History 200: The Keys to Historical Research
Lewis Clark State College, Fall 2008

Prof. Eric Martin Phone: (208) 792-2281 Website: www.lcsc.edu/elmartin
310 Spalding Hall Office Hours: T/TH 10:30-11:45; W: 1:30-2:45, and by appointment. Email: elmartin@lcsc.edu

Course Description: What is history? What can history tell us about ourselves, our families, our communities, our societies, and the world around us? Can history help us to better understand contemporary issues? How can history be utilized to improve the communities we live in? What is the social role of the historian? How has history and the historian changed over the last 3,000 years? Each week through our readings, class discussions and lectures we will examine different elements of history. It will be up to you to determine how these different elements fit together and how you can utilize them to answer the questions above. In order to help you do that, you will design an original research project that examines a historical debate/issue. This class will pay special attention to the historical production process and the role of history and historians in the societies in which we live and those of the past. The class will also focus on developing research and writing skills specific to the discipline of history. If you are junior or senior this course will help prepare you for your senior research project. If you are a sophomore this course will help prepare you for upper division history courses. In any case this course functions as a type of "library boot camp" for historians.

I assume that you have successfully completed Eng. 102 and a couple of introductory history courses such as: History of Civilization to 1500 (HIST 101), History of Civilization Since 1500 (HIST 102), History of the U.S. to 1885 (HIST 111), History of the U.S. since 1885 (HIST 112).

Purpose/Goals: The Keys to Historical Research (HIST 200) fulfills one of the four Skills Components required for the Social Science Major. The purpose of the Skills Components as a whole is to prepare you to design, develop, and present an original piece of research for the Senior Research Seminar (SS 499). HIST 200 is specifically oriented towards developing your skills to identify, understand, and connect the dots between the major pieces of scholarship on a particular topic. The rest of the Skills Component consists of Social/Political Philosophy (PHIL/POLS 200) and six credits from the following (depending upon your emphasis): Research Design (SS 3??), Statistical Methods (SS 300), Computers and Social Science (SS 384), Research Methodology and Statistical Concepts (SS 385), or Ethnography (SS 386). Social Science Majors should plan to take one skills course each semester. If you plan to enroll in SS 499 this spring, please let me know.

And even if you are not a SS major, by the end of the course, you should have a demonstrable understanding of the history of history. More generally, as a Social Science course, History 200 should help you to do at least some of the following:

Required Readings

Grading and Evaluation

Course Requirements

I. Class Participation (25% of overall grade)

This course is heavily based on discussion and depends upon your active participation. Practically all of our discussions over the assigned readings this semester will be student led. The oral presentation of our ideas is an extremely important skill to develop, so come to class prepared to discuss the material. The better prepared you are the better our discussions will be. My main role in this course will be that of a facilitator. Although I will lecture at points, the responsibility for the direction and value of our class discussions will be shared equally among all members of the class.

For any individual reading be sure that you are able to: 1) identify/summarize the author's argument/main point(s); 2) identify & critique the evidence used to support this argument; 3) decide whether or not you were convinced; 4) explain your position; 5) support your position with additional source material; 6) connect the reading to other readings we have done (this may be difficult at first); 7) identify issues the reading brought up that you would like to know more about.

If after reading an individual selection you find yourself unable to do any of the above, that is o.k. In those cases (and there may be many of them) be sure you come to class with some questions about the reading. You will be expected to have written notes on each reading from which you can refer to during our discussions and I will ask to see them from time to time.

Almost every week I ask you to bring something related to your research project to class, failure to do so will be reflected in your class participation grade.

II. Three Page Initial Research Proposal (10% of overall grade)

The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate that you have a topic, a potential thesis, a direction, and historical material to work with. In it you should show me the you have done the preliminary legwork required to develop a more elaborate research proposal which will include a literature review. Your initial proposal will consist of:

1. A statement, one-half to one page, explaining what you propose to study and why this is a topic should be of interest to you or anyone else. This part should also have a preliminary thesis statement.
2. A one page relevant chronology of your topic.
3. An Annotated Bibliography which includes:

- at least 15 total sources
- at least one article from the American Historical Review, Journal of American History, or Journal of World History
- at least two articles from 2 different scholarly journals in history


III. Three Page Book Review (10% of overall grade): using the guidelines at the end of this syllabus.

IV. Four Page Comparative Articles Analysis (15% of overall grade): using the same guideline as above.

V. Formal 10 minute Research in Progress Presentation and 10 minutes of Q and A (15% of overall grade): details forthcoming

VI. Six - Eight Page Historical Literature Review (25% of overall grade)

 

Figuring out what has been written on a particular issue is the first step towards researching that topic. If you are unable to name the major scholars and the differences in their approaches to

 

You will receive more details on this assignment in the near future. Page Minimum DOES NOT include bibliography or chronology.

