HIST 390, Section 1
Seminar in Historiography
Spring, 2008
Dr. Ellen Holmes Pearson
Office: New Hall 219
828-251-6651
Email: epearson@unca.edu
Office hours: TTH 11 a.m. – 12 noon; W 4-5 p.m.
Other special 390 office hours as needed
Or by appointment
Objective: This course is the first part in a two-semester seminar in historical research and writing. We will learn much more than simply historiography (the study of history). We will review and hone the skills that are involved in practicing the historian’s craft, so that you will have the necessary knowledge to collect and evaluate primary and secondary sources, organize your data, and write a solid senior thesis in the fall semester.
Texts: The following books are required and available in the bookstore:
Anna Green and Kathleen Troup, eds., The Houses of History: A Critical Reader in Twentieth-Century
History
and Theory New York U. Press,
1999.
Rampolla, Mary Lynn. A Pocket Guide to Writing in History. 5th
ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s Press,
2001.
I also highly recommend that you purchase a copy of Strunk and White’s Elements of Style. This little book is a marvelous resource for tips on more powerful writing.
Grades: Assignments and exams are worth a total of 915 points, distributed as follows:
A clear, workable research question/thesis paragraph
A tentative outline of your paper
An annotated bibliography of primary sources
An annotated bibliography of secondary sources
An historiographical essay reviewing the secondary sources (5-6 pages)
A formal research proposal (5-6 pages)
13. Peer feedback on two final papers (50 points)
Final grades are calculated as follows: 915-851= A; 850-824 = A-; 823-806 = B+; 805-759 = B; 758- 732 = B-; 731-714 = C+; 713-668 = C; 667-641 = C-; 640-622 = D+; 621-549 = D; 548 or below = F. There is no D- on the UNCA scale.
If you do not complete one or more of the assignments or exams, you will receive an F for the class. No exceptions. I do not tolerate any form of academic dishonesty (plagiarism or cheating). Make certain you know the university’s policies regarding Academic Honesty, (in the current UNCA Course Catalog or Student Handbook) and understand that I do not bend these policies. Only under extraordinary circumstances do I allow deadline extensions for any written assignments. To receive permission for an extension, the student must contact me before the scheduled assignment deadline except in cases of emergency. In cases of emergency, I require documentation, such as doctor’s or other appropriate written excuse. Unexcused late papers will be penalized one-half grade level per day beyond the deadline, including weekends. No exceptions. I do not accept emailed papers, all papers must be submitted to me in hard copy.
Responsibilities and Expectations: As professor, my responsibility is to come prepared to class, facilitate your learning of our topic, evaluate your work, return graded assignments in a timely manner, and be responsive to your needs and interests throughout the semester. As students, your responsibility is to come prepared to class, put forth an effort in learning our topic, complete all assignments as scheduled, and be communicative about your needs and interests throughout the semester. I also expect each student to exhibit civil and professional behavior in the classroom. Turn off cell-phones and other noise making devices before entering the classroom. If you must, because of a family member’s serious illness, impending birth, or other extreme emergency, leave a cell-phone or beeper on during my class period, please inform me of the situation. By remaining in this class, you agree to accept these responsibilities and expectations.
Your participation in this class is crucial to its collective success. The more we communicate our questions, successes, and obstacles, the more we will all learn about the historian’s craft. Therefore, showing up for class is important, but it is only the first step to receiving a good Class Participation grade. Class participation means active listening and contributing to the discussion. You earn the class participation grade for a combination of consistent attendance, listening, and contributing. I take attendance and make note of those who participate regularly – and those who do not. If you arrive late to class (meaning after I have taken attendance) you will be counted absent. If you miss a class, you must procure pertinent notes from one of your classmates. You should also see me if you have missed a class to make certain you did not miss receiving important information or handouts. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT YOU GET ALL PERTINENT INFORMATION FROM ANY CLASSES THAT YOU MISS.
OnePort and other modes of communication: I may, under certain circumstances, communicate with you through your campus email account. You should check your Campus email address daily, or, if you prefer to use another email account, forward your campus email account using the WebMail instructions. If you need assistance, go to the computer center. It is your responsibility to make sure you receive and read all communications regarding this course.
You will want to check the online syllabus frequently. I will post any schedule or assignment changes on the online syllabus. Should class be cancelled for whatever reason, I will try to communicate urgent information via email or the class message board, and I will post this same information on the online syllabus as soon as possible.
Withdrawals and incompletes: I do not allow late withdrawals, so make sure you know the deadline for withdrawal without a grade. I also do not grant incompletes unless you meet with me before the final day of class and have a compelling and documented reason.
Special announcements are in red
Assignments are in purple (There will be links for all assignment guidelines)
Readings are in green
January 16: Introduction and overview of the class
January 23: Overview of the research and writing process (handout of handy tips)/The history of historical research and writing: Herodotus and all those other really dead guys.
Critical reading of one previous senior thesis. Click here for directions.
Bring 3 copies of a research paper that you wrote in a previous class, + a one-page response. Click here for directions.
January 30: Meet in Special Collections, 2d floor of Ramsey Library, promptly at 6 p.m. Helen Wykle will be talking about searching for primary sources/Return corrected research papers to author. Click here for Paper Evaluation Sheet. Time for verbal feedback/Empirical history: Houses of History Ch. 1
February 6: Meet in Classroom behind Reference Desk, Ramsey Library, promptly at 6 p.m. Helen Wykle will be talking about searching for secondary sources/Empirical history, cont’d, and Marxist History: Houses, ch. 2. Revised research papers due.
Feb. 13: Freud and the Annales: Houses, ch. 3 & 4/ “Interrogating” primary sources: how do they enlighten, what do they omit? Rampolla, ch. 2
Primary source process analysis due in class. Click here for assignment description
Feb. 20: Historical Sociology & Quantitative History: Houses, ch. 5 & 6/Identifying and working with quality secondary sources: Rampolla, ch. 2 & 3/Effective grant proposals and abstracts: see summer grants webpage: http://www.unca.edu/urp/SuRGinfo.html
Feb. 27: Anthropology and narrative: Houses, ch. 7 & 8/Proper modes of citation, avoiding the pitfalls of plagiarism, producing thorough and effective bibliographies and footnotes. Rampolla, ch. 6 & 7
Citation and bibliography exercise due in class. Click here for assignment description.
March 5: SPRING BREAK, NO CLASS
March 12: Oral history and Gender and history: Houses, ch. 9 & 10/the anatomy of a historiographical essay/how are we doing? Progress reports on topics and reading/research
Secondary Source process analysis due in class (includes annotated bibliography of secondary sources). Click here for assignment description
March 19: Postcolonial and Poststructural history: Houses, ch. 11 & 12/The anatomy of an historiographical essay Rampolla, p. 9, 36-38
Analysis of historiographical essay due in class. Click here for assignment description.
March 26: Historiography exam. Click here for exam
April 2: Workshop: Writing history
Rampolla, ch. 4 & 5
(Individual meetings this week, if needed)
April 9: Oral Presentations/Outline with updated annotated bibliography due. Click here for assignment description. Note that the outline is for the historiography paper and research proposal that are due on April 23.
April 16: Individual meetings this week
April 23: Final paper due. Bring three copies of the final paper to class. Click here for assignment description/Makeup oral presentations, if needed
May 7, during final exam period: Peer feedback on final papers/project proposals. Click here for peer feedback forms.