Course Description

This one-credit-hour SPRINT course is designed to prepare students of history to perform basic historical research. You will learn to use MiamiLink, electronic historical periodical indexes, the internet and the world of historical information resources efficiently. You will also learn to locate, identify, and evaluate primary sources.

Course Requirements

Each class will consist of learning a series of basic research skills that build upon each other. There will be daily exercises to practice these skills. Many times there will be class time to work on these exercises. Your skills will culminate in the construction of a limited portfolio, which will demonstrate your abilitly to use these new-found skills. In addition, there will be two short opinion/reaction papers (3-5 pages) on certain aspects of how other historians have conducted historical research.

Basic Descirption of Assignments:

• Exercises and Quizes. Worksheets and short answer tests to practice skills learned in class and in the readings. Worksheets/exercises will not be graded, exactly, but will be assigned a series of points -- 4 for well done, 3 for good try but lacking some understaning, 2 for completion, and 0 for not trying. Credit is given only for exercises turned in on time and completed. Late exercises will not be accepted except by arrangement with the teacher.
• Journal Referee Paper. To be published journal articles must be reviewed by scholars in the field to judge their fitness for publication. A number of years ago, the Journal of American History, showed their referee, or review process, to much controversy. You will get to react to the process.
• Primary Evidence Paper. Historians research is based upon primary sources, which they use to draw conclusions. Sometimes historians can use the same evidence and come to some very different conclusions (as well as proverbial "verbal blows"). You will have a selection of such examples to examine in a 5 page reaction paper, discussing how you as a reasearcher would handle your selected controversy.
• Final Exam. In class activity to put together all of the skills you have learned. You will be given a topic and be asked to find resources and evaluate resources that contain useful information for that topic.

Grading

Exercises and Quizes	50%
Journal Referee Paper	10%
Primary Evidence Paper	20%
Final	20%

 

Syllabus

Book for the course is in manuscript form: The Information Literate Historian: A Research Primer for Students. Chapters will be linked in .pdf form from the class blackboard page. Readings are due the day of class. Exercises will be worked on in class, but due in the next.

August 25

Introduction and discussion of history as a discipline
Readings: Chapter1

August 30

Finding Books
Read: Introduction and Chapter 3
Exercise. due next class

September 1

Quiz on Chapters 1 and 3
Finding Journals articles and using Indexes
Read Chapter 4
Exercise. due next class

September 7

Using the Internet
Read Chapter 7
Exercise. due next class

September 8

Quiz on Chapter 4, 5 and 7
Evaluation of Sources
Read Chapter 5
Exercise. History Behind the News, due next class

September 13

Introduction to Reference Resources
Read Chapters 2 and 8
Exercise. due Sept 20th

September 15

Introduction to Primary Resources
Read Chapter 6, pages 1-7

September 20

Visit Special Collections
No readings
No exercise

September 22

Journal Referee Paper Due
Discuss Journal Referee Papers
Books as Primary Sources
Read Chapter 6 pages 8-17
Exercise. due next class

September 27

Periodicals as Primary Resources
Read Chapter 6, pages 8-17
Exercise. due next class

September 29

Manuscripts and unpublished primary sources
Read Chapter 6, pages 17-end.
Exercise. due next class

October 4

Visit University Archives
Withow Court

October 6

SAILS
Discussion of upcoming assignments

October 11

Summation of Primary Sources
Inclass exercise

October13

Primary Evidence Paper. Paper Due at the beginning of class
In Class Final