Attendance Policy: In addition to a reduced class participation grade, excessive unexcused absences (more than one -- our class only meets once per week) will have a detrimental impact on your final grade at the rate of one full letter grade for every unexcused absence beyond one. Expect a 20% final grade deduction for an unexcused absence on a day when student presentations are scheduled. It is your responsibility to make arrangements if life prevents you from turning in an assignment on time or requires you to be away from class for an extended period. Get any missed notes or assignments from a classmate.

Please Turn off your cell phone for the duration of this class.

Academic Honesty: You are on your honor at all times and my presumption is that each of you is honest. However, the College does not tolerate academic dishonesty of any sort. All written work that you hand in -- essays and examinations -- must be exclusively your work. In addition to receiving a failing grade in this course, expect expulsion proceedings to begin if I have to waste my time gathering the evidence to prove you submitted work that was not yours. Contact me if you are not clear on this point.

FERPA Statement: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law designed to protect the privacy of student education records and is enforced by the U.S. Department of Education. In essence, the act states that 1) students must be permitted to inspect their own "education records" and 2) "school officials" may not disclose personally identifiable information about a student without written permission from the student. For further information on FERPA and LCSC's directory information policy, visit www.lcsc.edu/registrar or call 208-792-2223.

Schedule

Due to the nature of this course, it is all but certain that this schedule will need to be revised from time to time. Additional reading material will be assigned as needed.


Week One 8/27

History Online (in class): The Course Syllabus and Related Links

Discussion Topics and Readings:



Week Two 9/3

History Online (in class): H-Net as a Resource, Subscribe to H-World; H-HistMajor

Discussion Topics and Readings:

Assignment(s): TBA

Be Prepared to discuss the following:
- Questions you may have about course and/or course project
- Questions you may have over the Benjamin Readings.
- According to Gorb and Billias "Every generation of American scholars has reinterpreted the past in terms of its own age." What have been the major turning points in the interpretation of U.S. History? What do you think is the reason for revising historical interpretation?
- Have set of written notes/reflections over the readings at least two pages long to help guide you in our discussions. I may ask you to turn your notes in.


Week Three 9/10 Three page Article Analysis on Bentley Due

History Online (in class): The History Cooperative

Discussion Topics and Readings:

Assignment(s):

- Three Page Article Analysis over the Bentley Essay Due. Use the Guidelines at the bottom of the syllabus.
- Bring to class at least two scholarly monographs (books) related to your research project

Be Prepared to discuss the following:
- Questions you may have about course and/or course project
- Questions you may have over the Benjamin Readings.
- Both the Bentley Essay and Bridging World History, Unit 18: Rethinking the Rise of the West examine changes in historical scholarship over time. Which do you think was more successful in this endeavor? Be prepared to explain your answer in some detail.
- Based on these two sources, what have been the major turning points in the interpretation of World History? Why do you think these changes in historical interpretation occurred?
- Have set of written notes/reflections over the readings at least two pages long to help guide you in our discussions. I may ask you to turn your notes in.

 

Week Four 9/17 (Guest: Chris Riggs) [Alter readings to fit Riggs' interest]

History Online (in class): TBA

Discussion Topics and Readings:

The Library for Historians: Specialized Reference Works.



Week Five 9/24 Historical Literature Review Proposal Due (Guest: TBA)

History Online (in class): TBA

Discussion Topics and Readings:

The Library for Historians: TBA

Assignment(s):

- Historical Literature Review Proposal Due
- Bring at least two scholarly book reviews relevant to your proposed project

Be Prepared to discuss the following:
- TBA

 

Week Six 10/1 (Guest: TBA)

History Online (in class): TBA

Discussion Topics and Readings:

The Library for Historians: TBA

Assignment(s): .

- Bring to class the book you have selected to write your 3 page review on.


Be Prepared to discuss the following:



Week Seven 10/8 Three Page Book Review Due (Guest: TBA)

History Online (in class): TBA

Discussion Topics and Readings:

The Library for Historians: TBA

Assignment(s): .

- Three Page Book Review Due
- Bring to class at least one qualitative data set (text) related to your research that could be a potential primary source.

Be Prepared to discuss the following:
- What is the difference between history and memory?
- What light does this weeks views shed on the social role of history and historians?

- What are the connections between tradition and history? Are they more alike or more different? Explain.
- What are some of the complications the transmission of traditions over time and space present to the historian?

