Introduction to History
Jeff Hornibrook
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Introduction to History Jeff Hornibrook |
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Instructor Name
Office:
Office Hours:
Regular Class Meetings:
Course Overview:
Readings, Assignments, and Tests:
HIS
285
Introduction
to History
Office:
CV Hall 225
E-mail: Jeff.Hornibrook@Plattsburgh.edu
Office
Hours: MWF
9-9:50/ MW 2:00-2:50
Telephone:
Office: 564-5215; Home 562-2966
This class is designed as a methods course for
history majors and minors only and is meant to provide the basic tools needed to
become effective historians. I have
designed this course to address two issues, one a topical question and the other
the methods component.
First, I have compiled a reading list that will
address a single, broad question in history: what was the impact of the
industrial revolution on the lives of people?
To this end we will examine the technology of industry and the labor that
was required to make it work, we will discuss the rise of proletariat and
managerial classes, and we will compare these subjects in different countries
and historical eras.
Secondly, and much more importantly, this course will
focus on methodology of investigation, historical thinking and paper writing.
Specifically, we will be reading a textbook, an oral history and two
monographs that all deal with the question of the industrial revolution using
different sources and different frames of reference.
Furthermore, we will read several articles and book chapters that provide
new ideas and utilize strategies in thinking and data collection, as well as
different theories than are provided by the other books.
Weekly topics for much of the first two thirds of the semester are also
based around the “scientific method” a system of steps required for thinking
through difficult problems. At the
end of the course you should be able to:
·
Walk
through the scientific method and pick out the various steps of scientific
thinking in other authors’ readings as well as in your own work.
·
Think
historically. Learn to frame good
historical questions, understand the importance of historical context, and
assess historical significance.
·
Use the
library. Find books, use the
on-line catalog, special collections, and reference tools, access
microfilm/card/form technology, and find scholarly book reviews.
·
Compare
secondary arguments, assess the merits of those arguments, and appreciate that
writers are in dialog with each other as well as with the past.
·
Read
strategically. Learn to distinguish
between, appreciate, and comprehend various genres of historical writing (such
as primary and secondary documents, textbooks, oral histories and monographs).
·
Consider
the source. Learn to distinguish
between, use, and appreciate the virtues and limitations of the major types of
primary sources. Practice detecting
the biases, assumptions, and contexts reflected in each document or artifact.
·
Write in
different genres including précis, critical book reviews, analysis of primary
sources, and synthesis and interpretation.
·
Learn to
define, identify, and avoid committing plagiarism
·
Find a
topic, perform original research, write and format a paper that includes at
least one substantial primary source. Be
prepared for HIS 385 and HIS 485.
The
assignments are tailored to promote the following goals.
You should return to this list periodically and note which ones we’ve
already addressed.
Required
Texts:
Marius, Richard A Short Guide to Writing About History
Tarabian, Kate A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Thesis, &
Dissertations 6th
Stearns, Peter The Industrial Revolution in World History
Hershatter, Gail The Workers of Tianjin
Zunz, Olivier Making America Corporate, 1870-1920
Terkel,
Studs Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About
What They Do
Classes:
Section A: MWF 10-10:50 Yokum Hall #201
Section B: MWF 11-11:50: Yokum Hall #201
Grading:
Class
participation/Spot Quizzes:
20
Precis
20
Primary
Document Analysis
10
Library
Assignments
10
Review
Essay
5
Final
Exam
5
Research
Paper (All Steps)
30
Total
100
Student
Obligations
You are required to come to class and to this end I will take attendance
on an irregular but nearly daily basis. You
will be graded on your attendance in this class based on these spot checks. You are to complete the assigned reading by the beginning of
the week for which the reading is assigned.
Because this is a seminar course, you are required to actively
participate in all discussions. You
must hand in all written assignments in order to receive credit for the course.
Students are encouraged to ask questions when information is unclear.
Late work will be docked at least 1/3 letter grade.
Work that is one week late will be docked by a full grade and if it is
more than one week late it will be docked by 1/3 for each week it is late
You will be handing in several papers throughout the
semester. For all of these papers,
you must number pages for all papers that are more than one page in length.
(You should be able to do this using your computer word processing
software.) You must staple all
pages together. (Given that you
will be turning in many papers in the next several years, a stapler is very
important for all students.) You
must either type your name on the first page of your paper or include a title
page with your name typed on it. And
you must date your papers with the day month and year.
