Dr. Neil Jumonville
Florida State University
HIS 6059
Fall 1998

READING LIST

David Hackett Fischer, Historians' Fallacies (NY: Harper, 1970). [ISBN:0-06-131545-1]

William Strunk and E.B. White, The Elements of Style, 3rd edition (NY: Macmillan, 1979). [ISBN:0-02-418200-1]

Theodore Hamerow, Reflections on History and Historians (Madison, WI: University of Wisconin Press, 1987). [ISBN: 0-229-10934-8]

Beth Luey, Handbook for Academic Authors, revised edition (NY: Cambridge University Press, 1990). [ISBN: 0-521-39646-8]

Peter Novick, That Noble Dream. (NY: Cambridge Univ Press, 1988). [ISBN: 0-521-35745-4]

The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th edition, (University of Chicago Press, 1982). [ISBN:0-226-10390-0] THIS BOOK IS VERY USEFUL TO HISTORIANS, BUT OPTIONAL FOR THIS COURSE.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Read these requirements closely, because they tell you all you need to know about the operation of the class and the requirements for your paper. Don't read these once and then forget them, because you'll be judged on the basis of them.

ATTENDANCE: Because each class represents one week's worth of the course, it is important not to miss any of them except under the most unavoidable circumstances. Part of your discussion grade is a grade for attendance--which means not only attending all classes but also showing up for class on time.

READING: All students must complete the reading for the course. Weekly assignments are indicated in the syllabus. It is important for you to do the reading in time to participate in the discussions.

DISCUSSIONS: As much as possible, the discussions will be a friendly exchange of ideas, but part of your grade for the semester will be based on your active participation in the dialogues.

The last hour or so of each class period will be devoted to problems and questions students are having with their semester project. Although occasionally I will see students for research conferences alone, I want the bulk of this to be done in class so that all students learn together from the research experience and problems of others. Be prepared each week to present briefly to your classmates problems you're having with your research project. Students will be expected to give each other advice in these situations. (I will give advice, too, of course.) This will give you practice thinking about the design of research projects, and train you to advise the research of others. All students will be graded on their participation in these common-advice sessions.

PAPERS: All papers must be double-spaced and printed by computer. No extensions on written assignments, even in the event of a nuclear war. For every day the paper is late, it will drop a full grade (for example, from a B+ to a C+).

In addition to the specific goals of each assignment (for example, to use primary sources), the papers will be graded on the strength of their ideas; the breadth, depth, and originality of their research; the originality, intelligence, and power of their thesis or interpretation; and the grace and clarity of their writing (their use of language, spelling, punctuation, and syntax). Naturally, any plagiarism (having someone write the paper for you, or copying it from another source) will result in an immediate failure of the entire course. All papers are expected to be exactly the length assigned. Papers may not be one page more or less. This is to give you practice writing to required length, as you will need to do throughout your career.

Your main project in this course is to research and write an article of 20 pages exactly of the quality that you would want to submit to a journal in your field.

All written assignments are explained in the syllabus and will be explained in more detail in class.

GRADES: Each of the six smaller assignments (annotated bibliography, article from primary sources, oral report on book reviews, peer-refereed article, written book review, and query letter) will count 5% a piece. Class discussion will count 35%. The final research paper will count 35%.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Students with disabilities covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act should follow these steps: 1) Provide documentation of your disability to the Office of Disabled Student Services (644-1741). 2) Bring a statement from the Office of Disabled Student Services indicating that you have registered with them to both the instructor and Ms. Perry, Academic Coordinator (431 Bellamy). 3) No later than the first class session, introduce yourself to the instructor.

OFFICE HOURS: Mondays 1:15 to 2:15 PM, in Bellamy 420.

METHODS AND MECHANICS OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH

WEEK 1:
TUES, AUG 25
Opening logistics of the course. Choosing a research topic. Tour of Strozier Library. Survey of research tools, indexes, and collections in the library.

WEEK 2:
TUES, SEP 1
Mechanics and goals of historical writing. Orchestrating an annotated bibliography.
READ FOR THE MEETING THIS WEEK: William Strunk and E.B. White, The Elements of Style.

WEEK 3:
TUES, SEP 8
Methods of analysis in history, I. What are the logical processes by which historians frame their inquiries? What are the pitfalls in those processes?
READ FOR THE MEETING THIS WEEK: David Hackett Fischer, Historians' Fallacies (NY: Harper, 1970). Read pages 3-100, 135-42, and 164-215.

WEEK 4:
TUES, SEP 15
The use of primary sources. In-class project. Using a collection of primary documents, each student will work for 90 minutes reading the documents and writing a short history from them.
DUE IN CLASS: Annotated bibliography, 2-3 pages.

