HISTORY 506:401:02 BIOGRAPHY AS HISTORY WHAT IS THIS COURSE ABOUT? This seminar is designed to guide students through the process of researching and writing a paper relating to a specific life. Students will choose their own topics. Past subjects have ranged widely over historical period and geography including, for example: Jackie Robinson, Hillary Clinton, Beethoven, Mussolini and his mistresses, and Nazi sympathizer, CoCo Channel. Students have, as well, researched individuals in their own families among them, an ancestor who signed the Constitution and a grandfather who served in World War II. Biography is broadly construed: one student did a biography of the Taj Mahal; another did a history of Douglass College s founding. Students must base their written research papers on primary sources. Students will develop their papers in stages beginning with short oral reports, graduating to outlines and drafts. HISTORY SEMINAR Fall, 2014 Prof. Ginny Yans Office hour: 506:401:02 BIOGRAPHY AS HISTORY Office Van Dyck 221 email virginiayans@earthlink.net Required book (available at NJ Books or B&N) Kate Turabian, A MANUAL FOR WRITERS, 8 th edition, ISBN 13 978 0 226 81638 8. An earlier edition is OK but you must have this book for frequent use and assignments. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Communicate complex ideas effectively, in standard written English, to a general audience. Respond effectively to editorial feedback from peers, instructors, and/or supervisors through successive drafts and revision. [WCr] Communicate effectively in modes appropriate to a discipline or area of inquiry. [WCd] Evaluate and critically assess sources and use the conventions of attribution and citation correctly. Analyze and synthesize information and ideas from multiple sources to generate new insights.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A DRAFT SYLLABUS WHICH COULD CHANGE SLIGHTLY. PLEASE IGNORE THE DATES REGARDING MONTH AND DAY OF CLASS WHICH HAVE TO BE UPDATED. Syllabus and Schedule Sept. 10 Introduction to class. Students will be asked to talk briefly about a potential subject for their papers. Sept. 17 How do biographers tell their stories? Discuss the biography of Bob Dylan using Robert Stachan s essay Where do I begin the Story? Collective Memory, Biographical Authority and the Rock Biography, Popular Music History 3,1 (2008) 65-80) in Resources, Sakai Course Site. Read for today s class: Turabian, Overview, Chapters 1 and 2. Come to class prepared to give what Turabian calls an elevator story (pages 23 and 127) of your topic. Come prepared to discuss what Turabian means by a story board and begin to create yours. Writing assignment due today: Read Turabian, Chapter 25 on quotations. Write a paragraph (you can make it up) which has: 1. a quote of less than two lines 2. a quote of three sentences which take up more than 4 typewritten lines 3. a quotation within a quotation, which can be in one of the above quotes. Make the quotation a question. 4. use an ellipsis in one of the first two quotes 5. Using a book, article or some other non-fiction source: indicate that you know how to paraphrase by writing two or three sentences from this source in one column while in the column next to it, you paraphrase the same sentence. Pretend that the original writer used a word incorrectly, and correct it using sic. (Read Turabian s explanation of paraphrasing and plagiarism [pages 77-80].) Sept. 24: Finding your sources: Visit to Alexander Library Room 413 with Dr. Tom Glynn. We will meet in the first floor lobby of the library and then proceed to the fourth floor classroom. Read Turabian, Chapter 3 and come prepared to ask questions of Dr. Glynn. Most of the class will be spent with you searching sources and having us both available to assist you.
