Fall 1999

History 260-01 & 260-60: Historiography

 

Wed. and Fri. 12:30-1:35 p.m. W239                                                   Wed. 7:00 p.m. W101
Professor Evelyn Gonzalez
Atrium 205,                      720-2145                         Home: (718) 987-1797
Office Hours: Wed-Fri 11-12; Wed 5-6pm; by appointment; or whenever I am in the office.
 
Required books (available at WPU bookstore):
    Kate Turabian, A Manual For Writers.
    Josephine Tey, The Daughter of Time.
    Howard Zinn, Declarations of Independence.

Some Handouts on how to do a formal proposal, how to write an annotated bibliography, how to footnote, and how to do the historiography assignment may be given to the class.

Historiography 260 is a course in the methodology of History, that is, it will teach you how to think critically, do research, evaluate sources, and write a research paper. To help you learn, you will have to read the required readings, do the assignments, write a research paper, and be prepared to discuss the readings and the assignments in class. ABSENCE IS NO EXCUSE FOR NOT BEING PREPARED OR FOR NOT HANDING IN THE ASSIGNMENTS.

Attendance is mandatory. MORE THAN THREE ABSENCES WILL RESULT IN FAILURE. THIS IS FINAL. STUDENTS WHO DISAPPEAR FROM CLASS WILL FAIL, NO IFS, ANDS, OR BUTS, AND NO INCOMPLETES. Two unexplained absences are allowed. The third one must be for an illness and must have a doctor=s note.

The final grade will be computed as follows: one-third for the final paper, one-third for the other written assignments, and one-third for class participation and presentations. Each student will be graded for class participation after each class.

No handwritten assignments will be accepted. Use the computers on campus if you do not have one. Written assignments must have a cover sheet with your name and class on it. They must be double-spaced with a one inch margin all around and standard font size. NOTE THAT THE TYPE SIZE SHOULD NOT BE LARGER THAN 12 POINT. NO OVERSIZE FONTS AND NO LARGE MARGINS.

 

History 260-01 Calendar

Sep 3 INTRODUCTION/SELECTION OF TOPICS
Sep 8 HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION
Sep 10 TOPICS/SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sep 15 LIBRARY BIBLIOGRAPHY SESSION.        Curriculum Materials Room - 1st floor at rear left
Sep 17 METHODOLOGY/RESEARCH.  Tey, The Daughter of Time.       TEY ASSIGNMENT DUE.
Sep 22 History Computer Lab [Atrium 127]
Sep 24 TOPICS/WRITING A PROPOSAL
Sep 29 HISTORIOGRAPHY/WHAT HISTORY IS BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE.
Oct 1 PRIMARY SOURCES/THE STUFF OF HISTORY SAMPLES DUE.
Oct 6 ORAL HISTORY/INTERVIEWING *** PROPOSAL DUE.
Oct 8 ORGANIZING/WRITING THE PAPER
Oct 13 DOCUMENT ANALYSIS DOCUMENT ESSAY DUE.
Oct 15 FOOTNOTES/QUOTES. Turabian, chaps 5, 8 & 11.
Oct 20, 22 FAMILY HISTORY CLASS PRESENTATIONS & ESSAY DUE.
Oct 27 IDEOLOGY & HISTORY ZINN ESSAY DUE.
Oct 29 FOOTNOTING SOFTWARE. History Computer Lab [Atrium 127]
Nov 3 HISTORIOGRAPHY/HOW TO DO IT
Nov 5 ANALYSIS/PROBLEMS *** DRAFT DUE.
Nov 10 DISCUSSION OF DRAFTS/WRITING/ORGANIZATION PROBLEMS
Nov 12 FILM IN HISTORY FILM ESSAY DUE.
Nov 17 USING QUOTES Turabian, chap 5.
Nov 19 DEMOGRAPHY/WRITING WITH NUMBERS Turabian, 25-38. ASSIGNMENT DUE.
Nov 24, 26 NO CLASS - DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING.
Dec 1 PROBLEMS/SOCIAL HISTORY & ALL THAT JAZZ
Dec 3 ORAL REPORTS ON INTERVIEWS & PAPER ***FINAL PAPER DUE.
Dec 8 ORAL REPORTS (con) ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE.
Dec 10 " " HISTORIOGRAPHY ESSAY DUE - BLURBS DUE.
Dec 17 EXAM LAST DAY TO HAND IN CORRECTED PAPERS.

 

History 260-60 Calendar

Sep 8 INTRODUCTION/SELECTION OF TOPICS;
                 HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION
Sep 15 TOPICS/SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY;
                 WRITING A PROPOSAL
                 METHODOLOGY/RESEARCH
                 Tey, The Daughter of Time. TEY ASSIGNMENT DUE.
Sep 22 History Computer Lab [Atrium 127]
                 LIBRARY BIBLIOGRAPHY SESSION [Basement Room L1]
Sep 29 HISTORIOGRAPHY/WHAT HISTORY IS BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE.
                 WRITING A PROPOSAL
                 PRIMARY SOURCES/THE STUFF OF HISTORY SAMPLES DUE.
Oct 6 ORAL HISTORY/INTERVIEWING
                 *** PROPOSAL DUE.
                 ORGANIZING/WRITING THE PAPER
Oct 13 DOCUMENT ANALYSIS
                 DOCUMENT ESSAY DUE.
                 FOOTNOTES/QUOTES
          Turabian, chaps 5, 8 & 11.
Oct 20      FAMILY HISTORY
                CLASS PRESENTATIONS & ESSAY DUE.
Oct 27 IDEOLOGY & HISTORY
                ZINN ESSAY DUE.
                FOOTNOTING SOFTWARE
                History Computer Lab [Atrium 127]
Nov 3       HISTORIOGRAPHY/HOW TO DO IT
                ANALYSIS/PROBLEMS
                *** DRAFT DUE.
Nov 10 DISCUSSION OF DRAFTS/WRITING/ORGANIZATION PROBLEMS
                FILM IN HISTORY
                FILM ESSAY DUE.
Nov 17 USING QUOTES
                Turabian, chap 5.
                DEMOGRAPHY/WRITING WITH NUMBERS
                Turabian, 25-38.
                ASSIGNMENT DUE.
Nov 24    NO CLASS - DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING.
Dec 1 SOCIAL HISTORY & ALL THAT JAZZ
                ORAL REPORTS ON INTERVIEWS & PAPER
                ***FINAL PAPER DUE.
Dec 8 ORAL REPORTS (con)
                ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE.
                HISTORIOGRAPHY ESSAY DUE - BLURBS DUE.
Dec 15 EXAM
                LAST DAY TO HAND IN CORRECTED PAPERS.

 

History 260: ASSIGNMENTS
1. RESEARCH PAPER:
For the research paper, you will choose a topic by selecting a question you want answered, present that topic to the class and be prepared to defend your choice of topic, write a formal proposal for the paper, interview someone having to do with the topic and use it in your paper, present progress reports to the class, give a short informal oral report on what you learned about your topic and research, and hand in the written paper which must be footnoted and include an annotated bibliography and a one page summary of the topic's historiography.

The research paper should be at least 2500 words long, but can be longer depending on your sources and time. It should include at least 5 sources if books are included, much more if the items are only articles. Some of the materials used should be primary sources. A research paper with less than the 5 books as sources will not be accepted. A research paper without primary sources will not be accepted.

HISTORIOGRAPHY AND ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ASSIGNMENT FOR THE RESEARCH PAPER:
Write a paragraph [blurb] on each source (book, article, document, film, etc.) that you use for your paper. Each paragraph should contain the name and type of source and state what the source said, how it helped you or not, and how the source fit into the historiography of the topic. These paragraphs must be used to compile the annotated bibliography that will be part of the research paper and used to write a page on the historiography of your topic which must also be turned in at the end of the term, Once you have finished using the blurbs, they must be turned in along with the Historiography essay. HOW TO DO THIS PART OF THE RESEARCH PAPER ASSIGNMENT WILL BE DISCUSSED IN CLASS.
 
