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. worksheets to practice skills learned in class. Worksheets/exercises will not be graded, but looked at by the instructors to help you to understand what you are learning. Credit is given for exercises turned in on time and completed. They will be part of your portfolio.
• 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. More details will be on the blackboard site under assignments.
• Reference Exercise. You will have to use reference resources to explain the text of a short primary source, such as a letter or document. More details on the blackboard site.
• 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. More details on the blackboard site under assignments.
• Portfolio. a collection of your work. Your portfolio will collect your exercises, as well as take a new topic -- of your choice -- and show your skills in finding and organizing information. You may use a topic that you are researching for another class, as long as it is historically related. Many of your exercises will provide opportuniites for you to begin looking for information.

Grading

Exercises	10%
Journal Referee Paper	10%
Reference Exercise	10%
Primary Evidence Paper	20%
Portfolio	40%

 

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 27	Introduction and discussion of History as a discipline
September 2	Finding Books Read Introduction and Chapters 1 and 3 Exercise. due next class
September 3	Finding Journals articles and using Indexes Read Chapter 4 Exercise. due next class
September 8	Using the Internet Read Chapter 7 Exercise. due next class
September 10	Evaluation of Sources Read Chapter 5 Exercise. due next class
September 15	Introduction to Reference Resources Read Chapters 2 and 8 Exercise. due next class
September 17	Visit Special Collections and Discuss Journal Referee Papers No readings No exercise.
September 22	Introduction to Primary Resources Read Chapter Exercise. due next class
September 24	Periodicals as Primary Resources Read Chapter 6, section on published sources (through pp. 16) Exercise. due next class
September 29	Manuscripts and unpublished primary sources Read Chapter 6, remaining pages Exercise. due next class
October 1	Visit to University Archives View History Dectives Video Clips Exercise. due next class
October 6	Discuss web design and Portfolio project Read Chapter 9
October 8	Discussion of Primary Evidence Paper. Paper Due at the beginning of class
October 13	In class time to work on Portfolio -- or time for us to catch up. If you miss this class points will be deducted from your portfolio project.
October 15	Evaluation and Participation in SAILS project. Portfolios due.