History 300 - Historiography
Spring 2007
TTh 2-3:320PM, Psy. 202e
Colorado State University - Pueblo
Professor Jonathan Rees
Office: Psychology 124
Office Phone: 549-2541
Office Hours: MWF 2-3PM, TTh 1-2PM.
E-Mail: Jonathan [dot] Rees [at] colostate-pueblo [dot] edu
“History is always written wrong, and so always needs to be rewritten.”
-George Santayana
This course is an introduction to history as a discipline, and how historians do their work. It is intended to be content neutral. Although you may learn specific factual information about particular subjects, this is comparatively unimportant. The important overall objective is for you to learn to appreciate the study of history as an academic discipline so as to prepare you for future success as a student, a reader and writer of this subject. Expect to read, to argue, to think, and to work at the craft of writing and organizing historical ideas.
Course Objectives
· Students will practice and become more aware of the skills of history, through analytical writing assignments.
· Students will learn how to read history written by others, to understand the historiographic approaches and historical methods being used by the authors, and to understand the assumptions and arguments of the authors.
· Students will develop a critical historian’s eye to apply to historical works, analyzing their strengths, weaknesses, arguments and assumptions.
· Students will learn more efficient research techniques, i.e. learn where and how to find primary and secondary sources of information on a historical topic, and how to use what they find.
· Students will realize the extent to which historical consciousness (or lack thereof) informs debates about important contemporary issues and how political factors influence the public presentation of history.
I encourage students with questions or concerns about any aspect of this course to visit me during office hours, make an appointment or contact me by e-mail. Any student eligible for and needing academic adjustments or accommodations because of a disability should speak to me during the first two weeks of class.
In order to facilitate communication between me and you (for example, last minute class agenda changes) and communication between students, having an e-mail address is a course requirement. If this is a problem for any reason, please see me immediately.
Required Reading
Brown, Callum G. Postmodernism for Historians.
Cohen, Patricia Cline. The Murder of Helen Jewett.
Davidson, James West and Lytle, Mark Hamilton. Primary Source Investigator CD.
Fogel, Robert William. The Slavery Debates 1952-1990.
Gaddis, John Lewis. The Landscape of History.
Pagels, Elaine. Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas.
In a few instances, you will also be asked to read materials online. URLs for those materials are linked from the Daily Topics and Readings section of this syllabus.
The Primary Source Investigator CD is a requirement in order to complete a course assignment. You must have access to it in class.
Grading and Attendance Policies
Although I will do some lecturing in class, much of our time will be spent discussing assigned readings. Consequently it is important that you come to class regularly and do the assigned reading BEFORE the class period. I reserve the right to call on students who do not volunteer so that everybody has a chance to participate in discussions. The quality of your contributions is as important as their frequency.
The breakdown of your final grade will be as follows:
- Pagels Assignment – 10%
- Paper on Cohen, The Murder of Helen Jewett – 15%
- Slavery Argument Comparison Paper – 20%
- Gaddis and Brown Questionnaires – 10%
- Davidson and Lytle Argument Sheet based on Chapter 13 – 5%
- Historiographic Research Paper – 25%
- Class Participation – 15%
The Pagels Assignment is: Using Pagels as your guide, explain the strengths and weaknesses of using the Gospels in the Bible as an historical source. List the strengths and weaknesses of using the Gospel of Thomas. Compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of these five sources. I expect this to be an approximately six paragraph paper - Paragraph 1, introduction; 2, 3 Gospels strengths and weaknesses; 4,5 Thomas strengths and weaknesses; 6 Comparing and contrasting/conclusion.
The topic of the Cohen paper is: How does the nature of the available evidence affect the conclusions which Cohen draws in her book? It should be six to eight pages. For more on this assignment, click here.
Your next paper will compare two historians’ arguments over a particular controversy in the study of American slavery. For more information on this assignment, click here. This paper should be from eight to ten pages.
The Gaddis questions are here.
The Brown questions are here.
You historiographic research paper will be on a particular historical controversy. You will explain which side is right and why. As part of this process, you will examine at least one primary source on this subject. The final product should be from twelve to fifteen pages. More information on this assignment is available here.
For advice on how to write a better paper, click here.
Grading for major papers will be done on an A-F scale with pluses and minuses. Smaller assignments connected to the activities of a particular class period will be considered as part of your class participation grade [If you fail to hand them in, you are not prepared for class]. I will do my best to explain the criteria by which each assignment is graded before you undertake them.
It is assumed that students will make every effort to attend each class period, arrive on time and stay for the entire class. An attendance sheet will be passed around at the beginning of each class. If you arrive late to class, make sure your name is on the attendance sheet before you leave. Otherwise, you will be counted as absent.