2. Bibliography Assignment
Compile a bibliography for your topic. Your search for bibliographical sources must include a search of the Askew Library=s on-line catalog; a search of the internet for bibliographical references; and a search of AAmerica: History and LifeA (a compilation of articles on American History on CD-Rom) or its equivalent for European History. You must follow standard bibliography guidelines. See Turabian, chap. 9, 165-74, 283-86.
 
3. Tey Assignment
Read Josephine Tey, The Daughter of Time, and write a 250 word essay about what you learned about historical research. For example: What question did Alan Grant start out with? What steps did he take in pursuit of information? What would you have done differently? What does the novel tell you about the writing of history? There will be a class discussion on this, so late papers will not be accepted.
 
4. Samples of Primary Sources Assignment
Search for primary sources for your topic. This must include a search for printed primary sources (collections of documents, interviews, recollections, memoirs, letters, tapes, photos, statistics, etc.), and a search for the same type of primary sources on the internet. Bring in a primary source that you found and be prepared to discuss why it is a primary source and why it helps with your paper. This source must be used in your paper.
 
5. Proposal for Research Paper
Write a short summary of your topic, why it should be researched, and how you will do it. The proposal should include a preliminary list of sources on the topic, annotated to say how each source will help or to what area each source pertains. There will be an in-depth class discussion on how to do this assignment.
 
6. Document Assignment
Read the document that is handed out and analyze it without reading anything about it in any text or encyclopedia. Use your own judgment to analyze and interpret what it says, where it fits in historical context, why it was passed, what does it do, and what effect would it have or has had. Write all your ideas in a 250 word essay to hand in and discuss in class. Late papers will not be accepted.
 
7. Family History Assignment
Search for any family documents that tell your family=s history. Documents could include: birth, death, and marriage certificates, naturalization papers, military discharge papers, letters, postcards, photos, autograph albums, yearbooks, tickets, passports, baby shoes, diaries, etc., etc. Bring in a FEW items and make a class presentation about your family=s history with them. Write down a short summary of what you will say in class and hand it in. The talk should be about 5 minutes long. The presentation will be timed and cut short if it gets too long. So, prepare accordingly.
 
8. Zinn Assignment
Choose and read a chapter from Howard Zinn, Declarations of Independence. Write a one-page essay on what the main theme is, how he arrives at his conclusion, if you agree or not, and why he writes about that theme. You must tell me which chapter you will do your assignment on.
 
9. Draft Assignment
Write a first draft of your topic. Organize the facts and issues so that a reader can understand and make sense of what you say. Write every thing you have learned, whether your research is done or not. Writing what you know is a way of getting over writer=s block. It should be almost as long as the final paper, double-spaced with standard size type. There will be class discussion about this assignment.
 
10. Film Assignment
View the film AFatal Attraction,@ a 1987 film with Michael Douglas and Glenn Close. Write a 250 word essay, focusing on how the film portrays women and men=s roles, the family, the United States, and the world. Be prepared to discuss your views in class. Again, late papers will not be accepted.
 
11. Statistics/Numbers Assignment
Go to the library and look for any of the following:
United States: Statistical Abstract of the United States.
                      Historical Statistics of the United States.
                      Vital Statistics of the U.S.
International:   Mitchell, European Historical Statistics,1750-1950.
                      U.N., Statistical Yearbook.
Choose a chart or table of statistics. Make a copy to hand in with a paragraph or two explaining what the statistics are and what they tell you. Use some of the statistics in sentences to show what you mean. Be prepared to explain your assignment in class.
 
12. Interview Assignment
Interview someone with firsthand knowledge of your topic which can be incorporated into your paper. Discuss your interview along with the oral report on your paper. Hand in a tape cassette of the interview. A formal signed statement agreeing to the interview must be obtained from the person you question. A copy of that statement will be handed out to you and there will be a class session explaining about the interview process.

