COURSE DESCRIPTION
This is a required course
in historical criticism and methods. Students will explore the
nature of historical inquiry and practice and will examine historical
epistemology and the relationship of the faith to history.
(Prerequisite: 9 credits of history course work, or with approval of
the professor.)
Some questions we will
consider over the course of the semester:
• Does history have a
purpose?
• Is there a distinctive
historical method? How do historians “do” history?
• What is the nature of
historical consciousness?
• How is history shaped by
the perspective, politics, faith, or identity of the historian?
COURSE
OBJECTIVES
• To reveal the
historian’s craft and method to students.
• To introduce students to
the history of history, with special emphasis on important schools of
historical interpretation.
• To explore a variety of
historical perspectives.
• To begin work on final
student projects (senior theses or teaching plans).
REQUIRED
READING
• Jules R. Benjamin, A
Student’s Guide to History (Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009) ISBN-10:
0312535023
• John Lewis Gaddis, The
Landscape of History: How Historians Map the Past (Oxford, 2004)
ISBN-10: 0195171578
• Stacy Schiff, Cleopatra:
A Life (Little, Brown and Co., 2010) ISBN-10:
9780316001922.
(Available as an audiobook from iTunes.)
• Natalie Zemon Davis, The
Return of Martin Guerre (Harvard, 1984) ISBN-10: 0674766911
EXPECTATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS
Students will be evaluated
on how well they identify and explain the significance ideas, terms,
and methods covered in the course. Students will also be graded
on reading, writing, research, and thinking skills. Students are
expected to read all assignments and come ready to discuss these in
class. Always be prepared; I may call upon you at any time. Look
at the webpage discussion questions for assignments and direction: www.enc.edu/history/
crit_readings_qs.html.  Those
who fail to keep up with the reading will do poorly in this course.
Participation and attendance is required of each individual and will
figure into the overall grade. (Obviously, if one does not attend
or read the assignments, one cannot participate.)
Two tests will be
administered over the semester involving short answer items and a
longer essay question. More information on these will
be given out prior to each exam. In addition, unannounced pop
quizzes may be given occasionally at the beginning of class.
These quizzes will cover the most recent reading assignments and the
lecture material. Those who arrive late or fail to attend class will
not be allowed to retake quizzes or tests, unless, of course, a written
medical excuse can be provided.
In addition to a
satisfactory evaluation of work based on content, each student is
expected to demonstrate competence in English composition and
grammar. Students will complete several writing
assignments. All must be typed and double-spaced. Sets of
discussion questions will be posted on the web: www.enc.edu/history/crit_readings_qs.html.
You must answer 5 sets of questions over the semester. These will
be graded on a pass/fail basis. Your answers to each of the five
sets of questions should be 1.5 pages. These are due in class on
the day that the reading is assigned. Additionally, students will
write one 4-page review of the Stacy Schiff, Natalie Zemon Davis, or
John Lewis Gaddis book. (Review questions and a guide to writing
reviews will be placed on the web.) Graded on a 1-100 scale,
reviews must be handed in during class on the day they are due.
Reviews will lose 5 percentage points for each day they are
overdue. No writing assignments will be accepted via
e-mail.
Two other projects will
make direct use of the material covered in this course. Students
who intend to complete a senior thesis will explore a thesis
project. Education majors who will not complete a thesis will
create a history classroom module. Those who plan to complete a
thesis will put together a bibliography including at least 8 works,
write a long paragraph abstract, and write a proposal of four
pages. Education majors who wish to create a history module will
examine curriculum used to teach a given subject—creating a
bibliography of no less than 8 works—and will devise a one- to two-week
teaching plan (including individual assignments, desired outcomes, and
objectives).
The class will also engage
in a group project. Students will help create a history website
devoted to one of the following (we’ll decide which one in class): the
Abigail Adams House, the Quincy Mansion that stood on ENC’s property,
the Old Sailors’ Home, the Dorothy Quincy House (1686), or the
Moswetuset Hummock. The site will include bibliographical
material and resources on this historic home and will display
information about the house and biographical matter. A film of
the along with photos, maps, and other historical items will likely be
included. Each student will receive a grade for his/her
participation in the project. (See the Josiah Quincy House
project that the spring 2010 students completed: www.enc.edu/history/jq)
Finally, a note on proper
behavior and academic honesty. Talking with fellow classmates,
eating, doing other work, reading newspapers, leaving cell phones on,
walking out early or arriving late all reflect poorly on you as a
student and will hurt your overall grade. Cheating and plagiarism
are even worse and will not be tolerated. Be advised: ANY
instance of cheating on tests, essays, or other assignments will result
in immediate failure of the course. For more on this fascinating topic,
please refer to the ENC history dept. guidelines concerning academic
honesty: www.enc.edu/history/stephens.plagiarism.html.
Those who are guilty will be caught. Incriminating evidence is
only a Google™ search away.
GRADING
2 Exams 15% each
--------------------------- 30%
5 Short Response
Papers -------------------- 15%
Book Review Essay
-------------------------- 10%
Participation, Attendance,
and
Pop Quizzes
----------------------------------- 10%
Class Web Project
----------------------------- 15%
Bibliography for History
Classroom Module
--------------------------- 10%
History Classroom
Module ------------------ 10%
~OR~
Thesis Bibliography
-------------------------- 5%
Thesis Abstract
------------------------------- 5%
Thesis Proposal
------------------------------- 10%
A = 100-94; A- = 93-90; B+
= 89-87; B = 86-84; B- = 83-80; C+ = 79-77; C = 76-74; C- = 73-70; D =
69-60
SCHEDULE OF
READINGS
& DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
(All readings are to be completed on the day they are listed.)
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