Historical Research Methods

PURPOSE AND SCOPE

This course is an introduction to research methods for students in the humanities. Thesis writers, students interested in independent research projects or graduate school will benefit from the exercises and lessons covered in this course. Students will choose their own questions or problems and apply to them the objectives and exercises outlined here. The course will require meticulous and time-consuming attention to detail, but will allow students a break from the more traditional thematic structure of courses and paper-writing at Holy Cross. At least two of our class meetings will be on-site visits to libraries and archives, and it might be necessary during the term to add one or two additional sessions to discuss the reports. I will provide introductions to the week’s materials and guide you through the search process. This course will not only make you a more efficient researcher, cutting your search time in half, but also bring to your attention the many and complex sources of materials that undergraduates often are not aware of and fail to use in their research projects. A good portion of the course will be dedicating to learning how to take advantage of electronic resources.

Class times will often be divided into two halves: a presentation of the week’s materials and challenges and then a work session in students might separate to carry out individual work or present and discuss their own work.

 

REQUIREMENTS

• Determination of Grade:
  • Half your grade will be determined by your participation and attendance. Attendance is crucial in a once-a-week format research seminar format.
  • The other half of your grade will be based on the weekly (approximately 12) projects and exercises. These will vary in weight according to the difficulty and time involved. The final requirement for this course is a draft of your research paper that reflects the course’s lessons, and final drafts of some of the reports assigned and revised during the term.
• Communication and Submission:
  • It is important for students to remain in contact with me about their projects and consult with me individually throughout the term.
  • Every week you must check the web site for updates and information on assignments.
  • Students will submit their work via email attachment and/or hardcopy but also post all work to the course’s network drive (K: drive)
• Students must:
  • Dedicate at least seven hours a week to their projects outside of class time, fifteen if your work is part of an additional requirement (thesis, independent study, etc.)
  • Check their email once each day for feedback and assignments
  • Submit their work in paper and email attachment or K: drive
  • Drafts of the main abstract, bibliography, outline, proposal, paper, and to other students via email
  • Read each other’s work when requested and be prepared to comment upon them
  • Submit work on time
  • Be prepared to present their work
  • Accumulate no more than one unexcused absence

 

BOOKS FOR THIS COURSE

The following books have been ordered by the bookstore. Other readings are on reserve. It is your responsibility to allow sufficient time to access these materials according to the conditions established by the library’s reserve room.

• Thomas Mann. The Oxford Guide to Library Research. Oxford Univ Pr.
• Kate L. Turabian. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 6th Rev edition (March 1996). Univ of Chicago Pr.
• Anthony Brundage. Going to the Sources: A Guide to Historical Research and Writing. 2nd edition (June 1997). Harlan Davidson.
• Norman J. Wilson. History in Crisis? Recent Directions in Historiography. 1998. Prentice Hall.
• Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb (Contributor), Joseph M. Williams, William C. Booth. The Craft of Research : From Planning to Reporting. Univ of Chicago Pr.
• M. J. Lewis, Roger Lloyd-Jones. Using Computers in History: A Practical Guide. 1996. Routledge.
• Ernest Ackermann and Karen Hartman. Searching & Researching on the Internet & the World Wide Web. Second Edition. Franklin, Beedle and Associates.

 

COURSE ORGANIZATION AND SCHEDULE

Week 1: [Sept 4] Historiography, Controversy and Sources

• Reading:
  • Read one self-selected chapter from Michael Bentley, Companion to Historiography. [Reserve]
  • Wilson, History in Crisis?. Entire.
  • Brundage, Going to the Sources. Chap. 1.
• Exercise:
  • For this week’s meeting students will have chosen a historical “field” and within that field a specific research question. This project may or may not be connected to other projects such as theses, independent studies, etc. We will discuss these projects in class, refine them and critique them, in the context of any relevant debates or questions specific to student’s projects. Students must bring a 5 page proposal draft describing their project. This proposal must include the following sections: Definition of the problem and question, theoretical context, summary of the literature, research and sources, methodology. They will also start work on an abstract of their project.
  •  guide to writing proposals

Week 2: [Sept 11] Organizing the research enterprise, formulating a proposal and a research plan

• Reading:
  • • The Craft of Research : From Planning to Reporting. Start reading first half.
    • Going to the Sources. Chaps. 2-3, 5.
    • Online reading on preparing the research project
• Exercise:
  • This session will be dedicated to developing the research aspect of the proposal including some preliminary research steps on the web. Students will develop an improved version of their proposal as well as a research plan, a system for notes and research, and will become familiar with the appropriate software options. Students will begin a research log and outline that they will continue to develop during the semester.
  • Ongoing work
  • Guide to the documents required for this course–be ready to explain your system!
  • Research Plan–Bring a draft!
  • Web work for this session–do ahead of time!