 

 

History 260: GUIDE TO FOOTNOTING

FOOTNOTES for the history papers should use the format shown in Turabian, chap 8, 117-64. The many footnote examples shown will answer most of your questions. There are more footnote examples in Turabian, chap 11, 184-213, however, you must only look at the footnotes labeled 'N' because chap 11 compares two footnote styles, the one labelled 'N' follows chap 8, the one labelled 'PR' follows chap 10 and is NOT, I Repeat, NOT to be used for history papers. Chap 11 also shows you the corresponding examples for the bibliography, labelled as 'B' and listed right after the 'N' examples. NOTE: a footnote reference should always have the author or editor along with the title.

REMEMBER: footnotes tell the reader where you got the information from. Whether you incorporate all your cites in a paragraph in one footnote or you put a footnote after each sentence depends on what you are saying. If your entire paragraph is based on many sources, all interwoven into a coherent whole, then you use one footnote at the end which tells the reader where each part of your discussion is based (see Turabian, 8.16, p. 121 here). The following is an example of how one footnote can incorporate all the sources for your paragraph, by telling the reader where the quote is found and where a specific argument in your paragraph comes from:

1This paragraph is based on Michael Rogin, Ronald Reagan, The Movie: and Other Stories in Political Demonology (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987), 193-234, quote is on p. 195; Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Eloquence in the Electronic Age (New York: Oxford University Press, 1988), 185-276; and James William Gibson, "The Return of Rambo: War and Culture in the Post-Vietnam Era," in America at Century's End, ed. Alan Wolfe (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991), 23-145. The idea of mass ideology is portrayed fully in William Adams, "Screen Wars: The Battle for Vietnam," Dissent 37 (Winter 1990): 65.

If parts of your paragraph come from different sources, you have the option of using separate footnotes within the paragraph. The manner in which you handle footnoting is up to you, but if you don't have software that makes it easy, opt for the easiest way.

NOTE THE SECTION ON ELECTRONIC SOURCES in Turabian, chap 8, 158-59. Remember, that if the internet information that you find indicates the actual source of an article or document, cite the original source and then indicate the web-site where it is also available. See especially footnotes 10 and 11 on page 159 for citing on-line sources. You may also see Michael O'Malley and Roy Rosenweig, "Brave New World or Blind Alley? American History on the World Wide Web," The Journal of American History 84 (June 1997):132-55.

SAMPLE FOOTNOTES:

        Turabian, A Manual for Writers, gives information on footnotes. Footnote 2 is an example of a footnote citing a book by one author. Note that the title is italicized if possible. If you can not italicize, underline the title as in the previous page. Footnote 3 is an example of a footnote citing the "same source of the previous reference." Note that it cites a quote which is quoted by the author. Footnote 4 is an example of articles in a journal. Note that some journals have only the year. Note the use of the semi-colon to separate sources when two or more are cited in one footnote. Footnote 5 is an example of an article in an anthology edited by two authors. Note the position of the editor's name and note that the footnote also contains a shortened reference of a previously cited work (see Turabian, 139-41).

       If your software does not create footnotes automatically, insert your notes at the end of your paper, usually on a separate page with a heading (see Turabian, chap 8, specifically 8.2 and 8.15). See example below:

Notes

1. Brenda McCallum, "Songs of Work and Songs of Worship: Sanctifying Black Unionism in the Southern City of Steel," New York Folklore 19 (1988): 20.

2. Ibid., 15-20.

3. Robbie Lieberman, "My Song is My Weapon": People's Songs, American Communism, and the Politics of Culture, 1930-50 (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1989), xix. The phrase "corrupt, mindless popular culture" is Lieberman's, but I use it here because I believe the phrase is accurate and telling, an indication of the Communist party's view of popular culture, which differs sharply from my own.

4. Billboard, 14 Nov 1946; Louis Jordan, "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens," Decca Records 23741.

5. George P. Rawick, From Sundown to Sunup (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1972), 98.

6. Steve Chapple and Reebee Garofalo, Rock 'n' Roll is Here to Pay (Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 1977), 243.

