http://www.lib.MUOhio.Edu/~presnejl/hst281/281home.html
email:presnejl@muohio.edu
Information about the course
Objectives
Texts and Readings
Attendence/Activities/Exercises
Requirements/GradingOffice Hours : Generally 8-5. Feel free to stop in. You might want to call first.
The purpose of this course is to acquaint second- and third-year history students
with the basics of historical research and prepare them for research in upper level
history courses. The students will be able to:
Readings will be placed on reserve or available through the Internet.
Attendence is expected. We will be exchanging research experiences in class. In addition
each class often builds on previous classes.
During class time we will visit Miami University Archives and the Walter Havighurst
Special Collections. A possible, optional, outside of class field trip could be planned
to include a trip to the Cincinnati Historical Society, the Procter and Gamble Archives,
and/or possibly the U.S. Playing Card Museum. Extent of the trip will depend on the
interest and availability of the members of the class and of these institutions.
Exercises/Activities/Readings 30 Internet and Historians Paper 20 Class Discussion/ Participation 10 Primary Evidence Paper 20 Final Test/Quiz 20
August 25 (King Library 110)
Introduction to course. Scholarly communication and historical evidence.
Readings:
*Kirkham. How Information is Communicated on reserve
Winks. Historian as Detective ch. 1 on reserve
August 30 (King Library 110)
Secondary Sources: finding books; MiamiLINK, OhioLINK, Worldcat.
Readings:
*Bakewell. "How to Let Your Fingers Do the Walking" on reserve
Sanville." How a Library Computer Network Operates: the Ohio Model" on reserve
Exercise Due 9/1
September 1 (King Library 110)
Secondary Sources: Identifying and locating scholarly journal articles using electronic sources and Boolean searching.
Readings:
Frick. History: Illustrated Search Strategy and Sources, Ch7 on reserve
Exercise with indexes bibliography Due 9/7.
September 7 (King Library 110)
The Internet, Electronic information and Historical Sources
Readings:
Gralla. How the Internet Works. ch 1-5, 13-15, 27 on reserve
*McMichael, Andrew, Michael O'Malley, and Roy Rosenzweig. Historians and the Web: A Guide.
*O'Malley, Michael and Roy Rosenzweig. Brave New World or Blind Alley: History on the World Wide Web.
Smith, Carl. Can You do Serious History on the Web
September 8 (King Library 110)
The Internet, electronic information and Historical Sources, part II
September 13 (King Library Poetry Reading Room, 2nd floor)
Primary Sources -- identification, location and methods of organization..
Readings:
Brundage. Going to the Sources, ch 2. on reserve
*Historians Sources (Library of Congress)
*Locating Primary Sources
Exercise due 9/15
September 15 (Walter Havighurst Special Collections--3rd floor King)
Visit Special Collections
Readings:
*Hitt. "In the Franklin Factory." on reserve
*Walter Havighurst Special Collections
September 20 (King Library Poetry Reading Room, 2nd floor)
Periodicals as Primary Sources. (Pooles Index, Readers Guide and the American Periodical Series).
Newspapers as Primary Sources
Readings: Lutzker. Research Projects for College Students., ch 7 on reserve
Exercise due 9/27
September 27 (King Library Poetry Reading Room, 2nd floor)
Using the Internet for Primary Resources
September 29 (King Library Poetry Reading Room, 2nd floor)
Other Primary Sources -- locating and using manuscript and archival collections.
Readings.
Lutzker. ch 8. on reserve
Primary Sources Bibliography and Exercise due 10/4
October 4 (Withrow Court)
Visit Miami University Archives
Readings:
*Miami University Archives
October 6 (King Library Poetry Reading Room, 2nd floor)
Review of primary sources.
Discussion of Papers
October 11 (King Library Poetry Reading Room, 2nd floor)
Reference resources for history: Encyclopedias, almanacs, atlases, chronologies, statistics, biography and book reviews.
Readings:
Frick, chs 1, 6, 9 and 11. on reserve
Exercise with Bibliography of Sources due
October 13
Test/quiz -- may be out of class
Class summary