Introduction to Historical Research

History 2320

Spring 2008

Instructor: Christopher Craun

Office: Irby Hall 416

E-mail: craunc@uca.edu

Phone: (501) 450-5036

Office Hours: Office Hours: MWF 11-12 AM or 1:00-2:30 PM (Friday afternoon by appointment only), TTH by appointment.

Course Statement:

This is a seminar designed to enable you to do historical research, improve your critical analysis of historical texts, and to write and discuss topics in a professional manner.  The skills learned in this class will be useful to you in subsequent history courses as you pursue your history major or minor. You will also find that your ability to read critically, analyze texts, locate information, and convey conclusions to an audience will benefit you in all career paths. This class will involve a sizable amount of work.

Required Material:

1) Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations

2) Jenny L. Presnel, The Information-Literate Historian

3) UCA History Department Style Sheet/Guide www.uca.edu/divisions/academic/history/

4) A large three-ring binder that you will use to create your portfolio.

OBJECTIVES FOR THE COURSE:

You will improve your skills in reading and assessing the historical credibility of primary and secondary sources, providing summaries, critical analyses, and arguments about these sources in both written and spoken formats.

You will learn to recognize, find, and use the various research tools available to the historian, such as library catalogues, dictionaries, other reference materials, on-line services CD and hardcopy indexes, search engines, list serves, footnotes, bibliographies, book reviews.

You will learn and accomplish all the steps to writing a historical research paper. Your final paper of 10-12 pages of text (along with all the steps that will get you      there) will be the major assignment of this class as well as a major component of your grade.

You will provide critical analysis of the work of your fellow students as a means to improve their performance as well as your own.

COURSE/GRADE REQUIREMENTS:

1. Attendance, Participation and Oral Research Presentation (30 pts) You are expected to participate fully in all class activities. Much of the work of this course will be done in class, so it is essential to attend. If you are absent it will be noted and your grade will be affected. Your contribution and participation is vital for your own and your classmates' success, and will be evaluated for a grade.  Class discussions will provide an opportunity for ALL to share ideas and suggestions for improvement and to learn better what is required to satisfactorily complete each assignment.  Your efforts on the peer evaluations will also go towards this grade.  Failure to complete work in a timely fashion or to observe the course rules noted below will affect your grade.  The last part of the course is set aside for each student to make an interesting presentation of their research paper topic to the rest of the class. Each of you will also help evaluate your classmates' research presentations and papers.

Participation Grade Breakdown

Attendance/Participation                           10 pts

Oral Presentations                                      10 pts

Peer Evaluations                                         10 pts (2 @ 5pts apiece)

2. Your portfolio (35 pts)

Your final grade will rest largely on your portfolio, which includes all the work you do for this course. This will be a class where assignments are done, discussed, critiqued, and redone.  The goal is to improve your skills --and that only happens through practice.  Every one of your assignments should be typed or printed (not handwritten) and placed within your portfolio after being dated and labeled.  You may rewrite any assignment you wish as many times as necessary to do it well. The rewrites with the original for each assignment must be labeled by topic and assignment number and put in your portfolio. Your portfolio grade will be based on all the work in it, but the quality of your final drafts of each assignment will be an important determinant of your portfolio grade. NOTE: Each assignment must be completed and in the portfolio to receive a passing grade for the course, period.

Portfolio Order

Put the assignments in order from 1 onwards. The order for each assignment should be:

* Final Revision - labeled by assignment number and dated.

* Previous revisions/original work on that assignment, so labeled.

* Comments/Evaluations of your work from the Instructor or your peers.

Portfolio Grade Breakdown

First Section Hand-in                                  10 pts

Second Section Hand-in                           10 pts

Third Section Hand-in                                 10 pts

Portfolio Revisions/Final Quality                5 pts

3. Final Research Paper (30 pts)

Your final research paper will be an 8-10 page paper based on at least two primary sources and a variety of secondary sources that have been the basis of previous assignments.

Research Paper Grade Breakdown

Rough Draft                      10 pts

Final Draft                        20 pts

4. Final Exam - Scavenger Hunt (5pts)

Course Rules

In order to meet the expectations noted above, students are expected to attend class regularly, engage in classroom discussions, complete all portfolio readings on time, research carefully and perform well on graded assignments.  Please be advised that you are expected to meet all deadlines on the scheduled date.  Also note that there is no “extra-credit” or “make-up” assignments in this course—barring documented medical emergency. Planned surgeries are not emergencies.

Proper decorum and good behavior are critical towards developing a good learning environment.  Classroom misconduct is not allowed.  Do not come to class late, eat in class, listen to music, carry on side conversations, pass notes or do anything in general that could be considered inappropriate and disruptive.  Likewise please turn off all cell phones, pagers and any other such devices.  Violations may result in your removal from the course.  Be aware of all offenses that can lead to disciplinary actions as outlined in the 2004-2005 Student Handbook.

Academic dishonesty in any form is likewise unacceptable and may result in severe disciplinary actions.  Plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the course.  Be familiar with the statement on academic dishonesty/plagiarism and other academic policies on page 34 of the 2004-2005 Student Handbook.