7. Lieberman, My Song is My Weapon, 23-28. See also Arnold Shaw, The Rockin' 50s (New York: Hawthorn Books, 1974), 162.

 

History 260: Compiling An Annotated Bibliography

Use Turabian, chapter 9 for information on how your list of sources should be treated in the bibliography. The main difference between the style of a footnote and that of a bibliography is that the sources in your bibliography are in alphabetical order. Chapter 11 has comparative examples of footnotes and bibliographic sources. Note that paragraph 9.36, on page 174, deals specifically with how to handle the comments that are included in an annotated bibliography. There is no set rule for how much you say or what you say. That is up to you. That is why you compile a list of blurbs of your sources, each source should have one "blurb" telling you what it dealt with, how well it did that, and anything else you found pertinent or wanted to say.

REMEMBER, that your comments on each book are designed to tell a reader what each source says or deals with. For example, in a research paper on the 1950s, one of your sources talks about the overall climate of the fifties, another deals with women's roles or the family, and yet another discusses how the fear of the A-Bomb led to much science fiction writing about the end of the world. The reader might want to know more about one aspect of your essay. Thus your annotated bibliography can guide readers to where they really want to go, so they can read only what interests them without having to pore over every book or article that you used in your essay.

The following is a sample of such a bibliography.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bebout, John E., and Ronald J. Grele. Where Cities Meet: The Urbanization of New Jersey. Princeton: D. Van
Nostrand Company, Inc., 1964.
This work gives a good overview of the growth and change of New Jersey=s cities and towns up to the 1960s.
Brandeis, Joseph. Immigrants to Freedom: Jewish Communities in Rural New Jersey Since 1882. Philadelphia: The
Jewish Publication Society of America, 1971.
A clearly written history that depicts the creation and growth of southern New Jersey towns and the problems immigrants face as they built their communities.
Brown, Linda Keller, and Patricia Vasilenko. ATime, Space, and Suburbanites: The Social-Spatial Structure of Essex, 
Union and Morris Counties in the Twentieth Century.@ In Cities of the Garden State, eds. Joel Schwartz and
Daniel Prosser, 85-108. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 1977.
This essay examines the process of urbanization in the Newark and its suburbs during the twentieth century. It is
required reading for an understanding of New Jersey urban growth.
 
Cohen, Lizabeth. "From Town Center to Shopping Center: The Reconfiguration of Community Marketplace in Postwar
America.@ American Historical Review 101 (Oct 1996): 1050-1081.
A comprehensive treatment of the growth of the Paramus shopping malls that depicts how this affected suburbanization, women's work roles, the downtown areas of local communities, and postwar American society. This essay is a valuable addition to the history of urbanization in New Jersey.
Cumbler, John T. A Social History of Economic Decline: Business, Politics, and Work in Trenton. New Brunswick:            Rutgers University Press, 1989.
This work explains why Trenton decayed during the sixties. It explores how state government policies worked to exacerbate racial change, economic downturns, and housing deterioration.
Curvin, Robert. "Black Ghetto Politics in Newark After World War II." In Cities of the Garden State, eds. Joel
Schwartz and Daniel Prosser, 145-60. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 1977.
A clear, concise essay which reveals the roots of racial change and racial politics in Newark, helping to explain the urban decay that occurred from the sixties on.

 

History 260: Writing the Historiography Assignment

The historiography assignment is an essay on the secondary sources that you used. You will discuss how those sources treat the topic. The second page of this handout is one way of doing the assignment. It discusses sources for an essay on New Jersey cities, by looking at how each source deals with its subject matter. For example, one can write about black politics in Newark without conveying how black involvement in politics affects the city, i.e., demands for public housing during the fifties and sixties may lead to black/white conflict, changing neighborhoods, or white flight from the city, etc., etc. The sample has brief comments on each source, but as a whole historiographical essays can be lengthy. Your essay, however, should be at least 250 words in length, and no shorter please.

Another way of doing the essay is by noting the different interpretations of a topic over time. This is usually done when all the sources are on generally the same thing, rather than the different sources on New Jersey used in the sample. An example might be "The Korean War." With this topic, you can discuss how each historian from the 1950s on interpreted the war--was it necessary?, was it Truman's fault?, or was it a CIA plot?, etc. and when was each interpretation in vogue or who put forth which one?, etc. Another way would be to look at what each book dealt with: military strategy, politics on the home front, the soldiers lot, and on and on. The ways of writing such an essay are endless, it only depends on your topic, the nature of its literature, and you.