Dr. Glynn asks that in preparation for this class you consult the RIOT tutorial: go to the Libraries home page, Learning Tools (on the left), and then RIOT. This tutorial takes about 20 minutes. Then look at the library guide to American history (if that is your geographical area). Look to your left of the homepage for Research Resources>>Research Guides>>History North America. (If you are not doing North America, you can easily identify and select your subject area from the list) Please use these resources to prepare to prepare for the Sept. 24 visit to Alexander and for your Oct. 1 assignment. Oct. 1 Discussion of sources you are using: come to class prepared to discuss the sources you are using and why you are using them. Bring one or two examples of your sources so that you may show them to the class and/or discuss them. Using Turabian, Ch. 16 and 17, create a bibliography relating to your topic with examples of each kind of source she discusses, that is, books, journal articles, archival materials, etc. Oct. 8 First statement of topic with sources listed is due in class. The statement will be an oral report. The bibliography is written. Bring at least one primary source to class. Be prepared to analyze it for the class, explain its significance to your project, what it tells us about your topic. Read Turabian, Ch. 4 for assistance with this primary source assignment. Oct. 15 Conferences with professor (first group of the class) we will work one to one on your project, its form, sources to be used and any questions you may have. Read, Turabian, Chapter V and come prepared to present your argument. Oct. 22 Conferences with professor same assignment as above for second half of the class. Oct. 29 First group of class presents brief outline of topics due before class to be emailed to professor for upload on Sakai by 6 PM on Sunday; all class members will read these before hand and come to class prepared to comment on the outlines.. Read Turabian, Ch. VI, especially on converting a story board to an outline.
Nov. 5 Brief outlines due for second half of class; to be emailed to professor by 6 PM on Sunday. Read Turabian, Ch. VI, especially on converting a story board to an outline. Nov. 12 Conferences, research and writing time--no class Read Turabian, Ch. VII Nov. 19 Conferences, research and writing--no class Read Turabian, Ch. VII THANKSGIVING BREAK: NOV. 22--NOV. 25 Nov. 26 Second to the last drafts presented by first third of the class; copies to be made available for all to read before class (for uploading to Sakai) Read: Turabian, Chapters 9-12. Dec. 3 -- Second to the last drafts presented by second third of the class: copies due before class for uploading on Sakai. Read Turabian, Chapters 9-12. Dec. 10 Revised drafts presented by last third of class-- due before class for uploading on Sakai. Read Turabian, Chapters 9-12 Course requirements: you must attend class meetings including the Alexander Library session and conferences with your professor. Conferences with your professor are an essential part of the class work. If you cannot meet these requirements, please speak with me about whether or not you should be taking this class. Grading: your paper constitutes 2/3 of your grade; class and conference attendance and class participation constitutes the other 1/3. Note: failure to upload drafts in a timely manner on the date you are due to present your draft will result is an F for the portion of your grade that relates to class participation. The quality of your drafts will also be considered in determining your class participation grade. The purpose of this class is learning how to do a history research paper based upon primary and secondary sources. You MUST do research in primary sources. Traditionally, this is done in a library or archive. In many instances, primary sources are now
available on line. Students should not assume, however, that they can do all their research for this course on line. A major objective of the course is to familiarize students with the kind of archival research that historians do. Students will receive guidance from the professor and from the Alexander Library staff concerning the location of archival and secondary sources and how to use them. Papers which are based primarily or even substantially upon secondary sources are ABSOLUTELY NOT ACCEPTABLE. Papers are due the day that reading period begins. SAS CORE LEARNING GOALS: GOAL S1 Student is able to: Communicate complex ideas effectively, in standard written English, to a general audience. GOAL S2 Student is able to: Respond effectively to editorial feedback from peers, instructors, and/or supervisors through successive drafts and revision GOAL T- Student is able to: Communicate effectively in modes appropriate to a discipline or area of inquiry. GOAL U Student is able to: Evaluate and critically assess sources and use the conventions of attribution and citation correctly.
GOAL V Student is able to: Analyze and synthesize information and ideas from multiple sources to generate new insights. Statement of understanding concerning work requirements for History Seminar 506 402, Biography as History I understand the requirements for this class as listed below and I agree to them. The requirements are as follows: 1) Attend class. No more than two cuts are allowed 2) Prepare drafts of my paper to be delivered on assigned days 3) Attend conferences with professor and library session 4) My research paper cannot be based upon secondary sources from the Internet. Signed: