflect about the philosophies that underlie the way historians do history. The course will focus on the "nuts and bolts" of historical writing, what historians do in their writings and how they do them.

Required Texts

Mark C. Carnes, ed., Novel History: Historians and Novelists Confront America’s Past (and Each Other) (2001)

Anthony Brundage, Going to the Sources: A Guide to Historical Research and Writing (2002) earlier editions are fine

Peter Burke, ed. New Perspectives on Historical Writing (2001) earlier editions are fine

Peter Burke, The French Historical Revolution: The Annales School 1929-1989 (1990)

Gertrude Himmelfarb, The New History and the Old: Critical Essays and Reappraisals (1987)

Refugio I. Rochin and Dennis N. Valdes, eds., Voices of a New Chicana/o History (2000)

Sam Wineburg, Historical Thinking And Other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past (2001)

Howard Zinn, Howard Zinn On History (2001)

K.L.Turabian, A Manual for Writers... 6th ed.

We do not read all of the books in their entirety. You may want to check your local library, the SSC Library, or ILL to obtain the texts as a cost-saving measure. Personally, I think all of these books are worth owning and placing in your personal library.

Requirements

During the course of the semester, students will read a variety of texts on the nature of history, historical controversies, and historical methodology. When we meet we will discuss the ideas we read about and put some of them into practice.

A ten to fifteen page historiographical essay will be submitted on the last day of class. The content of the paper should be directly related to a future research paper or thesis--in any case the paper must be on a topic that interests the student.

Warning: Be prepared to write a lot!!!!! Be prepared to read a lot!!!!!

Grading and Attendance Policy

Attendance and participation: 25%

Short Papers: 25%

Historiographical Essay (including all of the drafts): 50%

Attendance/Participation: Regular attendance, completion of reading assignments on time, and participation in class discussion (25% of final grade).

Short Papers: Throughout the semester you will complete several short paper assignments on the readings (25% of final grade). These papers must be typed/double-spaced.

Historiographical Essay (including all of the drafts): See separate “Writing the Historiographical Essay” handout (50% of final grade).

Academic Integrity: Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated. The work you submit for this course must be completely your own. All quotations from the words or thoughts of others should be acknowledged in the footnotes to your written assignments. Anything less is stealing. Be forewarned: I consider cheating to be a very serious and utterly avoidable offense. Expect no leniency from me in cases of suspected cheating/plagiarism. If you are not sure what plagiarism is look at the Web Page "How Not to Plagiarize" (http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/plagsep.html) from the University of Toronto.

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 an appointment with the Office for Students with Disabilities and obtain appropriate services."

A Hearing Impaired Professor: Taking a class with a hearing-impaired professor can be a challenge. However, if you remember a few things there should be no problems. I wear a hearing aid, usually two. When you speak look directly at me. Do not cover your mouth when speaking. You may have to speak a little louder than usual. Be patient if I ask you to repeat yourself. If you think I haven't heard what you said or misunderstood, you are probably right--correct me. I will be more embarrassed if I am not corrected than if I am. I thank you for your patience.

If you need assistance in understanding anything on this syllabus, or in fulfilling any of the requirements for the course, please see me. I hope to see each of you regularly in my office as we explore history together.

HISTORY 700: HISTORIOGRAPHY & Methodology is not an easy course to teach nor is it any easy course to take. But the course has its rewards. I find that dabbling in the newest ideas and methods in all areas of the discipline provides a healthy stimulus for my own research and writing. I am also far more likely to witness dramatic student improvement in this course than in any other. I also like the way that Historiography can actually “hurt”—it is as if I can feel my brain cells expanding as they deal with the many philosophical and theoretical underpinnings of historical study—perversely, I like the way this feels. I hope you too come to enjoy historiography.

Course Schedule (subject to change at my discretion):

Unless otherwise indicated, ALL written assignments MUST be typed and double-spaced.

Week 1: January 15

Introduction: What is History?

Week 2: January 22

Read: Wineburg, Historical Thinking And Other Unnatural Acts; “Argument Notes” Due (see instructions for “Argument Notes” below). Also read: Brundage, Going to the Sources, chapter 1

Week 3: January 29:

Read: Peter Burke, ed. New Perspectives on Historical Writing, chapters 1-6; write “Argument Notes” on chapters

Assignment Due: A brief paragraph listing possible historiography paper topics; Read: Brundage, Going to the Sources, chapter 4; see “Writing the Historiography Paper” handout.

