Course Syllabus

HST 310 – The Historian’s Craft

Syllabus

 

Summer 2018

Instructor: Mason Tattersall

E-mail: tattersm@oregonstate.edu

Course Credits: 4 (This is the equivalent of 4 hours of instructional time per week, plus homework.)

Prerequisites: 9 credits of history or upper-division standing.

 

Course Description: HST 310 is a required course for History majors. The course is designed to give students an understanding of what historians do and to provide some guidance about how to prepare for HST 407 (writing a research paper). This course will address the practical issues of choosing a subject, finding documents, and citing sources, but it will also explore the ways in which narratives and ideological perspectives shape what historians write.

Communication Policy: Please post all course-related questions in the General Discussion Forum so that the whole class may benefit from our conversation. Please email your instructor for matters of a personal nature. I will reply to course-related questions and email within 24-48 hours. I will strive to return your assignments and grades for course activities to you within five days of the due date.

Technical Assistance: If you experience computer difficulties, need help downloading a browser or plug-in, assistance logging into the course, or if you experience any errors or problems while in your online course, contact the OSU Help Desk for assistance. You can call (541) 737-3474, email osuhelpdesk@oregonstate.edu or visit the OSU Computer Helpdesk online.

Learning Resources:

Required Books:

Rampolla Mary Lynn. A Pocket Guide to Writing In History. (Seventh Edition or Later) Boston: Bedford St. Martins, 2012.

Cantor, Norman. Inventing the Middle Ages. New York: Quill, 1991.

Spiegelman, Art. Maus: A Survivor’s Tale 1: My Father Bleeds History.

 

Recommended but not Required:

Presnell, Jenny. The Information-Literate Historian. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.

Note to prospective students: Please check with the OSU Bookstore for up-to-date information for the term you enroll (OSU Bookstore Website or 800-595-0357). If you purchase course materials from other sources, be very careful to obtain the correct ISBN.

All other learning resources will be available online through Canvas.

This course will be delivered via Canvas where you will interact with your classmates and with your instructor. Within the course Canvas site, you will access the learning materials, such as the syllabus, class discussions, assignments, projects, and quizzes. To preview how an online course works, visit the Ecampus Course Demo. For technical assistance, please visit Ecampus Technical Help.

 

Learning Outcomes: Students who have completed HST310 should be able to:

 

  1. Explain the concept of historiography & identify shifts in historical interpretation
  2. Identify major styles of historical inquiry & distinguish among them
  3. Read scholarly literature efficiently
  4. Locate, evaluate, & analyze primary sources
  5. Locate, evaluate, & analyze secondary resources
  6. Design a research project & gain familiarity with historical research methods
  7. Write clearly & cite sources appropriately

 

Format: You are required to log in and participate in class discussion and exercises each week. This is a working seminar rather than a lecture class, as such there is a lot of written work throughout the quarter. This 4-credit class is the online equivalent of a seminar that meets twice a week for 2 hours at a time.

One of the key components of the course is planning a major research project. This is a crucial skill for an historian and it will help to prepare you for the major research paper you will write in HST 407. The major project for this course is to put together a multi-stage research proposal. The other assignments, likewise, all focus on skills and knowledge that you need to succeed as historians.

 

Evaluation of Student Performance:

Grades: Your final grade will be constituted in the following manner:

1) Discussion board participation                               20%

2) Short essays (4 X 5% each)                                    20%

3) Exercises (3 X 5% each)                                          15%

4) Quizzes/additional assignments                                5%

5) Multi-Stage Major Assignment (30% total)

            200 word description of research topic            5%           

            Historiography paper                                         5%

            Annotated bibliography                                     5%

            Archive & digital research plan                         5%

            Final revised research prospectus                   10%

6) Final exam                                                                10%

 

Grading Scale:

A: 100-93                                    B-: 82-80                                    D+: 69-67

A-: 92-90                                    C+: 79-77                                    D: 66-63

B+: 89-87                                    C: 76-73                                    D-: 62-60

B: 86-83                                    C-: 72-70                                    F: 59 or below

 

History majors need to get a C or better in the class for it to count toward their major requirements.

