THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT
Historical Studies Program
HST 3301 Spring,
2004 R
Sec. 501
Call = 13760 JO 3.908
Professor Gerald Soliday Office:
Jonsson 4.202
Office Hours:
W and R
6:00-7:00, and by appointment: 972-883-2760
E-mail: soliday@utdallas.edu Internet:
http://www.utdallas.edu/~soliday
Reference Librarian: Ms. Linda Snow Office: McDermott 2.518
E-mail: snow@utdallas.edu Consultation by appointment 972-883-2626
Historical Studies 3301: HISTORICAL INQUIRY
HST 3301 is an introduction
to historical studies and the core requirement in the field. It explores the nature and development of
historical analysis as well as the skills students should use to approach
historical problems critically.
The course serves three
purposes. Initial sessions will address
the general nature of historical inquiry:
its philosophical assumptions, the framing of problems or issues for
analysis, the use and abuse of evidence, and the limits and value of historical
knowledge. At the same time, students
will examine study and research techniques that prepare them for all later
courses in the field: an engaged,
critical reading of primary sources and secondary works; effective writing
skills; the development of research strategies; and the use of reference works,
bibliographical materials, and other library and internet resources. Finally,
the course will focus on different kinds of historical analysis¾economic, social, political, cultural, and
intellectual¾through a close examination of examples dealing with
Elizabethan and early Stuart England.
Majors in Historical Studies
and other students (particularly those seeking teacher certification in the
field) are urged strongly to take this required course as early as possible,
preferably first, in their study programs.
Course requirements include: (1) attendance
and participation in class discussion of assigned readings that are to be
completed prior to class meetings [25%] and (2) three pieces of written work:
(a) an
analytical outline [10%] due 5 February
(b) an
interpretive essay [25%] due 26 February
(c) a proposal for a research paper [40%] due 22 April
Please note that I can not
accept writing assignments late, unless very unusual
circumstances
arise or my permission is sought and granted in advance of the due date. Note also that you must submit all
assignments in order to pass the course.
All written work and class discussion for
this course are in gender-neutral, nonsexist language and rhetorical
constructions. Such practice is part of
a classroom situation according full respect and opportunity to all
participants by all others.
Written
work is submitted in paper or "hard" copy, without cover pages or
special folders. Simply put your name
and course identification at the top of the first page and staple the upper
left corner. Papers are always paginated
(usually at the bottom and center of each page after the first), double-spaced,
and presented in clear 10- to 12-point type.
Parenthetical
annotation is now strongly recommended, though any form of annotation (foot- or
endnotes) and bibliography (list of works cited or of works consulted) is
acceptable for this course, provided that you use it correctly and
consistently.
Probably
most appropriate for your work in the arts and humanities are standard style
guides like the MLA Handbook (6th ed., 2003) or Kate
L. Turabian’s Manual for Writers (6th
ed., 1996). The Turabian manual is a
short version of The Chicago Manual of Style (15th ed.,
2003), often the preferred guide for historians. Another useful handbook is Diana Hacker, Research
and Documentation in the Electronic Age (3rd ed., 2002).
At
the same time, Hacker's Rules for Writers
(5th ed., 2003) summarizes MLA stylistic conventions, outlines
current mechanics and grammatical practices, and offers helpful guidelines for
researching and writing papers. You may
find it especially useful for your work in the course this semester. Any college student who has not already read
William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White, The
Elements of Style (4th ed., Boston, 2000), should do so
immediately.
I
should also mention that the eleventh edition of Merriam Webster’s
Collegiate Dictionary appeared this past summer and now becomes the
standard for university work.
Most required readings as well as some recommended items for the course
are on reserve in the McDermott Library.
Paperback books used extensively are also for sale, if you wish to
purchase them, both in the University Bookstore and at Off-Campus Books. Rather than being on the library’s reserve
shelf, however, shorter readings marked with an asterisk (*) are available
online through this syllabus. Please note that those materials are under
copyright; you must always cite them properly, and you must have a password to
gain access to them. Finally, also
online is a packet of research proposals to give you some successful examples
of the final assignment for the course.