Be sure to review all appropriate and related policies, including students' rights and responsibilities, in your 2004-2005 Student Handbook.  Be aware of UCA sexual harassment policies on pages 109-111.  The University of Central Arkansas adheres to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you need an accommodation under this Act due to a disability, contact the Office of Disabilities Support Services at 450-3135.

Remember, also that I am here to help you.  If you are having challenges meeting course requirements, please do not hesitate to discuss these concerns with me, preferably earlier in the course schedule than later.  Furthermore, be aware that UCA offers a number of academic support services.

Course Schedule: -Each assignment must be complete and brought to class on the date indicated.

Lesson Planners

Spring 2008

“A” days

Monday                                                                                                                                         Wednesday                                                Friday

Introduction to Historical Research

List of Assignments

• Construct a Thesis Question for your research paper. Use proper grammatical form. Outline you secondary questions that need to be answered in order to answer your primary question. Identify a preliminary list of possible sources.

• Reference Work Summary

Write a brief description of one reference work that contains material relevant to your topic. Include the following information:

1. Name of work and author (if any)

2. Call number and location (On the shelves? In reference section? on reserve?

on disk?)

3. The kind of information it contains and on what topics

      4. Purposes it would be useful for

3.   Find Two (2) Secondary Sources Books with some level of different or contrasting views in Torreyson Library. These books should supply footnotes (endnotes) or at least a good bibliography. Without knowing what sources the author used, you cannot rely on their information. (If you cannot find 2 books relating in a general way to the topic of your primary source document, you will need to choose another topic.  End of story.) Answer the following questions.

1. A description of how you found each book (detailed enough for someone

to retrace your steps, including subjects searched, etc:)

2. Why these books would be good and reliable sources for your paper.

3. Include proper bibliographic citation

4. What are the author's credentials?

5. What are there content? sources?

6. An assessment of its reliability and credibility based on this information.

                    (Note also the publisher.)

4.    Using References and Footnotes in the books from the previous assignment, find TWO additional books, either secondary or primary sources, which are relevant to your research paper topic.  Answering the following questions.

1. A description of how you found the source, citing the original book (correctly)

in which you found the reference, including page and footnote

2. Why these books would be good and reliable sources for your paper.

3. Include proper bibliographic citation

4. What are the author's credentials?

5. What are there content? sources?

5a.         Secondary Source Evaluation

Read and evaluate the secondary source document provided in class. Answer the following questions.

1. State its author, title, place of publication, publisher and date of

publication in proper Bibliographic form. (According to the Guide or

Turabian

2. What is its topic and audience (general audience, students in a course,

historians)?

3. What kind of sources does it use: primary (archival documents or printed

and edited documents), secondary?

4. Is it a review of recent research published, a new argument based on

familiar sources, a monograph on the author's own research, a synthesis

of secondary resources, a biography or what?

5. What is its thesis? (Look in the preface. Introduction or Conclusion)

6. What conclusions does it draw, if any?

5b.         Find three book reviews in scholarly/academic journals on one of the

books you have found for your research paper (whether an interlibrary loan book

or one available in Torreyson). It is crucial to find book reviews; if you cannot find

any, you may need to find additional secondary sources or even a new primary

source (this is unfortunately one of the frustrating aspects of doing research).

These book reviews must meet these criteria: 1) Have a signed author; 2) be from

the point of view of an historian; 3) be from an scholarly/academic journal.

1. Describe method of finding the book reviews (which volumes of which

index you used, looking through tables of contents of which journals,

how you found it on the internet, etc:).

2. List the three book reviews (in correct and complete Bibliographic style,

according to Turabian.)

6a.         Primary Document Summary

Read and evaluate the primary source (s) distributed in class.

Interpret the document by answering the following questions:

1. What exactly is the document?

2. Who wrote it?

3. When was it written?

4. Why was it written or What is its purpose?

5. What is the perspective of the author?

6. What problems might we have in interpreting this document?

7. What does the document tell us about its subject? About the society from which it sprang? about its author?

6b.         Non-Internet Primary Source Document for Research Topic:

Summary and Analysis

Find a primary source document from a non-internet source related to your 8-10 page research paper. Every student must have a different document. Answer the following

questions.

1. What is this document?

2. How would you cite it according to Turabian?

3. What process did you follow to find it?

4. Who wrote it? When? Why? Its Context?

5. What, briefly, is its content?

              6. What is the perspective of the author?

7a.         Find and Evaluate a Webpage related to topic, write a report that

includes:

1. The URL address.

2. The process you used to find it, (detailed enough so that I can trace your

steps)

3. Its author and his/her credentials

4. A brief summary of its content and audience, (also Is it primary or

secondary source on the topic of its contents?)

5. An assessment of its credibility and reliability. (Where did this

information come from?)