WEEK 5:
TUES, SEP 22
Methods of analysis in history, II. What sorts of analytic methods and assumptions do historians borrow from other disciplines? Is there any methodology unique to historians?
READ FOR THE MEETING THIS WEEK:
* SOCIAL HISTORY. Philip Morgan, "Work and Culture: The Task System and the World of Lowcountry Blacks, 1700-1880," William and Mary Quarterly 39(4): 563-599, October 1982.
* POLITICAL HISTORY. James Turner, "Understanding the Populists," Journal of American History 67(2): 354-73, September 1980.
* INTELLECTUAL HISTORY. Neil Jumonville, "The Origin of Henry Steele Commager's Activist Ideas," The History Teacher 29(2):223-41, February 1996.
DUE IN CLASS: Short article from a primary source or sources, 3 pages double-spaced. Look for the main theme in whatever primary source you use. What's important about this source? I would prefer that you use a primary source from your bibliography so this exercise helps you with your research project. (From a book of letters, government documents, newspaper articles, microfiche of an oral history, etc.)

WEEK 6:
TUES, SEP 29
Methods of analysis in history, III. American historiography. A study of the tradition of historical thought in the United States. What has separated the different schools and approaches from each other?
READ FOR THE MEETING THIS WEEK:
*David Levin, "The Historian as Romantic Man of Letters," History as Romantic Art [1959] (NY: AMS Press, 1967), pp. 3-23. (Photocopy will be provided)
* Peter Novick, That Noble Dream, chapters 8-11, 13-16.

REVIEWING AND EDITING

WEEK 7:
TUES, OCT 6
The function of book reviews. The difference between scholars and intellectuals--in book reviewing and other writings. The professionalization of history.
READ FOR THE MEETING THIS WEEK: Theodore Hamerow, Reflections on History and Historians, chapter 2. Also, photocopied articles to be distributed.
DUE IN CLASS: Oral presentation on the functions of book reviews. Each student will choose a book (preferably from the bibliography) and find one scholarly and one nonscholarly book review of it. Each student will then make an oral presentation of about 5 to 10 minutes in class talking about how their two reviews differ. The written component of this assignment does not need to be turned in, but you will be graded on your presentation and participation.

WEEK 8:
TUES, OCT 13
How to give editorial advice on different projects. Refereeing a book manuscript, article manuscript, etc. Assume that the article assigned to be read this week was sent to you by a journal to be refereed. Should it be accepted? Rejected? Accepted with revisions? If so, what sort of revisions? If it should be rejected, on what basis? Come to class with concrete and detailed suggestions about how to improve this article. The written component of this assignment will be turned in, and you will be graded on your class participation.
READ FOR THE MEETING THIS WEEK: Erik Nakjavani, "Politics, Propaganda, and the Esthetics of Detective Fiction: The Case of Hemingway's The Fifth Column," Journal of American Culture 14(3):81-90, Fall 1991.
DUE IN CLASS: Two pages of written comments on the article, double-spaced. Should it be accepted, or not? What changes, both minor and structural, are necessary?

PUBLISHING AND MARKETING YOURSELF

WEEK 9:
TUES, OCT 20
Query letters to publishers for submissions of books, book proposals, journal articles, or reviews and nonscholarly articles. How to make submissions to publishers.
READ FOR THE MEETING THIS WEEK: Beth Luey, Handbook for Academic Authors, chapters 1, 2, and 4.
DUE IN CLASS: Book review of a book in your bibliography, 3 pages double-spaced.

WEEK 10:
TUES, OCT 27
Academic publishing: constructing dissertations and books. What are the steps in writing a dissertation? What are the steps of bookmaking?
READ FOR THE MEETING THIS WEEK: Beth Luey, Handbook for Academic Authors, chapters 3, 5, and 9. Also look at The Chicago Manual of Style, chapters 1 and 3.
DUE IN CLASS: Query letter for your project. Assume that the article you are writing this semester is instead a book. Construct a query letter explaining your book and asking whether the publisher would like to look at the manuscript. Make it 2 pages, double-spaced, and address it to an appropriate book publisher, complete with the correct address and editor's name.

THE HISTORIAN'S LIFE

WEEK 11:
TUES, NOV 3
Becoming a historian. The crisis in history in the past several decades. The life and role of a historian.
READ FOR THE MEETING THIS WEEK: Theodore Hamerow, Reflections on History and Historians, chapters 1, 3, and 4.

RESEARCH PROJECT

WEEK 12:
TUES, NOV 10
Class round table advice session.

WEEK 13:
TUES, NOV 17
No class meeting. Work on your research project.

WEEK 14:
TUES, NOV 24
No class meeting. Work on your research project.

WEEK 15:
TUES, DEC 1
Final meeting. Be prepared to tell the class, in no more than 10 minutes, the main interpretation, conclusion, and significance of your article. This should be a polished presentation at the podium. Make sure to time it precisely.
DUE IN CLASS TODAY: Semester article with cover letter to an appropriate journal. The article must be exactly 20 pages in length, using normal margins. It may not have more than 3 pages of endnotes. The cover letter should not exceed one page.