ResearchandWritingf05

Office Hours: M 11 a.m.-12 p.m., 3-4 p.m., W 11 a.m.-12 p.m., 3-5 p.m., F 11 a.m.-12 p.m., and by appointment.
work telephone: 581-2949
e-mail: dougc@cameron.edu

What is this Course About?

The Big Picture.
What do historians do? How do they do what they do? For what reasons do they do the things they do? These questions are at the heart of this course and by the end of the term it is my hope that each of you will have developed your own answers for each one. While not all of you plan to become professional historians, understanding and mastering for yourselves the intellectual skills that historians use will serve you well as history majors and in whatever future direction you may choose to pursue in life.

It is said that, given the current degree of flux in the economy, most of us will change jobs multiple times in the course of our lives. I would suggest to you that the person most prepared for this environment is not the person with a set of skills that is in demand now but may not be in the future. Rather, the person who is probably most prepared to meet the challenges of this world is able to define and approach problems readily, to think critically and creatively about those problems, interpret complex information in a variety of forms, write and otherwise communicate solutions clearly and with precision and detail, and is able to see the bigger picture of which his or her work is a part. In this class you will work to improve your mastery of all of these tasks and skills. As a history major you are preparing for many futures, not just one, and after finishing this course you will be closer to having the ability to meet with confidence whatever comes your way. This is why I am always particularly excited to be teaching this course, because it is as much about possibilities and potential and it is about intellectual endeavor.

The Nitty Gritty Stuff.
In general this will be a practical course driven by particular exercises and projects as opposed to a course whose focus is on mastering a body of knowledge about a particular time and place (e.g. the English Civil War or the Great Depression era). Having said that, I have framed the course a bit by making its theme the Atlantic world between 1400 and 1900 in order to make our work this term more manageable.

We start the term with a brief introduction to what historians do and to the Atlantic world. Then we move on to two specific studies of different parts of the Atlantic world, Ecuador, c. 1600, and New England, c. 1700-1800. As we come to grips with these two studies (or monographs as historians term them) we will also consider more carefully what kinds of sources there are and how to interpret and use them. Along the way I will introduce you to the mechanics of bibliography and footnotes and give you opportunities to interpret some actual sources. With the knowledge that you have gained from these discussions and exercises you will then write three papers: a book review, a bibliographic essay, and an analytical source essay, which are the main papers for the course. We will then conclude the course with a unit on recent controversies in historical work and you will present the results of your final paper, the source analytical essay. The last week of the regular term will also give you the chance to see who the other faculty are who comprise the CU History Program. This is a sizeable amount of work, but if we work together you can all be successful.

Required Reference Works:
Richard Marius and Melvin E. Page, A Short Guide to Writing About History, fifth edition (New York: Longman, 2005)

Requirements:
Course work consists of three major elements: attendance and participation in discussion and activities, informal writings, and formal writings (i.e. papers).

1. Attendance and Discussion (90): I cannot stress enough that timely attendance and regular participation in discussion and other classroom activities will count heavily in your grade and that effective participation almost always improves performance in the pressure situations. I will gauge attendance and participation on a daily basis.

2. Informal Writings (50): I will assign short writing exercises to help focus our discussions and to prepare you for major assignments. The emphasis in these assignments will vary from paper to paper. For each informal writing you can earn participation credit. See under credit for participation for their precise value in the marking scheme.

3. In-Class Source Analytical Essays (50): These will ask you to apply your skills in analyzing primary and secondary sources after you have had some practice with these skills and are a mandatory part of the course.

4. Presentation (50): Each of you will need to make a ten-minute presentation of the results of your work during the scheduled final examination period for this course.

5. Credit for Participation: For each day you attend class and participate you can earn up to 5 points. You can earn up to 50 points for the 5 Informal Writings, and 50 points for the 2 In-Class Source Analytical Essays, and 50 points for the Presentation. Thus, you have a potential for earning 244 points. I hold you responsible for 200 points, meaning that you need at least 180 points for an A in participation, 160 for a B, 140 for a C, and 120 for a D. Below 120 points is a failing mark in participation.