Include this Webpage in Annotated Bibliography

6. Will it be useful to you in your research paper?

7b.         Evaluate a Primary Source Document found on the Internet

Select a primary document related to your 8-10 page research paper from the internet, describe the process you followed to find it, and write an analysis on it, answering the following questions:

1. What is this document?

2. What is the URL address?

3. How should you cite this source according to Turabian rules?

4. What process did you follow to find it?

5. Who wrote it? When? Why? Its Context?

6. What, briefly, is its content?

7. What is the perspective of the author?

              8. How might it be useful?

8.           Using Interlibrary Loan

Find two books outside Torreyson Library Using Melvyl (California Digital Library) or another non-Bearcat catalogue, find two books related to your primary document and research topic, either secondary or primary sources. (One or both of these can also be from the sources you found in Assignment #14 if they are not in Torreyson Library.) Write a summary on your books, including:

1. A description of how you found each book detailed enough for someone to

retrace your steps, including subjects searched, etc:

2. Why these books would be good and reliable sources for your paper.

3. Include proper bibliographic citation

4. What are the author's credentials?

5. What is its content? sources?

6. Besides your summary, also include a copy of the Interlibrary Loan form for

each book in your portfolio. Include these books in your Annotated

Bibliography.

9.           Find two Journal Articles related to your topic. Answer the following questions.

1. Write up process used to find it.

2. Write a summary of the article including the following information:

3. The correct Bibliographic citation.

4. The thesis of the article and the support for it the author provides

5. What kind of sources does it use: primary (archival documents or

printed and edited documents), secondary?

6. Is it a review of recent research published or a new argument based on

the author's own research?

7. What questions does the article raise? Leave unanswered?

8. Will it be useful to you in your research paper?

10.         Microform Source Analysis

Go to Microforms in the Library.

Find a primary source (Note Part VI in the attached Bibliography.) Evaluate and write an analysis of each, answering the following questions:

1. What is the name and date of the source?

2. How did you find it?

3. Is it a primary or secondary source? How can you tell?

4. What kind of document/source is it? What is its origin?

5. For what purpose was it written?

6. For what purposes would it be useful for the study of history?

11.         Learning about Footnotes.

Examine the footnotes in the article provided in class. Answer the following

questions.

1. How many footnotes are in the selection?

2. What are the different uses to which footnotes are put?

3. What is the chief purpose of the footnotes?

4. How are footnote citations different in format from bibliographic

citations?

5. What do you think is the reason for these differences?

6. How are subsequent references different from the first time a work is

cited?

12.         Construct a Thesis Statement for your research paper

13.         Outline for Research Paper

Write a working outline for your paper that contains the following elements:

1. A descriptive title.

2. Introduction of your topic.

3. Thesis statement.

4. At least three arguments supporting the thesis.

5. Conclusion.

14.         Annotated Bibliography: Start compiling an annotated bibliography of all sources found so far pertaining to your research topic and paper. Each entry begins with the Bibliographic citation, followed by a paragraph about it. Specifically: Use Turabian style bibliographical citations of primary source, books, articles, internet sites, etc. (Review and use particularly Turabian. ch. 9 with additional examples in ch. 11. Public Documents are described in ch. 12.) Include the following.

1. Include call number, website and URL location (as appropriate)

2. Who is the author? (Not just his/her name, but credentials also)

3. What type of source is it? (Specify whether it is primary or secondary

as well as the sort of document it is: journal article, monograph,

government report, etc) Does it provide footnotes?

4. What is its content? sources?                   

5. Why will it be useful to you in your research paper?

New entries should be added to the Bibliography as they are found while you continue to work on your Research Paper.

15.         Research Paper.

Based upon your choice of primary source documents and secondary sources (books, articles, etc.,) that you have collected, you will write an 8-10 page research paper. You will:

1. Clearly present and support your thesis statement.

2. Use correct (Turabian-style) footnotes.

3. Append a complete (Turabian style) bibliography.

4. Have an appropriate title page.

              5. Pages must be stapled.

16.         Student Response and Critique of Presentations and Draft

Each student is expected to provide constructive criticism and evaluate

classmates' presentation, thesis and draft. Be helpful.

1. You (as the evaluator) will be graded on this assignment based on the insight and helpfulness of the comments made to your peers.

2. Provide two copies of your review with your name and the title and author of the paper you critiqued.  One should be given to the instructor, and the other should be stapled to the actual copy of the research paper your peer gave you earlier.  Return this copy and the rough draft directly to the appropriate student.

3. After your rough draft and presentation evaluation forms are returned to you, put these in your binder. 

Special Note: If you do not get peer evaluations back from one or more students, please include a note indicating this in your portfolio. Be sure to include the name/s of the pertinent peer/s. 

17.         Oral Presentation This should be a teaching presentation to the class (dress appropriately), that is composed of materials discovered during your research. It does NOT have to be a presentation of your paper, per se. It should fulfill these requirements:

1. 12-14 minutes in length

2. An optional visual aid (or aids) to assist understanding of your topic, providing insight or information (Don't pass around books or pictures that take the students'

attention away from your presentation.)

3. Present a clear exposition of your topic (thesis).

4. Make eye contact, speak slowly.

5. Appropriate dress, delivery, language: You are a teacher addressing

students.

 18.        Final Draft of the Research Paper.

 19.        Scavenger Hunt.  Details will be presented at a later date.