H 501: Historical Methods Scott Seregny

Spring 2001, Monday, 5:45-8:25 Office: CA 530

Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday, Office: 274-7227

11:00-12:00 and by appointment Home: 925-6443

email:sseregny@iupui.edu

This course introduces some of the main themes and methodologies which historians have used to examine the past. It also raises certain issues, like "objectivity" and "relevance," which historians and others have grappled with. The course assumes that the study of history is continuously evolving and that most approaches merit consideration and have legitimacy as long as their limitations are addressed. Those who feel more comfortable with more traditional fields like high politics, diplomacy and military history should be familiar with more recent approaches which might be useful to them.

The course has two objectives. First, students will read in common a series of texts designed to stimulate discussion in class. Some of these readings represent historians' thinking about the nature of their enterprise. Others represent selected examples of historical research and writing. Some are not written by professional historians and address thematic issues across a broad comparative spectrum. Hopefully, the concepts and ideas gleaned from these readings will have relevance for a historian working on a historic preservation topic in Indianapolis or Native Americans in the Great Lakes region during the 18th century. Hopefully, this will be a learning experience for all of us. For this reason it is absolutely essential that all of us read the weekly reading in advance and be prepared to discuss its implications. To facilitate and prompt this discussion, students will also be responsible for writing short critical review essays (5-7 pages) of two of the following books: 1.) Anderson or Hastings (or compare the two); 2.) Crosby, Watts, or Filene (the format and content of these essays and due dates will be discussed in class).

The second objective is of more immediate relevance to students' own research plans. In consultation with the instructor (and where appropriate with other members of the faculty, thesis advisor), each student will select a research topic. Ideally, this will be related to their M.A. thesis or Public History paper. Throughout the course of the semester students will submit a project statement, an annotated bibliography of secondary and primary sources related to their project, a bibliographical essay on this historical literature, a draft research design and a final research design. All written assignments must be typed; format should accord with standard guides like the Chicago Manual of Style.

The required readings are as follows. All are available (or soon will be) for purchase in the bookstore.

Richard J. Evans, In Defense of History (1999).

Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the

Origin and Spread of Nationalism (1983; revised 1991).

Adrian Hastings, The Construction of Nationhood: Ethnicity,

Religion and Nationalism (1997).

Alfred W. Crosby, Ecological Imperialism: The Biological

Expansion of Europe, 900-1900 (1986).

Sheldon Watts, Epidemics and History: Disease, Power and

Imperialism (1999).

Benjamin Filene, Romancing the Folk: Public Memory and American

Roots Music (2000).

James Miller, Flowers in the Dustbin: The Rise of Rock and Roll,

1947-1977 (1999).

The following written assignments will be turned in according to the weekly schedule listed below (Please note that we will not meet as a group every week; this is a small class and I would like to schedule individual meetings with each student to discuss research projects):

Project statement: 2-3 pages. Give the title of your proposed project and briefly discuss its significance. What historical problem(s) will you address? Why are they important? What do you hope your work will contribute to the existing literature in the area you have selected and how will your work differ from that of other historians? Have you formulated a preliminary hypothesis and what is it?

Annotated bibliography: this should include about twenty secondary works (both articles and books) as well as relevant (or hopefully relevant) primary sources. Each entry should have a complete bibliographical citation (single-spaced) according to accepted format, followed by a paragraph (double-spaced) describing the source and its potential relevance for your project. Primary sources should go first, followed by secondary sources (each section in alphabetical order). In most cases, you will have only been able to briefly peruse the secondary source in question and identify the primary sources.

Bibliographical essay: about 20 pages. This assigment is due toward the end of the semester and should reflect closer scrutiny of the sources listed in the annotated bibliography as well as additional material identified in the course of the semester. This essay should accomplish the following objectives: 1.) revise the project statement based on the instructor's comments and additional research by the student; 2.) connect the project to the secondary literature included in the bibliography and to wider historical issues and problems [some of the course readings may be helpful in this regard].

Research design: in an essay of 7-10 pages describe your project, the historical problems it addresses, and how it fits in the existing historical literature. In addition, describe your proposed plan of action. What sources will you use and what problems do you anticipate these sources might pose in terms of availability, relibility and interpretation (remember Evans on some of these problems). Based on the work you have accomplished so far, how, if at all, have your hypotheses about your project changed. The research design will be submitted in a draft and then a final version.

Grading will be based on the following scheme:

Class participation (attendance obviously included): 20%

Review essays (two): 20%

Project statement and annotated bibliography: 10%

Bibliographical essay: 25%

Research design: 25%

January 8: Introduction(s)

January 15: NO CLASS

January 22 Individual consultations with instructor on research projects (scheduled this week, or earlier, by appointment).

January 29 Evans, pp. 1-110.

PROJECT STATEMENT DUE

February 5 Evans, pp. 111-251.

February 12 Anderson, pp. 1-111 (including preface)

February 19 Anderson, pp. 113-206; Hastings, pp. 1-123 (including preface)

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE

February 26 Hastings, pp. 124-227.

March 5 Crosby (entire book).

FIRST REVIEW ESSAY DUE

March 12 SPRING BREAK

March 19 Watts (first half)

March 26 Watts (second half); Filene, pp. 1-132 (including preface).

April 2 Filene, pp. 133-276; Miller, pp. 1-94.

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY DUE

April 9 Miller, pp. 95-400

April 16 Individual consultations.

SECOND REVIEW ESSAY DUE

April 30 Wrap-up.

FINAL RESEARCH DESIGN DUE