Papers (550 Points):You will have to write one short and two longer, formal essays for this course: a book review, a bibliographic essay and a research paper. All papers must be typed and the second paper will involve a rough draft. You must turn in a rough draft that is substantially equivalent in length to the final paper you intend to turn in. The book review (500-600 words) will be worth 75 points; the bibliographic paper (6-8 pages) will be worth 175 points, and the research paper (10 pages) will be worth 300 points and will focus on some aspect of 17th-century Newfoundland. Of that 300 points, 30 will be given for turning in a rough draft of at least 7 full pages in length, with reductions of 5 points for each page less than the full 7 pages. All papers are to be typed, double-spaced and in Times Roman 12-pt. font. They must also be appropriately footnoted in each case (please see me if you have any doubts on this matter as footnoting is crucial in this course). Due dates for the papers are listed below. General guidelines for papers are available by clicking the hypertext in this sentence. You can access specific guidelines for each of these projects by looking for the due date of each paper below, where you will find hyperlinks that will take you to a page containing additional information needed to write the various papers.

Calculation of your mark: In this course 750 points is a perfect score. Thus an A requires a minimum of 675 points, a B at least 600 points, a C at least 525 points, a D at least 450 points. Anyone earning less than 450 points fails the course and earns a mark of F.

Classroom Environment: Talking to your classmates or others outside the context of classroom activities is rude and will not be tolerated. Reading outside materials, listening to music, taking telephone calls on your cell phone, and similar non-class related activities are equally unacceptable. I expect all students to be respectful of one another's right to speak and express opinions. Disagreements and different viewpoints are welcome, but debates should not involve insults. Finally, food and drink are permitted in class as long as courtesy is observed; e.g. if you haven't quite finished your cup of coffee, do bring it along to class, but turning the classroom into a cafeteria is not permissible.

Attendance: As noted above, regular attendance is crucial to your success in this class. If you miss class regularly, your grade will suffer. I would also like to note that frequent lateness in coming to class and frequent early departures will also be penalized as these habits are rude to your fellow classmates and to me as the instructor. I will take attendance daily in this class and an absence is an absence and will be counted as such.

Preparation: All assignments for a given day, whether reading or writing, are to be completed before the class meets on that day. I also recommend that you take notes as you read and during lectures and discussions as this will make studying for the quizzes and writing the papers for the class less of a challenge.

Late Formal Writings/Papers: The following policy applies to all late papers for this course that will receive a letter grade, with the exception of the Research Paper, which must be turned in by 6:30 p.m. on day of the scheduled final examination period for this course to receive credit. All papers other than the Research Paper that are submitted at any time on the day that the paper is due will be considered on time (keep in mind that submission of a paper means you give it to me in person). Papers submitted after that date, no matter what the reason may be, will be automatically marked down one grade. You will then have seven days from the original due date to turn in the paper. If in that time you are unable to complete and submit the work, the paper will receive a zero.

Late Informal Writings: No late informal writings will be accepted, so don't ask. Remember, though, that your participation grade is a composite of your performance in class and your marks on informal writings and I have designed the grading system to allow you a "head start." Thus, as long as you manage to achieve the necessary points for participation, it will not matter to me how you do so. Although I will obviously keep track of what you do by way of participation, I would advise you to remain aware of where you stand for yourself so that you know whether or not you are achieving the level of participation for which you are hoping to receive credit.

Missed Quizzes and Examinations: There are no make-ups for any quizzes or in-class essays given as part of this course or for the final presentation. In addition, as noted below, there are substantial penalties for failing to take the in-class essays. Please make a note of this.

Academic Dishonesty: As per Section 4.07 of the CU Student Handbook: "Each student is expected to engage in all academic pursuits in a manner that is above reproach. Students are expected to maintain complete honesty and integrity in the academic experiences both in and out of the classroom. Any student found guilty of academic dishonesty… will be subject to disciplinary action." For examples of academic dishonesty please see the full version of Section 4.07 at: http://www.cameron.edu/student_development/student_conduct/academic.html

Among the most serious offenses a student can commit is plagiarism, which is the representation of the work of another as your own. In all of the writing you do for this course you must make clear to me which ideas in a paper are your own and which come from someone else. This is especially important for any formal essays you write. In such essays you must cite all primary and secondary sources you use in accordance with the proper conventions. Instructions on the basics of citation may be found under the general guidelines for papers, before any formal essays come due. If for some reason you do not choose to examine this page, know that you will not be exempt from following its guidelines. In cases of plagiarism, the Department of History and Government at CU follows the plagiarism policy in the current "Student Handbook," as described in Sections 4.07 and 4.08 of the CU Code of Student Conduct. Penalties for plagiarism as defined by the Student Code of Conduct include:

1) The student may be required to perform additional academic work/project not required of other students in the course;

2) The student may be required to withdraw from the course with a grade of "W" or "F"; or

3) The student's grade in the course or on the examination or other academic work affected by the dishonesty may be reduced to any extent, including a reduction to failure.