You will be permitted two unexcused absences during the course of the semester (to account for the random mishaps, mistakes and burdens of everyday life). After that, you will fail the class participation section of this course and I reserve the right to drop you from the course or give you a failing grade regardless of other performance. All excuses must be presented to me within one week of the absence in question. If you will be missing more than two classes in a row, please inform me in advance of your absence.
Any form of academic dishonesty will result in a failing grade for the entire course. This includes plagiarism, the taking of words and/or ideas of another and passing them off as your own. If another person's work is quoted directly in a formal paper, this must be indicated with quotation marks and a citation. Paraphrased or borrowed ideas must be identified in the footnotes of the text.
Daily Topics and Reading Assignments
Note: I have placed reading material on the syllabus for the day it is likely to be discussed in class. You will want to have all of it read by that time.
Week 1:
January 16: Introduction/What is History?
January 18: What is History? (Part 2)
- Bruce Craig, "History Defined in Florida Legislature."
- Stephen Fry, “The Future’s in the Past,”
Week 2:
January 23: On Reading.
January 25: Pagels Discussion.
- Jay Tolson, "The Gospel of Truth," U.S. News and World Report, December 10, 2006.
Finish Pagels and Pagels Assignment Due
Week 3:
January 30: Note-Taking and Study Skills.
-
Jay Matthews, "More Than One Way to Make the Grade," Washington Post, December 12, 2006.
-
Read Cohen.
Bring two copies of a page of notes from another class (preferably a history class) to this session.
February 1: Cohen Discussion.
-
Finish Cohen.
Week 4:
February 6: On Writing.
-
Patrick Rael, "Reading, Writing, and Researching for History: A Guide for College Students."
-
Read Gaddis
Historiographic Research Paper Topic Due. Bring a copy to class and e-mail a copy to me as an attachment.
February 8: Gaddis Discussion
- Finish Gaddis
The Gaddis questions are here.
Gaddis questionnaire due.
Week 5:
February 13: Discuss Cohen Drafts.
Draft Cohen Paper Due
February 15: Archives
-
Eric Rauchway, "Gut, Story and History."
Week 6:
February 20: Documents and Interpretation (Part I: Vertical).
-
Frederick D. Drake and Sarah Drake Brown, "A Systematic Approach to Improve Students' Historical Thinking."
February 22: Evidence and the Historian.
-
University of Wisconsin - Madison, "Chicago Turabian Documentation."
-
Also see my guide to footnotes.
Please bring a printout of the Turabian guidelines for bibliographies and all texts to class today.
Cohen Paper Due.
Week 7:
February 27: Plagiarism.
- Susan J. Douglas, "Plagiarists: Catch Your Own Clue."
- Karl Stolley, "Avoiding Plagiarism." [Read All Sections.]
Print Copy of "Safe Practices: An Exercise," in "Avoiding Plagiarism" and Bring to Class.
March 1: Documents and Interpretation (Part II: Horizontal).
Meet at Library Computer Room. Bring Primary Source Investigator CD.
Week 8:
March 6: History and the Internet.
- H-Net Internet Citation Guidelines (consult only)
Start Reading Brown
Meet at Library Computer Room.
March 8: Library Research.
Continue Reading Brown
Meet at Library Computer Room.
Week 9:
March 13: More Fun With Primary Source Investigator.
Meet at Library Computer Room. Bring Primary Source Investigator CD.
March 15: Postmodernism (Brown Discussion)
- Finish Brown
Brown Questionnaire due.
Week 10:
March 20: Fogel Lectures Discussion
-
Read Fogel lectures 1 and 2 only.
March 22: Meetings on the slavery and historiographic research papers (Schedule to be announced)
Week 11:
April 3: Draft Slavery Argument Comparison Paper Discussion.
Bring Slavery Paper Draft
April 5: Historiographic Research Presentation and discussion in small groups.
Week 12:
April 10: On Teaching History
April 12: Class Cancelled.
Week 13:
April 17: Historiographic Research Paper Draft Review.
Historiographic Research Paper Draft Due.
April 19: Public History/Museum Studies (the Enola Gay Exhibit).
Cold War Primary Source Investigator Assignment Due
Week 14:
April 24: On Standardized Testing
· Rees, Jonathan. “A Crisis Over Consensus: Standardized Testing in American History and Student Learning.”
· Wineburg, Sam. "We Need to Develop New Ways to Teach Students History."
Slavery Argument Comparison Papers Due.
April 26: What is Good History?
Historiographic Research Paper Due at the Beginning of the Final Exam Period