 

Course Content:

Pre-Assessment: The course begins, in Week 1, with a non-graded pre-assessment test.

 

Quizzes: There will be three quizzes. One will ask you to comment briefly on an historiographic controversy that you will encounter in Week 5 (worth 2% of your total grade). Another will ask you find and assess a digital archive and websites (worth 2% of your total grade). And the last will be about assessing primary and secondary sources (worth 1% of your total grade).

 

Short Essays:

There are 4 short (2-3 page) essays due throughout the term on different aspects of the theory and practice of history. Each essay is worth 5% of your total grade. See the Short Essay Guidelines for more information.

 

Exercises:

In addition to the Short Essays and your Multi-Stage Major Project there are 3 short (1-2 page) exercises due throughout the term. Each exercise is worth 5% of your total grade. See the exercises guidelines for more information.

 

Multi-Stage Major Project (Research Prospectus):

The major project for this term is a multi-stage research proposal that includes a description of your research topic, historiography essay, annotated bibliography, and a research proposal. Each of these components will be graded (each is worth 5% of your total grade) and commented upon. You will make revisions based on the comments you receive and submit a final version (worth a further 10% of your grade). See the Multi-Stage Major Project Guidelines for more information.


Formatting:
All papers must be in 12pt Times New Roman font, double-spaced. Left & right margins must be 1 inch. All quotes, references, or use of specific knowledge from a text require footnotes. In providing these footnotes, you must use the Chicago Manual of Style. For more information see:

http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html

Plagiarism: Plagiarism will not be tolerated. All instances of plagiarism, including failure to cite a direct quote, a paraphrased quote, or information specific to a particular text is plagiarism and will result in an F for the assignment and an academic dishonesty report filed with the OSU administration. For information on plagiarism, see:

http://www.wpacouncil.org/node/9

Academic Honesty: Students are expected to comply with Oregon State University’s Statement on Student Conduct. For more information see:

http://oregonstate.edu/studentconduct/regulations/index.php

Late Papers: Late papers will be penalized for each day after they are due. Please contact me immediately if you think you may miss a deadline.

 

Statement Regarding Students With Disabilities: Accommodations are collaborative efforts between students, faculty, and Disability Access Services (DAS). Students with accommodations approved through DAS are responsible for contacting the faculty member in charge of the course prior to or during the first week of the term to discuss accommodations. Students who believe they are eligible for accommodations but who have not yet obtained approval through DAS should contact DAS immediately at 737-4098.

Accessibility of Course Materials: All materials used in this course are accessible. If you require accommodations please contact Disability Access Services (DAS). Additionally, Canvas, the learning management system through which this course is offered, provides a vendor statement certifying how the platform is accessible to students with disabilities.

Expectations for Student Conduct: Student conduct is governed by the university’s policies, as explained in the Student Conduct Code.

Academic Integrity: Students are expected to comply with all regulations pertaining to academic honesty. For further information, visit Student Conduct and Community Standards, or contact the office of Student Conduct and Mediation at 541-737-3656.  

OAR 576-015-0020 (2) Academic or Scholarly Dishonesty:

  • Academic or Scholarly Dishonesty is defined as an act of deception in which a Student seeks to claim credit for the work or effort of another person, or uses unauthorized materials or fabricated information in any academic work or research, either through the Student's own efforts or the efforts of another.
  • It includes:
  • CHEATING - use or attempted use of unauthorized materials, information or study aids, or an act of deceit by which a Student attempts to misrepresent mastery of academic effort or information. This includes but is not limited to unauthorized copying or collaboration on a test or assignment, using prohibited materials and texts, any misuse of an electronic device, or using any deceptive means to gain academic credit.
  • FABRICATION - falsification or invention of any information including but not limited to falsifying research, inventing or exaggerating data, or listing incorrect or fictitious references.
  • ASSISTING - helping another commit an act of academic dishonesty. This includes but is not limited to paying or bribing someone to acquire a test or assignment, changing someone's grades or academic records, taking a test/doing an assignment for someone else by any means, including misuse of an electronic device. It is a violation of Oregon state law to create and offer to sell part or all of an educational assignment to another person (ORS 165.114).
  • TAMPERING - altering or interfering with evaluation instruments or documents.
  • PLAGIARISM - representing the words or ideas of another person or presenting someone else's words, ideas, artistry or data as one's own, or using one's own previously submitted work. Plagiarism includes but is not limited to copying another person's work (including unpublished material) without appropriate referencing, presenting someone else's opinions and theories as one's own, or working jointly on a project and then submitting it as one's own.
  • Academic Dishonesty cases are handled initially by the academic units, following the process outlined in the University's Academic Dishonesty Report Form, and will also be referred to SCCS for action under these rules.

Conduct in this Online Classroom: Students are expected to conduct themselves in the course (e.g., on discussion boards, email postings) in compliance with the university's regulations regarding civility.

Tutoring: NetTutor is a leading provider of online tutoring and learner support services fully staffed by experienced, trained and monitored tutors. Students connect to live tutors from any computer that has Internet access. NetTutor provides a virtual whiteboard that allows tutors and students to work on problems in a real time environment. They also have an online writing lab where tutors critique and return essays within 24 to 48 hours. Access NetTutor from within your Canvas class by clicking on the NetTutor button in your course menu.

OSU Student Evaluation of Teaching: Course evaluation results are extremely important and are used to help me improve this course and the learning experience of future students. Results from the 19 multiple choice questions are tabulated anonymously and go directly to instructors and department heads. Student comments on the open-ended questions are compiled and confidentially forwarded to each instructor, per OSU procedures. The online Student Evaluation of Teaching form will be available toward the end of each term, and you will be sent instructions via ONID by the Office of Academic Programs, Assessment, and Accreditation. You will log in to “Student Online Services” to respond to the online questionnaire. The results on the form are anonymous and are not tabulated until after grades are posted.

 

 

Weekly Topics and Readings:

 

Week 1

What is History?

What historians do,

& The professionalisation of history

Iggers, Georg. “Classical Historicism as a Model for Historical Scholarship.” Historiography in the Twentieth Century. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press, 2005, pp. 23-30.

Evans, Richard. “The History of History.” In Defense of History. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. 2000, pp, 13-38.

Rampolla, Mary Lynn. A Pocket Guide to Writing in History. (7th Edition) Boston: Bedford St. Martins. 2012, pp. 1-5, 49-65.

Optional Reading:

Carr, E.H. What is History? New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1965, pp. 3-35.

 

Week 2

Working with primary and secondary sources

Grafton, Anthony. The Footnote: A Curious History. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1999, pp. vii-33 & 223-35.

Howell, M. & Prevenier, W. “The Source: The Basis of Our Knowledge of the Past.” From Reliable Sources: An Introduction to Historical Methods. Ithaca: Cornel University Press, 2001, pp. 17-33, 43-56

Strunk, W. & White, E.B. “Elementary Rules of Usage.” The Elements of Style. New York: MacMullian, 1959. [This text is available in several different forms online and in libraries. Find it, but make sure that you have the Strunk & White version, rather than the original Strunk solo version.]

Rampolla. A Pocket Guide, pp. 67-77, 6-21, 106-116.

 

Week 3

Major styles of inquiry

Example: The Renaissance

Scan all of the required readings this week then pick one to focus on in depth.

Burckhardt, Jacob. The Civilisation of the Renaissance in Italy. Preface & Introduction.

Brown, D. A. “Virtue & Beauty: Renaissance Portraits of Women.” “Museum Today.” USA Today, November 2001, pp. 37-9.

Adams, John. “Economic Change in Italy in the Fourteenth Century: The Case of Siena.” Journal of Economic Issues. Vol. 26, No. 1 (March 1992), pp. 125-34.