Class
Reading and Assignments Schedule (Some readings subject to change)
8/27-8/31—Scientific
Method
9/3-9/7—Asking
a Question
Read:
Stearns,
“Introduction”
Marius,
“Introduction,” and chpts 1-2
Assignments:
Due
9/7—Group A—Precis on Stearns “Introduction”
9/10-9/14—Examine
the Literature
Read:
Hershatter,
“Introduction”
Zunz,
“Introduction”
Stearns,
chpts 1-2
Marius
chpt 3
Assignments:
Due
9/14—Group B—Precis on either Zunz “Introduction” or Hershatter
“Introduction”
Due
9/17—Library Assignment #1 (Locating Secondary Sources—Books, Articles, and
Web Pages)
9/17-9/21—Form
a Hypothesis
Read:
Terkel,
“Introduction,” “Prefaces I-III”
Stearns,
chpts. 3-4
Hershatter,
chpts 1-2
Engles,
The Condition of the Working Class in England pp. 163-181
Assignments:
Due
9/19—Group A—Precis on Hershatter, chpt 2
Due
9/21—Group B—Primary Document Analysis
Due
9/24—Library Assignment #2 (Locating Book Reviews and Analysis of the Reviews)
9/24-9/28—Collect
Data (I)
Read:
Hershatter,
chpt 3
Terkel,
Book One and Book Two Part Two (Pecking Order)
Stearns,
chpt 6
Atkins,
Keletso E. “’Kafir Time’: Preindustrial Temporal Concepts and Labour
Discipline in Nineteenth-Century Colonial Natal”
Assignments:
Due
9/26—Group B—Precis on Hershatter, chpt 3
Due
9/28—Group A—Primary Document Analysis
10/1-10/5—Collect
Data (II)
Read:
Hershatter,
chpts 4 and 6
Stearns,
chpts 7-8
Terkel,
Book Four Part One (The Making) and Book Nine Part Four (Fathers and Sons)
Assignments:
Due
10/3—Group A—Precis on Hershatter either chapter 4 or 6
Due
10/15—Library Assignment #3 (Assignment will be given out this week) (Using
the Special Collections)
10/10-10/12—Collect
Data (III)
10/8—No
class for Columbus Holiday
Read:
Hershatter,
chpts 7-8
Stearns,
chpts 9-10
Perry,
Elizabeth “When Peasants Speak”
Assignments:
Due
10/10—Group B—Precis on Hershatter chapter 7
10/15-10/19—Analyze
Data
Read:
Zunz,
chpts1-2
Terkel,
Book Seven Part Two (In Charge)
Alpers,
Edward A. “’Ordinary Household Chores’: Ritual and Power in a 19th
Century Swahili Women’s Spirit Possession Cult”
Assignments:
Due
10/15—Everyone—Library Assignment #3
Due
10/17—Group A—Analytical on Zunz, chpt 2
Due
10/19—Group B—Primary Document Analysis
10/19—Everyone—Turn
in Paper topic with working Bibliography
10/22-10/26—Draw
Conclusions
Read:
Zunz,
chpts 3-4
Terkel,
Book Two Part One (Communications) and Book Three Part One (Cleaning Up)
Assignments:
Due
10/24—Group B—Analytical on Zunz, chpt 3
Due
10/26—Group A—Primary Document Analysis
10/29-11/2—Writing
Your Paper—Organization
Read:
Zunz,
chpts 5-6
Terkel,
Book One and Book Three Part Two (Watching)
Marius
chpt 4 part I (Find a Topic)
Assignments:
Due
10/31—Group A—Precis on Zunz chapter 6
Due
10/31—Everyone—Due Library Assignment #2 for Zunz
Due
11/2—Everyone—Turn in one copy of a Primary source for your paper with brief
analysis following the Primary Document Analysis assignments we have already
done for Terkel’s book Working
11/5-11/9—Writing
Your Paper—Logic/Argument
Read:
Zunz,
chpt 7 and Conclusion
Terkel,
Book Four Part Four (The Selling) and Book Six Part Two (The Brokers)
Marius
chpt 4 part II-IV (Limit Your Topic, Do Research, Brainstorm and Make an
Outline)
Assignments:
Due
11/7—Group B—Precis for Zunz chapter 7
Due
11/19—Everyone—Bring two copies of your paper’s opening paragraph (which
must contain the thesis statement) as well as an outline and a Bibliography
11/12-11/16—Writing
Your Paper—Style
Read:
Marius
“chpt 4 part V (Write Several Drafts), also chpts 6, 7, 8
Turabian
chpts 5, 8, 9, 10
Assignments:
After
11/14—Everyone—Be prepared to discuss your topic with the rest of the class
and tell of problems and/or solutions to those problems you have encountered or
are trying to overcome.
Due
11/16—Everyone—Turn in two copies of a draft of your paper with an opening
paragraph that includes a thesis and at least 3 pages of text.
The paper must use proper formal style, footnotes, Bibliography.
11/19—Writing
Your Paper—Polishing Drafts
11/21-11/23—No
classes for Thanksgiving
Assignments:
Due
11/19—Everyone—Review Essay for Hershatter, Zunz, and Terkel
11/26-11/30—Final
Drafts (I)
Read:
Turabian
chpt 4
Assignments:
11/26—Bring
two copies of your paper to class
12/3-12/7—Final
Drafts (II)
Assignments:
12/7—Turn
in your Research Paper with copies of evaluations
12/8—Finals
Week Begins
Final
Exam
Assignments
for HIS 285
Spot
Quizzes
You will be given several short in-class spot quizzes throughout the semester. These quizzes will ask you to define the key issues, describe the data used and evaluate the arguments of the readings for that week. Preparation for these quizzes will help you to prepare for discussion time in class.
