HIST 480: Historical Methods and Historiography

Spring 2018
MWF 2-3
East Hall 213

Mr Lehmann
East Hall 210, 5218, clehmann@usd.edu
clehmann.org
Office Hours: 11-12 TTh OBA

CATALOG DESCRIPTION: "Introduces the problems, materials, and techniques of historical and writing, explains the larger meaning and directions of history, and examines major schools of historical thought. This course meets USD Graduation Requirement: Writing Intensive Requirement."

This course also satisfies one of the requirements for the history major. It introduces students to the practice of the profession as students engage some of the important philosophical issues related to the discipline, learn the tools of the trade, and put into practice what they learn by formulating a significant historical problem, conducting research into it, and writing a paper. The course thus combines theory and practice.

Requirements.  ELECTRONIC-DEVICE-FREE CLASSROOM. Turn off and stow your electronic devices before the class begins. Students must attend all meetings, read all assignments, participate actively in discussions, and submit written work on schedule. A student may miss up to three meetings without penalty (as a matter of courtesy, you should inform your instructor in advance of an absence; he assumes a student will miss class only because of a university-sanctioned event or a medical or family emergency). The instructor may reduce the grade of or drop a student who cannot meet these requirements. He will not tolerate plagiarism (cf the AHA statement on plagiarism).

Click here for required statements concerning freedom of learning, cheating, diversity, ADA policy, and outcomes of learning.

Grading. Participation: 10% (discussion and in-class exercises); short papers: 30% (3 papers on the Commodus problem @ 5%, 1 on Arcadia @ 15%); research paper: 60% (10% prospectus/bibliography, 10% first draft, 10% presentation, 30% final draft). See the submission dates in bold in the schedule below. The instructor may accept late submissions for partial credit.

Textbooks.
Kate L Turabian. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 8th ed. Chicago: Univ of Chicago Press, 2013. 0226816389
You must have this book, though you may consult theTurabian Quick Guide or the Departmental Writing Guide. For further information consult The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th ed (Chicago: Univ of Chicago Press, 2010).
Tom Stoppard. Arcadia: A Play. London and Boston: Faber & Faber, 1994. 0571169341
You can also find this play as a pdf on the Internet, but the pagination is different.
Additional handouts on a weekly basis.
Schedule by Week and Topic
8 Jan : Introduction, the Problem with Commodus (SHA and CAH)
TBA: IDWeeks tour
15 Jan (no class on Monday): Primary and Secondary Sources
TBA: ID Weeks Archives and Special Collections
19 Jan: submit first paper on Commodus (3-page primary source analysis)
22 Jan: Facts and Interpretations: Cultural memory and the Athenian tyrannicides
26 Jan: submit second paper on Commodus (3-page secondary source analysis)
1 Feb: Formulating a Research Problem
1 Feb: submit third paper on Commodus (4-page micro biography)
5 Feb: have the instructor approve your research topic no later than this date
8 Feb: Basic skills
Bring Turabian to class!
15 Feb (no class on Monday): 10-minute Individual Meetings (scheduled in advance)
Friday 12 Feb:
Wednesday 17 Feb:
Friday 19 Feb:
22 Feb: A History of History Writing
22 Feb: submit Prospectus and Annotated Bibliography
29 Feb: Philosophies of History
14 Mar: Discussion of Tom Stoppard's Arcadia
Special event, 17 Mar, 4:00 pm in the Al Neuharth Media Cen: Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar, Caroline Bruzelius, the A M Cogan Professor of Art and Art History at Duke University: "The Cathedral and the City”
21 Mar (no class on Friday): 30-minute Individual Meetings (scheduled in advance)
28 Mar: 30-minute Individual Meetings (scheduled in advance)
April Fools Day: submit first draft of research paper
4 Apr (no class on Monday): 20-minute Presentations
Special event, 4 Apr: Department-sponsored trip to SDSU for the Alexander Conference
11 Apr: 20-minute Presentations
Submit final draft of research paper
18 Apr: 20-minute Presentations
Special event, 20 Apr: Lifto Amundson Lecture: Prof Timothy A Brennan, University of Minnesota
Student History Conference 21 April
25 Apr: 20-minute Presentations