Week 4: February 5

Read: Peter Burke, ed. New Perspectives on Historical Writing, chapters 7-12 and Zinn, Howard Zinn On History, chapters 14-22; write “Argument Notes” on chapters; also read: Brundage, Going to the Sources, chapter 2 and chapter 3

Week 5: February12:

Read: Himmelfarb, The New History and the Old, pages 1-93; write “Argument Notes” on pages

Assignment DUE: Select a monograph on your topic published between 1988 and 2001. Look for one that you think breaks new ground, perhaps stirring up controversy. (Ask faculty in the department for suggestions for your field). Read it, and also find at least four published reviews from a range of scholarly journals. Write a short essay (500-750 words) discussing the book's reception from the standpoint of the reviews. Concentrate on the debate among scholars about the book; do not summarize the book's contents except very briefly.

Journals to be consulted may include: Annals of Scholarship, Past and Present, Slavery and Abolition, Times Literary Supplement (TLS); New York Review of Books, Comparative Studies in Society and History, American Historical Review, Luso-Brazilian Review, Hispanic American Historical Review, Journal of American History, Critical Issues, The History Teacher, Radical History Review, Journal of Peasant Studies, Journal of Contemporary History, Journal of Interdisciplinary History, Signs, Journal of Social History, and dozens of state and regional historical society journals, The Historian, and a host of others, including journals published abroad and in other languages as well as on-line reviews (especially H-Net, but not Amazon.com customer reviews).

Week 6: February 19:

Library Research Day: Conduct research on your historiographical essay topic

Week 7: February 26

Read: Himmelfarb, The New History and the Old, pages 94-184 and Zinn, Howard Zinn On History, pages 9-44, 73-96 and Rochin and Valdes, eds., Voices of a New Chicana/o History pages 295-307; write “Argument Notes” on pages.

Assignment Due: Preliminary historiographical essay bibliography.

Week 8: March 5:

Read: Carnes, ed., Novel History, pages 13-94; write “Argument Notes” on pages; also read Brundage, Going to the Sources, chapter 6.

Assignment Due: Rough draft of your paper’s introduction (2-3 pages) including: catchy lead-in paragraph introducing your topic, thesis statement, discussion of relevant historiography, and brief narrative outline of your paper

Spring Break March 13/15

Week 9: March 19:

Read: Burke, The French Historical Revolution--ALL; write “Argument Notes”

Guest Discussant: Dr. Lawrence Davis

Week 10: March 26:

Read: Carnes, Novel History, pp. 301-345; write “Argument Notes” on pages.

Assignment Due: Typed draft of first 5-6 pages of historiographical essay and an outline of remainder of paper.

Week 11: April 2:

Consultations

Week 12: April 9:

Read: Rochin and Valdes, eds., Voices of a New Chicana/o History, pages vii-50, 237-294; write “Argument Notes” on pages.

Assignment DUE: Typed draft of complete paper (this means endnotes and bibliography).

Week 13: April 16:

Consultations

Week 14: April 23:

TBA

Week 15: April 30: Final Papers Due

Guidelines for Argument Notes

1. Argument Notes are short analytical summaries of the assigned readings. You should aim to make your Notes 350 words in length; the absolute upper limit on word count is 500 words. These analytical summaries are not meant to be exhaustive. You should aim in your Argument Notes to demonstrate your understanding of the more important arguments the author(s) is (are) making in the assigned readings. Argument Notes are intended to: 1) help you prepare for in-class discussion; 2) help you develop critical thinking skills by identifying arguments, engaging with arguments, and integrating arguments across readings; 3) to help you improve your writing skills.

2. Argument Notes consist of three sections, which should be clearly identified on the Notes you hand in:

a. Summary: Identify and summarize three to four of the key arguments or main points of the reading(s). Ask yourself what the author is trying to convince you of and how. This section should not be descriptive; it should be analytical. It is also not meant to be exhaustive: pick out three or four of the more important key arguments or main points of the readings, and briefly map them, i.e., elaborate their supporting claims; detail how the argument(s) “work.” (The summary section is the most important section of your Argument Notes and should be given the most space and attention.)

b. Integration: Pick one or two ways in which the author’s arguments or the assigned reading more generally relate to other course readings, in-class discussions/activities, or other materials with which you are familiar, and elaborate on these connections. Look for points of similarity or difference, and generate connections, contrasts or comparisons between them.

c. Questions/Reactions: Identify questions the readings raise for you that we could discuss in class. If you are having difficulties with a particular reading assignment, this is the place to put your specific questions about which parts of the reading did not make sense. In addition, this is the section in which you can raise objections (to content, style, politics, methods, etc.), agreement, accolades, or any other reactions you have to a reading. If you have strong reactions to the reading(s), in other words, the Questions/Reactions section, and no other section of the Argument Notes, is the appropriate place in which to voice them.

3. No late Argument Notes will be accepted. See course schedule for due dates.

4. Argument Notes MUST be typed/double-spaced.