- Have set of written notes/reflections over the readings at least two pages long to help guide you in our discussions. I may ask you to turn your notes in.

 

Week Eight 10/15 (NWWHA 10/18-10/19, Portland)

No Class Meeting; Individual Consulatations

 

Week Nine 10/22 Four Page Comparative Article Essay Due

History Online (in class): TBA

Discussion Topics and Readings:

The Library for Historians: TBA

Assignment(s): .

- Four Page Comparative Article Essay Due
- Bring to class at least one image that you can analyze as a primary source related to your research topic.

 

Week Ten 10/29 Formal Research in Progress Presentations

(Seniors/Juniors)
1. Cheyenne
2. Lonny
3. Brock
4. Lewis
5.

Week Eleven 11/5 Formal Research in Progress Presentations

(Juniors/Sophomores)
1. Matt
2. Lindsay
3. Mackenzie
4. Mark
5.

Week Twelve 11/12 Writing Day/Individual Consultations

WeekThirteen 11/19 Getting/Giving Constructive Peer Reviews

Assignment(s):

- Email me the latest, full-length (6-8 pages), cleaned up version of your Historical Literature Review as a word attachment before noon on Monday 11/17. Within the email, include some guidelines for your peer reviewer(s). What types of things would you like feedback on?

- Then I will distribute the essays to the class via email. You are to bring a fully edited copy off the essay(s) you were assigned to class. Come to class prepared to start discussing your review.


Cheyenne's essay to be reviewed by: Lewis and Lonny
Lonny's essay to be reviewed by: Brock and Cheyenne
Brock's essay to be reviewed by: Lonny and Matt
Lewis's essay to be reviewed by: Cheyenne and Lindsay
Matt's essay to be reviewed by: Lindsay and Brock
Lindsay's essay to be reviewed by: Matt and Lewis

 

 

 

Thanksgiving Break 11/24 - 11/28

Week Fourteen 12/3 Historical Literature Review; What I learned this Semester in HIST 200

Assignment(s):

- Bring your finished Historical Literature Review
- Attach as the very last page a one page reflective essay, "What I learned this Semester in HIST 200"

Also: Senior Research Presentations Dec. 2nd 3:00-4:30 pm ACW 133

 

Week Fifeteen12/10 Course Evaluations

Assignment(s):TBA

 

Guide for Writing Reviews

Dr. Steven G. Reinhardt

STOP!!! Study this guide carefully before reading your selection!! Remember that you are writing a formal book/article review, not a book report!

In writing a review, your primary focus is on analyzing the author, his/her book, and its argument. Therefore, describing/summarizing the content (i.e., the supporting evidence) is important but clearly a secondary focus. Keep the author in the foreground of your vision.

Remember that every book/article is a construct created by an author who has consciously (or perhaps unconsciously) made decisions about how best to organize his/her argument and then has marshaled evidence to support that argument. Your job is to "deconstruct" the author's work by breaking it into its component parts, examining their interconnections, and re-combining them to see if the overall argument and its supporting evidence "hold" or "work" together.

Therefore, the review should consist of the following four sections:

In the first section, state the author's purpose in writing the selection. What does he/she hope to accomplish or prove? What historical issue or controversy does the author address? What is the author's attitude/perspective on the subject matter? Does the author rely on any particular method or theoretical approach? What is the author's plan for the book. In other words, describe how the author organizes his/her material to buttress the overall argument.

The second section should describe the sources the author uses. Ask yourself what kind of work this is. Is it, for example, an interpretative essay that reflects on historiographical or theoretical issues, a survey that synthesizes secondary works produced by other researchers, or is it a monograph based on the author's original research into primary sources? Do not simply list or count the sources; instead, state their general nature, distinguishing between primary and secondary, manuscript and printed/published sources.

Section three will be the longest part, for here is where you break the work down into its component parts/chapters, summarize the author's argument in each of the components, and describe (briefly) the supporting evidence presented in each. End this section with a summary of the book's main conclusions.

In the fourth section, you should "fit" the selection into the course material read until that point. In other words, compare and contrast the book's argument and conclusions with the various class lectures, discussions, and required readings -- especially those assigned for the same week. Finally, you should now include your thoughts -- saying what you found especially interesting (or troubling).

 

Moved/Delayed Assignments

Week Eight 10/15

History Online (in class): TBA

Discussion Topics and Readings: TBA [Something good with quantitative data -- something from Reorient]

The Library for Historians: TBA

Assignment(s): .

-Bring to class the two articles you plan to compare for next week's assignment
- Bring to class at least one quantitative data set (Numbers/Statistics) related to your research that could be a potential primary source.

Be Prepared to discuss the following

- TBA