His 2500 Spring 2004, Coleman 2741

EIU, Dr. Newton Key, 3:30 TR

• Lanham, Richard A. Revising Prose, 4th ed. New York: Longman, 2000.
• Marius, Richard and Melvin E. Page. A Short Guide to Writing About History, 4th ed. New York: Longman, 2002.

1. To develop the ability to assess and think critically about historical issues and how people interpret those issues.
2. To develop familiarity with various sources and the conventions of citing those sources in historical writing.
3. To develop skills in analyzing historical data and reaching informed conclusions about those data.

Ground rules:

• The roots of the word history reach back through Anglo-Saxon to the ancient Greek term histor, which means `a wise an learned person,' and even further back to the Sanskrit word for knowledge. In modern English, history is the cousin of story. The study of history therefore is the gathering of human wisdom through stories. The content of history is an evolving mosaic of the human experience. For the history student, this accumulation of stories translates into a lot of reading. –David Pace and Sharon L. Pugh, Studying for History (New York, 1996), 86
• This course is assignment-driven. Not only are there a large number of assignments, class time shall be used occasionally to meet and work on assignments at Booth Library, and class discussions shall focus on techniques and sources covered in the assignments. This is not a lecture class. This is a lab class; there will be no final exam.
• You must not be afraid to have your writing criticized in class nor to criticize other's work. This is part of the historical method: historians critique each other's papers. It is called "peer review."
• All assignments for this class must be typed (except as noted). Most are 2-3 pages. Submit all assignments (except bibliographies) double-spaced. All papers should be stapled (no clips or plastic binders). There should be few or no typographical errors. Proofread all your work (corrections in ink are fine) before submitting. Keep a copy (either hard copy or on disk) of all assignments turned in. (Anyone with a documented disability should let me know the first week of class so that we can make appropriate accommodations.)
• Grading: Writing Assignments, except #11 (50%); Assignment #11 (30%); Participation (including in-class writing and formatting/citation quizzes 20%). Late assignments deducted 1/3 grade per day (e.g. B, late one day = B-); Two-to-three classes missed will probably not effect your participation grade (except weeks 2 or 15), more than three probably will (given this flexibility I do not accept "excused" absences). Any modifications to this syllabus will be announced and posted on the website.
• This semester, because of an exhibit and series of lectures at Booth Library, the course will focus on the movie Elizabeth (1998). You will be asked to learn about the Elizabethan world, write a critique or new scene for the film, and develop an area of expertise in which you will develop a bibliography and write a brief research paper.

Writing history is about making decisions. Historians choose from a broad range of subjects, selecting those they think are most important. They choose source materials carefully, assessing evidence that may support or contradict their arguments. And they choose ways to write, balancing respect for their subjects with the needs of their audience. –William Keller Storey, Writing History: A Guide for Students (Oxford, 1999), 1