Please heed this warning as I am quite serious about it.

Disability Statement: Cameron University is committed to making its activities as accessible as possible. The University provides a range of special services for those with disabilities. If you anticipate a need for any of those services, please contact the Cameron University Disabled Student Services office, located in 314 N. Shepler, 2800 W. Gore Blvd., Lawton, Oklahoma 73505-6377. Phone: (580) 581-2209.
Website for this office:

http://www.cameron.edu/sss/disability.html#1727.

Course Component	Component Point Value
Participation	200
1 Book Review	75
1 Bibliographic Essay	175
1 Research Paper	300
Total of All Categories	750

Date	List of Topics	Readings, Assignments, and Activities
8-24	Introduction & Get Acquainted & the Origins of the Atlantic World & The Essence of History	Read (to review): Curtin, 3-16; A Short Guide, Chapter 1.
8-31	Africa and the Atlantic Islands, Portugal and Spain in the Americas, the Emergence of an Atlantic World, & the Basic Standards for Historical Writing	Read: Curtin, 17-110 & A Short Guide, Chapter 2 Turn In: Informal Writing #1
9-7	The Atlantic Economy, c. 1700-1800, Revolutions in the Atlantic World, Thinking in Historical Terms & Classifying Sources	Read: Curtin, 113-169; Quito 1599, 22-51; & A Short Guide, Chapters 3-4 Turn In: Informal Writing # 2
9-14	Two Different Corners of the Atlantic World: Quito and Newfoundland 1 & The Tradition of Source Critique	Read: Quito 1599, 52-112 & Fish into Wine, 1-78
9-21	Two Different Corners of the Atlantic World: Quito and Newfoundland	Read: Quito 1599, 151-234 & Fish into Wine, 79-160 Meet: at CU Library Turn In: Informal Writing #3
9-28	Newfoundland through the Late Seventeenth Century	Read: Fish into Wine, 194-305, 349-438 Turn In: Informal Writing #4
10-5	Bibliography and Footnotes & Rules for Effective Writing	Read: A Short Guide, Chapters 5-8 Turn In: Book Review of Pope or Lane (can be turned in on 10/7 for full credit)
10-12	Effective Research Strategies for the Library	Turn In: Draft of Bibliographic Essay Meet: at CU Library
10-19	Using Your Sources and Expanding on Them 1	Pick Up: Draft of Bibliographic Essay; Turn In: Informal Writing #5
10-26	Using Your Sources and Expanding on Them 2	Turn In: Bibliographic Essay
11-2	Draft Critique Day--In Class Peer Review	Turn In: draft of Research Paper
11-9		Pick Up: instructor-corrected draft of Research Paper
11-16	Assessment Essays	Write: In-Class Source Analytical Essays: Attendance Mandatory (1 grade reduction from Research Paper mark for failure to attend)
11-23		Thanksgiving--NO CLASS
11-30	Please Note: Attendance on this day is not required. Only those planning to turn in a draft of their paper need attend class unless they have made other arrangements with me.	Writing Day--NO CLASS Turn In: optional draft of Research Paper
12-7	Draft Discussion Day	Discuss: optional draft of Research Paper
12-14	Final Research Presentations	Turn In: Research Paper by 6:30 p.m.

History 2133 - Fall 2005
Introduction to Historical Research and Writing

What is this Course About?

General Policies:

Schedule of Readings, Topics, Assignments, and Activities

History 2133 - Fall 2005 Introduction to Historical Research and Writing

What is this Course About?

General Policies:

Schedule of Readings, Topics, Assignments, and Activities

History 2133 - Fall 2005
Introduction to Historical Research and Writing