Azzolini, Monica. “The Political Uses of Astrology: Predicting the Illness & Death of Princes, Kings, & Popes in the Italian Renaissance.” Studies in History & Philosophy of Biological & Biomedical Sciences. Vol. 41 (2010), pp. 135-45.

Caferro, William. “Warfare & Economy in Renaissance Italy, 1350-1450.” Journal of Interdisciplinary History. Vol. 39 (Autumn 2008), pp. 167-209.

Weddle, Saundra. “Women’s Place in the Family & the Convent: A Reconsideration of Public & Private in Renaissance Florence.” Journal of Architectural Education. Vol. 55, No. 2, (November 2001), pp. 64-72.

Weisner-Hanks, Merry. “Do Women Need the Renaissance?” Gender & History. Vol. 20, No. 3 (November 2008), pp. 539-57.

Optional Readings:

Nussbaum, F.L. “The Economic History of Renaissance Europe: Problems & Solutions During the Past Generation.” The Journal of Modern History. Vol. 13, No. 4 (December 1941), pp. 527-45.

Dampier, William. “The Renaissance.” A History of Science & Its Relations with Philosophy & Religion. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1944, pp. 106-18.

 

Week 4

Understanding historiography

Book Reviews

Klein, Kerwin Lee. “The Rise & Fall of Historiography.” From History to Theory. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2011, pp. 17-34.

Rampolla. A Pocket Guide, pp. 22-76

Book Reviews:

Witt, Ronald. “Review of: Ruggiero, Guido. The Renaissance in Italy: A Social & Cultural History of the Rinascimento. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2015).” Journal of Interdisciplinary History. Vol. 46, No. 3 (Winter 2016), pp. 444-6.

Osheim, Duane. “Review of: Ruggiero, Guido. The Renaissance in Italy: A Social & Cultural History of the Rinascimento. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2015).” The Sixteenth Century Journal. Vol. 46, No. 3 (2015), pp. 725-7.

Hickson, Sally. “Review of: Scarci, Manuela (Ed.) Creating Women: Representation, Self-Representation, & Agency in the Renaissance. Centre for Reformation & Renaissance Studies.” University of Toronto Quarterly. Vol. 84, No, 3 (Summer 2015), pp. 204-6.

Byars, Jana. “Review of: McClure, George. Parlour Games & the Public Life of Women in Renaissance Italy. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2013.” Journal of Interdisciplinary History. Vol. 45, No. 2 (Autumn 2014), pp. 233-5.

 

 

Week 5

Understanding historiography 2

Historiographic Controversy

Example Ming Chinese Relations with Tibet

Wang, Jiawei & Nyima, Gyaincain. “Ming Dynasty’s Policy of Enfifement & Tribute-Related Trade.” The Historical Status of China’s Tibet. Beijing: China Intercontinental Press, 1997, pp. 31-44. (See also: “Introduction,” pp. 1-6, & “Postscript,” p. 333)

Wylie, Turrell. “Lama Tribute in the Ming Dynasty.” McKay, Alex (Ed.) The History of Tibet: Volume 2, the Medieval Period: c. 850-1895. New York: Routledge, 2003, pp. 467-72.

Schwieger, Peter. “Significance of Ming Titles Conferred Upon the Phag mo gru Rulers: A Reevaluation of Chinese-Tibetan Relations during the Ming Dynasty.” The Tibet Journal. Vol. XXXIV, No. 3 (2009), pp. 313-28.

Shen, Weirong. “’Accomodating Barbarians From Afar’: Political & Cultural Interactions Between Ming China & Tibet.” Ming Studies. 56 (2007), pp. 37-93.

Cammann, Schuyler. Review of: Li, Tieh-Tseng. The Historical Status of Tibet. New York: King’s Crown Press, 1956. The Journal of Asian Studies. Vol. 16, No. 3 (May 1957), pp. 440-2.

Gates, Rosalie Prince. Review of: Shakabpa, Tsepon W. D. Tibet: A Political History. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1967. The Journal of Asian Studies. Vol. 27, No. 3 (May 1968), pp. 647-8.

