History 301

10/21/08

“Most of the important things we do, we do with others. Some students think that research is different: they imagine a solitary scholar reading alone in a hushed library or peering into a microscope surrounded only by glassware and computers. But no place is more filled with voices than a library or lab.”

-- Wayne Booth, Gregory Colomb, and Joseph Williams, The Craft of Research

History 301: Introduction to Historical Methods and Research focuses on historical methodology, research techniques, and the writing of history from a wide range of historical sources. It is required for all history majors before taking the senior seminar.

For additional information about this course, click a link below.

History 301 in Red Square (2008)

Course Description - The goal of this course is to teach history majors historical research techniques, historical methodology, and how to approach historical writing using a wide range of primary and secondary sources. This is a “shop talk” class where students learn how professional historians think, write, and discuss ideas in a small group setting (usually 15-17 students). We will also study how historians have approached writing history in the past and a few of the theories and research techniques that they have used (the sub discipline of history called historiography). We will occasionally take structured trips to the PLU library, and several days will be designated for small group activities, reviewing essays drafts, and presenting your research to the class. The final goal is to create a research paper at least 15 pages in length; however, this paper is the result of many preliminary outlines, drafts, and short writing assignments. There are no examinations.

History 301 Course Syllabus - The course syllabus used for Fall 2006 is available in the following Microsoft Word document. The document lists the books and readings that we will use, as well as our general schedule. Detailed assignments are listed below.

	History 301 Syllabus (2008)
	History 301 Course Reader (available at PLU Bookstore)

Course Assignments - The following tasks will be due during the term for our History 301 course. See course syllabus (above) for the specific details and due dates.

	Task 1: Methodology Assignment
	Task 2: Close Reading of Source Documents
	Task 3: Journal Article Review
	Task 4: Arguments and Evidence Exercise
	Task 5: Research Paper Prospectus "How to Write a Research Paper Prospectus"
	Task 6: Interlibrary Loan and Annotated Bibliography
	Task 7: Research Paper Outline
	Task 8: Footnote and Citation Exercise
	Task 9: First Draft of Your Paper
	Task 10: Review First Draft of Two Students
	Task 11: Final Research Paper

Resources - The following links may be of use to students who take this course:

	Encountering the 'Other' Bibliographies (ideas for primary and secondary sources)
	Aztec Encounters in the New World (primary documents in PLU Library)
	Manuscript Submission Checklist (a basic list to review as you work on your papers)
	Footnote and Citation Help (Chicago Manual of Style 15th Edition QuickGuide)

History 301 with Martin Luther in Red Square (2008)

A few 301 students who survived the Fall 2006 course and conference...

This site was last updated 10/21/08