HIST 2275/03 – Local History Research

#12351 – Fall 2006

Instructor:  Dr. Thomas A. Scott

F 11:00 A.M. - 1:45 P.M. – WH 224

 

Office:              Pilcher 255

 

Office Hours:    TuTh 4-5, F 10-11, immediately after class, or by appointment.  I will be in my office most of the day everyday.  Please call for an appointment.

 

Phone:              770-423-6254

FAX:                770-423-6432

e-mail:              tscott@kennesaw.edu

Website:           http://ksuweb.kennesaw.edu/~tscott/

 

Books:

 

Davidson, James West, and Mark Hamilton Lytle.  After the Fact:  the Art of Historical Detection, 5th ed.  Vol. 1.  New York:  McGraw-Hill, Inc., 2005.

 

Marius, Richard, and Melvin E. Page.  A Short Guide to Writing About History, 5th ed.  New York:  Pearson Longman, 2005.

 

Purpose:

 

This is a “how-to-do-it” course, designed to teach how historians think, conduct research, and write.  If the class is successful, you should acquire skills and perspectives that will be helpful in any history class.  The first half of the course will focus on what history is and the different ways that historians view the past.  We will also discuss such practical matters as the proper style for footnotes and how to prepare a bibliography.

 

During the second half of the course we will not meet every class period, so that you have time to research and write your paper.  This is the part of the course where you will have to exercise self-discipline to stay on schedule.  Even though you will be on your own to some extent, please don’t hesitate to call on me for help on anything related to your work in the course.  It’s my job to assist you at all stages of the project.

 

Grading:

 

All work will be graded on a scale of A = 90-100, B = 80-89, C = 70-79, D = 60-69, and F = 0-59.  The final grade will be determined in the following manner:

 

1.      Quizzes – 20 percent:  Expect a short-answer quiz every day that readings are assigned.  Unexcused absences will count as zeroes, but you may be excused from or allowed to make up an occasional quiz for good reason.  Let me know as early as possible if you are ill or have an emergency.

2.      Contributions to the Intellectual Community – 10 percent.  During the first half of the semester, while you still have daily reading assignments, you will be expected to do a minimum of one substantive posting on WebCT Vista before each class.  I will post topics that I want you to discuss with your classmates.  The topics will be designed to get at key themes in the readings.

3.      Library/Internet Assignments – 5 percent.  If you complete them all, you will receive the full 5 points.

4.      Preliminary bibliography – 15 percent.  Please see the daily class schedule for a description of what is expected.

5.      Rough draft of three pages – 15 percent.  Please see the daily class schedule for a description of what is expected.

6.      Term paper – 30 percent.  The term paper should be at least fifteen (15) pages of text plus an annotated bibliography.   Footnotes and bibliographic entries should be in Chicago style.  This semester the class project will be the history of Kennesaw State University.  All papers will be on some aspect of KSU history.   

7.      Class presentation – 5 percent.  You will have about 5 to 10 minutes to tell the class about the primary sources you used to write your paper and about your argument and major findings.  Hopefully, this will be a time we can all enjoy.  If you do a reasonably good job, and if you are present to hear everyone else’s presentation, you will receive the full 5 points.

 

 

Daily Class Schedule:

 

Local History Research:  History of KSU

 

August 18.   Introduction and overview of local and KSU history.  For a brief history of KSU that your instructor wrote last year, please click on History.pdf.   Class will meet from 11:00 to 1:30 today.   Changing Face of Cobb1.ppt

 

August 25.   Turn in Library Exercise 1. LE1.doc  Read After the Fact, Prologue, “The Strange Death of Silas Deane.”  AF-Prologue1.doc   At 12:30 PM today we are meeting with Dr. Tamara Livingston, Director of Archives at Kennesaw State University.  She can be reached at 770-423-6289 or tlivings@kennesaw.edu   The Website address is www.kennesaw.edu/archives/  Class will meet from 11:00 to 1:45 today.

 

September 1.   Turn in Library Exercise 2. LE2.doc  Read A Short Guide, Chap. 1, “Writing and History”  SG1.doc and Chap. 2, “Thinking about History.”  SG2.doc  Class will meet from 11:00 to 12:30 today.

 

September 8.  Turn in Library Exercise 3.  LE3.doc  Read After the Fact, Chap. Two, “The Visible and Invisible Worlds of Salem.”  AF2.doc   Class will meet from 11:00 to 1:00 today.

 

September 15.  Turn in Library Exercise 4.  LE4.doc Read A Short Guide, Chap. 3, “Modes of Historical Writing” SG3.doc and Chap. 4, “Gathering Information.” SG4.doc.  Field Trip #1.   Details later.  Class will meet until 1:45 today.

 

September 22.   Turn in Library Exercise 6. LE6.doc Read After the Fact, Chap. Four, “Material Witness:  Hearth and Home in the Material Culture of a Market Economy.”  AF4.doc  Also read A Short Guide, Chap. 5, “Taking Notes and Writing Drafts” SG5.doc.  Field Trip #2.   Details later.  Class will meet until 1:45 today.

 

September 29.  Turn in Library Exercise 5. LE5.doc  Read After the Fact, Chap. Five, “Jackson’s Frontier—and Turner’s:  History and Grand Theory.” AF5.doc  Also read A Short Guide, Chap. 6, “Writing in an Electronic Environment.” SG6.doc.  Field Trip #3.   Details later.  Class will meet until 1:45 today.

 

October 6.  Turn in Library Exercise 7. LE7.doc  Read After the Fact, Chap. Eight, “The View from the Bottom Rail:  Oral History and the Freedpeople.” AF8.doc.  Field Trip #4.   Details later.  Class will meet until 1:45 today.

 

October 13.  Read A Short Guide, Chap. 7, “Writing Conventions and Style.” SG7.doc Also read Chap. 8, “Documenting Sources.” SG8.doc.  Class will meet from 11:00 to 1:00 today.

 

            October 13 is also the last day to withdraw without academic penalty.

 

October 20.  No class.  Preliminary annotated bibliography due today by 5 P.M.  You may send it through WebCT as a Word document.  It should consist of at least fifteen (15) citations, including both primary and secondary sources pertaining to your paper.  At least eight of the sources should be secondary.  Separate the list into Primary Sources and Secondary Sources.  In identifying secondary sources, look for broad topics that will provide background for understanding your topic.  Include books, journal articles, newspapers, and dissertations.  In the bibliography you should not cite every newspaper article you intend to use.  One citation to all the articles will be sufficient.  Give a citation such as, Marietta Daily Journal, 1941-45.  The footnotes are the proper places to give specific data on the name of reporters, article titles, page numbers, etc.

 

October 27 and November 3:  No classes; work on your paper.

 

November 10:  No class.  Rough draft due by 5 P.M. today.  Turn in today at least three pages of your paper with footnotes in proper style at the bottom.  You can drop it by my office or send it as a Word attachment to an e-mail message.

 

November 17.  No class.  Keep working on your paper.

 

November 24.   No class.  Fall break (Thanksgiving weekend).

 

December 1.  Presentations.  You will have about 5 to 10 minutes to tell the class about the major findings in your paper and your sources.  The presentations will be informal.  You can use notes, but should not read your presentation.  We will simply go around the room until everyone has been heard.  Class will meet from 11:00 to 1:45 today.

 

December 8.  All term papers are due in today.  You may send your paper as a Word attachment to an email message.  As soon as I have graded your paper, I will contact you by email or by WebCT to tell you how you did and when you can pick it up.