Week 3: [Sept 18] PC Software and Web Research—PC Lab

• Reading:
  • Lloyd-Jones and Lewis, Chaps. 1-5 [Exercises in Chap. 5 might not work exactly as instructed with new version of Excel)
  • Ackerman and Hartman, Searching and Researching, Chaps. 1-7, try to do most of the exercise
  • The Craft of Research : From Planning to Reporting, keep reading!
• Exercise:
  • Students will become familiar with Nota Bene/IBID and WP/PROCITE packages. Students will also practice advanced web searching with Netscape and other internet software.
  • Software for Academic Research and Writing
  • Ongoing work
  • Web Page for this Session!
  • Bring your books to class–meet in Third Floor PC Lab in Stein
  • Post your document dafts to K Drive

Week 4: [Sept 25] Bibliographic Research—PC Lab

• Reading:
  • Mann, Chaps. 1-3, 9-13
  • Ackermann and Hartman, Chaps. 8-9 
  • The Craft of Research : From Planning to Reporting, finish reading
• Exercise:
  • Be prepared to take a quiz on last week’s exercises from Ackermann and Hartman. We will also discuss last week’s reading and work from the Lloyd-Jones book. We will also reserve a few minutes to review “your system.”
  • This session will be dedicated to online searching for reference, secondary, and primary materials through online methods. Students will write a report on the process and their findings. This research and its continuation during the semester will result in a working bibliography that has to be updated weekly on the K Drive and a careful examination of the arguments and sources discussed in selected secondary sources on their research question.
  • Reading for this Session
  • Outline of work for this session

Week 5: [Oct 2] Reference Materials for Research in History—Dinand Library

• Reading: 
  • Mann, Chaps. 4-8, 14-16, appendix
• Exercise:
  • This session will be held at Dinand library. Students will research and examine different types of reference sources as described in the guide for this week, identifying the most important reference materials in their field. Students will write a report on the process and their findings.
  • Ongoing work

Week 6: [Oct 16] Journals and Journal Indices—Dinand Library

• Reading:
  • Steiner and Phillips. Historical Journals: A Handbook for Writers and Reviewers. [Reserve]
  • Finish all past readings for discussion
  • Present new documents
  • Add to Documents: First draft outline of research paper and detailed outline for first chapter (a historiographical introduction on your research question)
• Exercise:
  • Students will have identified two journals and studied their entire run. One of the journals will be a history journal within the field they have chose. The second will be an interdisciplinary journal dealing with any region of the third world. The reports will cover the items specified in this week’s handout and will be discussed in class this week.
  • Work for this meeting

Week 7: [Oct 23] Newspapers and Specialized Research Tools

• Reading:
  • Relevant sections of MANN; review of other readings
• Exercise:
  • Students will examine the various reference sources for the use of US and foreign newspapers including print and digital indeces. They will identify one newspaper useful to their project, one local newspaper and foreign newspaper. They will examine whatever papers are available at Holy Cross or have been made available through inter-library loan.

Week 8: [Oct 30] Primary Documents Search—PC Lab

• Reading:
  • Mann,
• Exercise:
  • Students will research primary sources through three means: examining research guides and other reference materials for accessing documents, identifying specific document collections for their projects, and carrying out some exercise questions.

Week 9: [Nov 6] Field Trip to Widener Library, Harvard University

• Reading: 
  • No reading
• Exercise:
  • This session will allow students to apply the techniques learned in the previous session in order to continue and extend their research with the materials of a major research collection. Students will write a report on the process and their findings.

Week 10: [Nov 13] Visit to Holy Coss Archive

• Reading:
  • None
• Exercise:
  • Complete research into primary sources for your project.

Week 11: [Nov 20] Writing, formatting and organizing the research paper—PC Lab

• Reading:
  • Turabian
• Exercise:
  • Bring detailed outline of research project and list of problems pending, and initial draft of paper. Bring in old research papers from previous courses.

Week 13: [Nov 27] The use of primary and secondary Sources in the Research Paper—PC Lab

• Reading:
  • Turabian, all relevant sections; Review The Craft of Research

• Exercise:
  • Running work

Week 14: [Dec 4] Use of Statistics in History—My office

• Reading:
  • Review sections from all historiography readings on quantitative history.
  • Using Computers in History: A Practical Guide, chaps. 6 & 7; Review chaps 1-5.
• Exercise:
  • We will discuss cases and problems discussed in book. Bring short written discussion of real or potential use of quantitative materials in your projects.