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HIST 300: Introduction to Historical Method: The Great Depression and the New Deal Spring 2005 Instructor: Elena Razlogova Description
This class will teach students how historians think, argue, research, and write. We will focus on the Great Depression and the New Deal because works on this period illustrate the many ways of writing history, including political, social, economic, and cultural approaches. Students will learn the basics of historiography and historical research methods. They will also define a topic on 1930s American history, research it, and write a historical essay (10-12 pages). This course is essential practice for history majors in preparation for the senior seminar. Readings
Turabian, Kate. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations . Richard Marius and Melvin E. Page, A Short Guide to Writing about History . Articles and chapters online and on electronic reserve. Recommended: Robert C. McElvaine, The Great Depression: America 1929-1941 (New York: Random House, 1984). If you'd like to use Endnote--a bibliographic program that automatically formats your references--you can download it for free here. Let me know if you need any help using it. Requirements
The following assignments must be turned in on time. I will not accept late submissions. Because most assignments will include a presentation component, it is imperative that you come to class with your assignment completed and prepared to discuss it with other students. I will provide detailed instructions on how to complete each assignment.
Historiography review essay 10% Source analysis 10% First draft of research paper 10% Response to another student's first draft 5% Final draft of research paper 25% Class participation will account for the final 25% of your grade. Please remember that you cannot participate if you are not present. Your participation in class discussion should demonstrate a firm command of assigned reading, including other students' work. You will be graded on your ability to help other students as well as on your own writing and presentations. Syllabus 1/25 Introduction 2/1 Historiography of the Great Depression Readings: Alan Brinkley, "Prosperity, Depression, and War, 1920-1945," in The New American History: Revised and Expanded Edition , ed. Eric Foner (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1997), 133-158. Warren Susman, "The Culture of the Thirties," in Culture as History: The Transformation of American Society in the Twentieth Century (New York: Pantheon Books, 1984), 150-183. Due: Bring for discussion three possible topics for your research paper based on the readings. 2/8 1930s: Politics and Economy Readings: Michael A. Bernstein, "Why the Great Depression Was Great: Toward a New Understanding of the Interwar Economic Crisis in the United States," in The Rise and Fall of the New Deal Order, 1930-1980 , ed. Steve Fraser and Gary Gerstle (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1989), 32-54. Alan Brinkley, "The New Deal and the Idea of the State," in The Rise and Fall of the New Deal Order, 1930-1980 , 85-121. 2/15 1930s: Society and Culture Readings: Margaret McFadden, "'America's Boy Friend Who Can't Get a Date': Gender, Race, and the Cultural Work of the Jack Benny Program, 1932-1946," Journal of American History (June 1993), 113-134. Earl Lewis, Introduction and "The Depression Years," in In Their Own Interests: Race, Class and Power in Twentieth-Century Norfolk, Virginia (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991). Due: Research paper proposal, to be presented and discussed in class. 2/22 No Class - Individual meetings with instructor on research paper topics (see schedule) 3/1 No Class - Trips to Library of Congress, National Archives, and the Library of American Broadcasting (see schedule) Readings: Marius and Page, Short Guide to Writing about History , Introduction and Chapters 1-4. 3/8 Archival and Online Research - GMU Library Tour Meet at the usual time in the Fenwick Conference room, on the 2nd floor in the A wing (Room 202 A). Readings: Marius and Page, Short Guide to Writing about History , Chapters 5-8. Due: Annotated bibliography of secondary sources.
3/15 No Class - Spring Break 3/22 How to Write a Historiographical Essay Readings: Peter Kolchin, "Whiteness Studies: The New History of Race in America," Journal of American History 89.1 (June 2002): 154-173. William Cronon, "A Place for Stories: Nature, History, and Narrative," Journal of American History 78 (March 1992): 1347-76. 3/29 Evaluating Sources Readings: Lawrence W. Levine, "The Folklore of Industrial Society: Popular Culture and Its Audiences," American Historical Review 97 (December 1992): 1369-99; responses by Robin D. G. Kelley, Natalie Zemon Davis, and T. J. Jackson Lears; and rejoinder by Levine. Due: Historiography review essay. 4/5 Writing and Footnoting Readings: Philip E. Agre, "Learning How to Write," October 1998. Review Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations . Due: Source analysis. Due: Bring first paragraph of your research paper - one copy for everyone, to be revised in class. 4/12 Individual meetings with instructor on fist drafts. Due: First drafts. 4/19 Draft presentations and discussion Due: One-paragraph review of another student's first draft (as assigned). 4/26 Draft presentations and discussion Due: One-paragraph review of another student's first draft (as assigned). 5/3 Individual meetings with instructor on draft revisions. 5/10 Final draft of research paper due. |