REMEMBER, THIS ASSIGNMENT SHOULD BE DONE FROM YOUR BLURBS AS WELL.
THAT IS WHY YOU COMPILED THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE.

NOTE THAT THE ENTIRE CITATION OF EACH SOURCE IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE SAMPLE. In this case it is not needed because your historiography essay accompanies an annotated bibliography. However, if it did not, you would incorporate all the information on each book (author, title, publication information) either within the sentence or in a footnote at the bottom of the page or at the back of the essay. But because your bibliography accompanies the essay, you do not have to include all the usual stuff.

Sample of how to deal with the historiography assignment:

 

HISTORIOGRAPHY ON URBAN NEW JERSEY

        The sources for my essay on urban New Jersey deal with many different aspects of the urban experience. The literature covers topics such as urban growth, ethnic and racial communities, government policies, shopping malls, and suburbanization. These historical works also cover different locations, ranging from the south Jersey towns to Bergen County, and from Trenton to Newark.

        Bebout and Grele, Where Cities Meet, is a good overview of urban New Jersey up to the 1960s, however it does not examine specific cities nor the implications of continuous growth fueled by the urbanization and suburbanization process. Brandeis, Immigrants to Freedom, manages to portray the dynamism that is implicit in the creation of communities, depicting people, policies, religion, and the ongoing growth and change in Jewish towns in South Jersey. Taken together, the articles by Brown and Vasilenko and by Lizabeth Cohen portray how the North New Jersey landscape changed as the suburbs spread out from Newark and New York City. Brown and Vasilenko, ATime, Space, and Suburbanites,@ dealt specifically with Newark, while Cohen, AFrom Town Center to Shopping Center,@ on the other hand, concentrated on how the Paramus shopping malls affected the Bergen County suburbs of Paramus, Hackensack, and Fairlawn. Both, however, convey the racial, gender, legal, and economic effects of suburban growth. Cumbler, A Social History of Economic Decline: Business, Politics, and Work in Trenton, and Curvin, ABlack Ghetto Politics in Newark After World War II,@ concentrate on politics, the economy, and race without mentioning how these affected urban life. Neither work tells a reader how the quality of life changed within these cities.

        Except for the essays by Brown and Vasilenko and by Cohen, studies of New Jersey cities focus mainly on town creation, politics, and race, and largely ignore the interaction between urban decay and suburban growth. More research is needed on the decline of New Jersey cities and its effect on the suburbs of the state.

 

History 260: GUIDE TO INTERVIEWING

REMEMBER: The person being interviewed shapes the interview. The interviewer (the one who asks the questions) merely assists the respondent.
1. The interviewer should have a general knowledge of the subject to be explored.
           a) can't guide an interview along without some information.
           b) can't tell or judge the info you are getting.
 
2. Tell the interviewee the purpose of the interview, what will be covered, and what will be done with the info supplied.
a) be sure to get the signed permission statement.
3. Try to have a preliminary contact before the interview or spend some time before the actual interview begins, especially if it is not a family member.
 
4. Ask broad questions that get the subject to talk on and on. Don't ask questions that elicit yes or no answers.
 
5. Be a good listener. Learn from your respondent. Note where you have to interject a question or reminder.
 
6. Be objective. Don't accept all at face value, ask follow up questions.
 
7. If the respondent sounds biased, the interviewer can take the opposite side to draw out more of a response.
 
8. Save tough questions for later, for when the respondent is relaxed.
 
9. Jot down some notes or questions as the interview progresses. Note the correct spelling of names.
 
10. Keep questions simple, without asking for too much detail. Don't rush them. If they digress, bring them back gently.
 
11. Test your recorder before the interview. Listen to the tape soon afterwards while it is fresh in you mind. See if follow-up
questions are needed, either in person or by phone.
 
12. Never show disrespect. Never harm, never insult. Special handling is required.