Precis
For
each précis you will be asked to write a 1-2 page paper on a single reading
(usually a chapter in one of the monographs)
1)
Begin
each précis with a thesis sentence: “In the book (give the title) the author
(give his/her name) argues that….
2)
Then in
the same paragraph write 5-10 good sentences providing the main ideas throughout
the chapter. Do not simply discuss
one part of the chapter, be sure to cover all the main ideas.
3)
In a
separate paragraph briefly describe the question the author appears to have
begun with, the scholarly literature they used for their assumptions, and the
types of data they used to support their argument.
4)
Then in a
third paragraph list two or three discussion questions that the class could talk
about that comes from that reading. These
should not be questions that you want me to answer but questions you want the
class as a whole to ponder. For
developing good discussion questions you might want to look at Marius pp. 31-42.
For
each Primary Document Analysis you will be asked to write a 2-4 page paper from
a single interview taken from Terkel’s Working.
1)
Begin by
telling the reader who the speaker is (male/female, young/old, occupation etc.)
2)
Then in
the same paragraph briefly discuss the main points of the interview.
What did the person say and what did they think about the issues they
themselves raised
3)
In a
separate paragraph discuss one issue brought up in the interview that could be
used to discuss the question “What is the impact of modern labor on people’s
lives?”
You
will receive a complete assignment in class at a later date
You
will do two of these assignments coinciding with the reading of the two
monographs we will read in this class. You will go on-line and locate a
scholarly review of the monograph we are currently reading (a review of
Hershatter’s Workers of Tianjin will be due 9/19 and a review of Zunz’
Making America Corporate will be due 10/31).
In the Feinberg Library photocopy the review, write your name on it,
bring it to class and be prepared to summarize the review author’s assessment
of the book and to explain how you found the review.
The review must come from a journal dedicated primarily to articles on
historical topics, with book reviews at the back of each issue.
You may not use the brief, uncritical summaries of the book found in Choice,
Library Journal, The New York Times Review of Books, or other
publications directed at non-historians. You
may need to ask for help at the library’s reference/help desk.
You
will receive a complete assignment in class at a later date.
Having
read Hershatter, Zunz, and Terkel and having examined book reviews of the first
two books, you will now write a 3-4 page essay in which you summarize, compare,
contrast, and evaluate the merits of The Workers of Tianjin, Making
America Corporate, and Working.
Follow the guidelines for writing book reviews in Marius chapter 8,
subheading “Book Reviews”.
You
will produce a high-quality research paper using primary and secondary sources
not read for this or any other class. Your
paper can be on any historical topic you wish.
You must submit the final copy using 12 point font, double-spaced, you
must have a title page, number all pages after the title page, use proper
footnotes, bibliography, and staple all the pages together.
You must use at least one substantial or several smaller primary
documents and at least two secondary documents all of which come from your own
independent research—you may use but may not count readings from other classes
among these readings. Other
readings from this and/or other classes may be used to supplement the readings
you found based on your own research.
This
assignment will be produced and evaluated in several parts throughout the last
weeks of the semester. During this
time the class will evolve into a series of workshops based on your outlines,
abstracts, drafts, and revisions. Be
sure to bring the correct number of copies; sometimes you will need just one and
other times two. The goal is to
make your essay as strong as possible and constant evaluation and rewriting is
essential. (Look at the
“Acknowledgments” sections in the books assigned for this course.
They invariable mention several people who offered criticism,
encouragement, and practical suggestions for improving the manuscript.
Your classmates will offer you this type of help here.)
11/2:
Bring in one copy of a primary source you will be using for your paper.
Along with the primary source provide a brief analysis of the document
following the outline for the Primary Document Analysis assignments you have
done with Terkel’s book.
11/7:
Bring in 2 copies of your opening paragraph containing the thesis sentence,
outline and Bibliography.
11/14:
Be prepared to discuss your research topic and the strategies you have used as
well as the problems you have encountered.
11/16:
Bring 2 copies of your paper including the opening paragraph and at least three
additional pages of text. The draft
should be written in using formal language, should include footnotes and a
Bibliography. See Turabian and
Marius for assistance.
11/19:
Bring in 2 copies of a revised and expanded draft of your paper.
You should have at least five or six pages of text.
11/26:
Bring in 2 copies of a completed draft of your paper. This paper should be at least 10 pages long.
12/7:
Turn in your Research Paper with your copies of the evaluated drafts.
You
will do a brief final exam during finals week that will cover the main ideas and
skills we have covered in this class. Be
sure to review each of the skills discussed in the first page of the syllabus
before coming to the final.