McGranahan, Carole. Review of: Powers, John. History as Propaganda: Tibetan Exiles versus the People’s Republic of China. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. The Journal of Asian Studies. Vol. 65, No. 3 (August 2006), pp. 620-1.

Rampolla. A Pocket Guide, pp. 77-81.

 

Week 6

Working in the archives

Burton, Antoinette. “Archive Stories: Gender in the Making of Imperial & Colonial Histories.” Levine, Philippa (Ed.) Gender & Empire. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004, pp. 281-93.

Durba Ghosh. “National Narratives & the Politics of Miscegenation.” Burton, Antoinette (Ed.) Archive Stories: Facts, Fictions, & the Writing of History. Durham: Duke University Press, 2006, pp. 27-44.

Helle, Anita. “Lessons from the Archive: Sylvia Plath & the Politics of Memory.” Feminist Studies. Vol. 31, No. 3 (Fall 2005), pp. 631-52

 

Week 7

Conducting digital research and evaluating the reliability of sources

Cohen, D. & Rosenzweig, R. “Promises & Perils of Digital History.” Digital History: A Guide to Gathering, Preserving, & Presenting the Past on the Web. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2005.

Online @ http://chnm.gmu.edu/digitalhistory/introduction/

McSheffrey, Shannon. “Detective Fiction in the Archives: Court Records & the Uses of Law in Late Medieval England.” History Workshop Journal. No. 65 (Spring 2008), pp. 65-78.

Luyt, Brendan. “Debating Reliable Sources: Writing the History of the Vietnam War on Wikipedia.” Journal of Documentation. Vol. 71, No. 3 (2015), pp. 440-55.

Presnell, Jenny. “Evaluating Your Sources.” The Information-Literate Historian. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013, pp. 104-11.

Rampolla. Pocket Guide, pp. 89-92.

Optional Readings:

Snyder, Johhny. “Wikipedia: Librarians’ Perspectives on Its Use as a Reference Source.” Reference & User Services Quarterly. Vol. 53, No. 2 (2013), pp. 155-63.

 

Week 8

Source misuse and plagiarism

Wiener, John. “Arming America & ‘Academic Fraud,’” & “The Plagiarists: Doris Kearns Goodwin & Stephen Ambrose.” Historians in Trouble: Fraud & Politics in the Ivory Tower. New York: The New Press, 2004, pp. 73-93, & 182-200.

Lipson, A. & Reindl, S. “The Responsible Plagiarist: Understanding Students Who Misuse Sources.” About Campus. (July/August 2003), pp. 7-14.

Luck, David. “Use and Abuse of Holocaust Documents: Reitlinger & ‘How Many?’” Jewish Social Studies. Vol. 41, No. 2 (Spring 1979), pp. 95-112.

Rampolla. Pocket Guide, pp. 98-104.

 

Week 9

Working with archival documents and oral histories

Shopes, Linda. “Making Sense of Oral History.” History Matters: The US Survey Course on the Web. February 2002.

Online @ http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/oral/

Presenell, Jenny. “History & the Internet.”, “Oral History.”, & “Statistics: Quantifying History.” (Selection) The Information-Literate Historian. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013, pp. 168-94, 148-50, & 247-52.

Zemon Davis, Natalie. Fiction in the Archives: Pardon Tales & Their Tellers in Sixteenth-Century France. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1987, pp. vii-6 & 111-14. Optional: pp. 7-35.

 

Week 10

Recent Trends in History

Pomeranz, Kenneth. “Histories for a Less National Age.” American Historical Review. Vol. 119, No. 1 (February 2014), pp. 1-22.

Cronon, William. “The Public Practice of History in and for a Digital Age.” Perspectives on History. January 2012.

Hunt, Lynn. “The Future of the Discipline: The Prospects of the Past.” Perspectives on History. December 2012.

Alpers, Benjamin. “The Future of the Profession.” Perspectives on History. December 2012.

Townsend, Robert. “The Rise & Decline of History Specializations over the Past 40 Years.” Perspectives on History. December 2015.

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due