His 2500, Fall 2017
Eastern Illinois University, History, Dr. Newton Key

• GL. Ogborn, Miles. Global Lives: Britain and the World, 1550-1800. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008. [11.060]
• I-LH. Presnell, Jenny L. The Information-Literate Historian: A Guide to Research for History Students, 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. [11.000]

1. Hone a historical research question.
2. Locate, quote, and cite relevant primary sources.
3. Understand, critique, and cite a body of relevant secondary literature (historiography).
4. Manage (save, cite, and re-use) source citations.
5. Constructing an historical argument.
6. Refining your prose
7. Presenting your findings to various audiences.

In other words, this course will help you become a better historian, and be able to appreciate, use, and sift the work of other historians. Doing this in the 21st century involves a variety of digital tools, and this course introduces these and teaches you how to use them yourself.

This semester, the course will focus on Global Lines/Lives, 1550-1750. You will be asked to learn about the global interactions during that period (focusing only on the issue/problem you are going to write about), and develop an area of expertise in which you will develop a bibliography and write a brief research paper. But the tools and processes you learn can be applied to the study of most eras from ancient to contemporary history.

Ground rules:

• The roots of the word history reach back through Anglo-Saxon to the ancient Greek term histor, which means `a wise an learned person,' and even further back to the Sanskrit word for knowledge. In modern English, history is the cousin of story. The study of history therefore is the gathering of human wisdom through stories. The content of history is an evolving mosaic of the human experience. For the history student, this accumulation of stories translates into a lot of reading. –David Pace and Sharon L. Pugh, Studying for History (New York, 1996), 86
• This course is assignment-driven. There are a large number of assignments, and class time shall be used occasionally to meet and work on assignments either using the laptops from the cart (or your own) or at Booth Library. This is a lab, not a lecture class. Class discussions shall focus on techniques and sources covered in the assignments.
• The Oxford English Dictionary defines critique as “to make a critical assessment of or comment on.” It is not about thumbs up or thumbs down; it is about informed assessment. Review and revision is part of the historical method: historians critique each other's papers all the time. It is called "peer review," and occasionally we will do this in class.
• Most assignments for this class will be 2-3 page, typed, and (except bibliographies) double-spaced, and submitted on Brightspace (D2L). Proofread all your work before submitting, as formatting and absence of typographical errors will become increasingly important during the semester as we aim for that final research paper. Keep an electronic copy of all assignments, bibliographies, and notes, as we will be returning to this material throughout the course. (Anyone with a documented disability should let me know the first week of class so that we can make appropriate accommodations.)
• Grading: See Course Requirements Summary below. All assignments turned in are accepted. Late written assignments deducted 1/3 grade per day (e.g. if I would grade it a B, late one day = B-). [After so many days, a paper might not be able to receive more than an F. But an F adds more points than a Zero.].
• Participation is required (including in-class writing and formatting/citation quizzes 15%). I expect to hear from you about how your research and writing is progressing in class and in my office. More than three absences will begin to lower your participation grade; less than four will not. If you are/will be absent, please consult the online syllabus first to see what was/will be covered. Any modifications to this syllabus will be announced and posted on D2L and on this webpage.

Writing history is about making decisions. Historians choose from a broad range of subjects, selecting those they think are most important. They choose source materials carefully, assessing evidence that may support or contradict their arguments. And they choose ways to write, balancing respect for their subjects with the needs of their audience. –William Keller Storey, Writing History: A Guide for Students (Oxford, 1999), 1

Course Syllabus | Office Hours