History 200: The History Workshop (Undergraduate seminar on Historical Theory and Methods)
Course Description
The purpose of this course is to acquaint you with how fascinating it is, and also with how hard it is, to research and write a compelling work of history. The course will be divided into three thematic modules:
· Module 1: Going deep into a specific historical controversy: The decision to drop the atomic bomb
· Module 2: The epistemology of history: An ethereal tale fraught with skullduggery and suspense
· Module 3: Peer review: The checks and balances of an outsider’s perspective
By the end of the course, my goal is for you to have made substantial progress in the following areas:
· Researching
How to turn a broad topic into a productive research question or hypothesis
Acquire a sense of what constitutes good and bad evidence
Awareness of the broad range of sources available to anyone who wants to write about the past: print, media, online, primary, secondary
What kinds of skills and habits of mind characterize a good researcher
· Writing
Understand what constitutes weak or persuasive argumentation
Become acquainted with how many kinds of historical writing there are
Understand what constitutes elegant writing, gripping narration
What “works” and what doesn’t in organizing a paper
The degree to which historical writing – even by a single author – is a collaborative effort
· Thinking
Clear grasp of the wide variety of conceptual approaches that are open to us in thinking about the past
Achieve mastery of a historiographical debate; understand the general features of that historiography that apply to most other historical topics as well
Understand how the “framing” itself of the historian’s questions arises out of a particular historical context; explore how those framings evolve over time and vary across cultures
Understand how complex the concept of historical “truth” is
Be able to give a coherent account of what constitutes objectivity in the writing of history
Grasp how other disciplines, and theories from other fields, can help us ask better questions
Understand that history is a living thing, and not ever really “finished”
Appreciate the role historical thinking plays in shaping our everyday attitudes and lives
Understand what is distinctive about the practice of history, as compared with other disciplines
* * * * *
Readings
– Michael Bess, Choices Under Fire: Moral Dimensions of World War II (Knopf, 2006)
– Joyce Appleby, Lynn Hunt, and Margaret Jacob, Telling the Truth About History (Norton, 1994)
Assignments, Grading
You should ALWAYS finish each day’s assigned reading before class meets on Monday or Wednesday. In order to carry out a satisfying discussion, it is essential that all students come to class well-prepared to contribute their thoughts and observations on the readings. I encourage you to take notes on the readings as you go along; this will also help you considerably when you are writing your research paper. Part of your final grade in the course will be based on the degree to which I see that you have prepared for class participation in this manner.
Each student will be asked to choose one class session during the semester in which he or she will start off the discussion with a 10 minute analytical report on that day’s reading.
There will be no examinations in this course. Written assignments will include a one-page topic proposal for your research paper, an 8-10 page research paper, fourteen one-page (single-spaced) peer reviews of the first drafts of the research papers written by your fellow students; a revised version (8-10 pages) of your research paper; and a final one-page reflective essay on what you have learned in this course. Late assignments will be penalized at the rate of 5% per day. Peer review essays will receive no credit if they are handed in late.
Semester grades will be determined according to the following percentages:
Discussion participation and oral presentations: 15%
Topic proposal paper (1 page) 7%
Research paper, first polished (not rough!) draft: 25%
1-page peer reviews: 2% each x 14 = 28%
Research paper, revised draft: 20%
1-page “What have I learned?” essay: 5%
All assignments for this course will be governed by Vanderbilt’s honor code. Please read carefully the description of the honor code in the student handbook and the section on plagiarism in the handout on writing for this course. If you have any questions about this very important matter, please come and discuss them with me.
* * * * *
Course Schedule
Module 1
Going deep into a specific historical controversy:
The decision to drop the atomic bomb
Week 1
Wednesday, Jan. 10 — Intro and overview; discuss topic proposal assignment; start discussing atomic bomb. Pick class sessions for which each student will start off class discussion with a 10-15 minute presentation on that day’s reading
Week 2
Monday, Jan. 15 — Discuss Choices Under Fire, Introduction, chapters 1, 2
Wednesday, Jan. 17 — Discuss Choices Under Fire, chapters 5, 9
Week 3
Monday, Jan. 22 — Discuss Choices Under Fire, chapter 10
First paper due: topic proposal (1 page single-spaced): Monday, Jan. 22
Wednesday, Jan. 24 — no class: meet with me about research paper topics; revise topic proposal
Week 4
Monday, Jan. 29 — no class: meet with me about research paper topics; revise topic proposal
Wednesday, Jan. 31 — Bring 15 copies of revised topic proposal to class; discuss each topic briefly together as a class
Week 5
Monday, Feb. 5 — Discuss Choices Under Fire, chapters 11, 12, Conclusion
Wednesday, Feb. 7 — Discuss Wired article on Wikipedia and Wikipedia article on “Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki”
Week 6
Monday, Feb. 12 — Discuss the Wikipedia Discussion Page entries (including archives 1-8) on the Wikipedia article on “Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki”
Module 2
The epistemology of history:
An ethereal tale fraught with skullduggery and suspense
Wednesday, Feb. 14 — Discuss Telling the Truth About History, Introduction, chapter 1
Week 7
Monday, Feb. 19 — Discuss Telling the Truth About History, chapters 2, 3
Wednesday, Feb. 21 — Discuss Telling the Truth About History, chapters 4, 5
Week 8
Monday, Feb. 26 — Discuss Telling the Truth About History, chapter 6
Wednesday, Feb. 28 — Discuss Telling the Truth About History, chapters 7, 8
Week 9
Spring Break
Week 10
Monday, March 12 — Ten-minute presentations on the historiography/epistemology of your research project; discussion. Draw lots for days for peer review of your papers, Weeks 12-15
Wednesday, March 14 — Ten-minute presentations on the historiography/epistemology of your research project; discussion
Week 11
Monday, March 19 — Ten-minute presentations on the historiography/epistemology of your research project; discussion
Module 3
Peer review:
The checks and balances of an outsider’s perspective
Wednesday, March 21 — Paper swap. First polished draft of your research paper (8-10 pages) due. Please bring one double-spaced, one-sided copy for me and 14 single-spaced double-sided copies for your classmates
Week 12
Monday, March 26 — In-class peer review of two students’ research papers. (Each student hands in 1-page peer review of the two papers under discussion today. No late peer reviews accepted.)
Wednesday, March 28 — In-class peer review of two students’ research papers. (Each student hands in 1-page peer review of the two papers under discussion today. No late peer reviews accepted.)
Week 13
Monday, April 2 — In-class peer review of two students’ research papers. (Each student hands in 1-page peer review of the two papers under discussion today. No late peer reviews accepted.)
Wednesday, April 4 — In-class peer review of two students’ research papers. (Each student hands in 1-page peer review of the two papers under discussion today. No late peer reviews accepted.)
Week 14
Monday, April 9 — In-class peer review of two students’ research papers. (Each student hands in 1-page peer review of the two papers under discussion today. No late peer reviews accepted.)
Wednesday, April 11 — In-class peer review of two students’ research papers. (Each student hands in 1-page peer review of the two papers under discussion today. No late peer reviews accepted.)
Week 15
Monday, April 16 — In-class peer review of two students’ research papers. (Each student hands in 1-page peer review of the two papers under discussion today. No late peer reviews accepted.)
Wednesday, April 18 — In-class peer review of two students’ research papers. (Each student hands in 1-page peer review of the two papers under discussion today. No late peer reviews accepted.)
Week 16
Monday, April 23 — Closing discussion: What have I learned? What are the key methodological and practical problems we’ve encountered this semester?
* One-page single-spaced response paper due, Monday April 23: What have I learned?
* Revised research paper due in Bess’s mailbox in History Dept., by 3 pm, Thursday, April 26