Please note that, although I
do not anticipate them, there may be some changes in the following schedule. If they occur, I will announce them in class
and post them here.
SCHEDULE OF CLASS MEETINGS & ASSIGNMENTS
The past is a foreign country; they do things
differently there.
—
L. P. Hartley, The Go-Between
It is time we historians took responsibility for
explaining what we do, how we do it,
and why it is worth doing. ― Appleby, Hunt, and Jacob
… history-writing is not story-telling but problem
solving. Sometimes the solution
takes the form of a story. ― David H. Fischer
15 Jan Introduction to the Course
Students
new to the university should acquaint themselves with the McDermott Library as
soon as possible.
THE NATURE
OF HISTORICAL INQUIRY
22 Jan Why Study History?
Definitions & Relevance
Discussion of
Norman F. Cantor and Richard I. Schneider, How to Study History,
chs. 1 and 2; *John Tosh, The
Pursuit of History, ch.1, and *David Fischer, Historians' Fallacies, 307-318
The Materials of History: The
"Struggle with Documents"
Discussion of Cantor and Schneider, chs. 3-6,
and *Tosh, ch. 3
29 Jan Historians' Questions &
Historical "Facts"
Discussion of *Tosh, ch.7, and *Fischer, chs.
1, 2, 3
Recommended: Fischer, chs. 4 - 5 and 7 - 9
Joyce Appleby, Lynn
Hunt, and Margaret Jacob, Telling the
Truth about History
Richard
J. Evans, In defense of History
Outlining:
brief discussion of the instructor's *outline of Lawrence Stone, The Causes of the English Revolution,
47-164
5 Feb First Writing Assignment: Analytical outline of chapter seven of
Tosh's Pursuit of History
[See the guidelines for all writing assignments at the
end of this syllabus.]
Historical Communication
Reading:
Cantor & Schneider, chs. 8, 9, 11, and 12
An Historical
Episode: Sources, Evidence, and
Interpretations
Viewing
of Daniel Vigne's film Le Retour de
Martin Guerre (1982; director’s cut,
1996)
12 Feb Two Primary Sources: Jean
de Coras & Guillaume Le Sueur
Brief discussion of
*Jean de Coras, "Memorable Decision of the High Court of
Toulouse," TriQuarterly 55
(1982): 86-103, and *Guillaume Le Sueur, "Admirable History of a False and
Supposed Husband," trans.Thomas Fox (unpublished typescript)
Two Modes of Interpretation: Historical & Artistic
Discussion of Vigne’s film, Natalie Davis's The Return of Martin Guerre, and *Ed Benson, "Martin Guerre, the
Historian and the Filmmakers: An
Interview with Natalie Zemon Davis," Film
& History 13 (1983): 49-65
19 Feb Historical Debate
Discussion of
*Robert Finlay, "The Refashioning of Martin Guerre," American Historical Review 93 (1988):
553-571, and *Natalie Zemon Davis, "'On the Lame,'" ibid.: 572-603 [McDermott Reference].
First Library Session in McDermott 2.524: The General Reference Collection
TYPES OF
HISTORICAL ANALYSIS
26 Feb Second Writing Assignment: Comparison of Vigne's film version with
Davis's interpretation of the Martin Guerre episode [See guidelines for the comparison at the
end of this syllabus.]
A New History?
Discussion of *Peter Burke, “Overture: the New
History, its Past and its Future,” New
Perspectives on Historical Writing, ed. Peter Burke (2nd ed.;
University Park, PA, 2001), 1-24
Social History:
Social Relations & Family History
Discussion of Keith Wrightson, English Society 1580-1680, 11-118
Recommended: Keith Wrightson, Earthly
Necessities: Economic Lives in Early
Modern
D.M. Palliser, The Age of Elizabeth: England under the Later Tudors 1547-1603 (Social and Economic History
of England, IV)
4 Mar International
Relations: England in Its Wider World
Discussion of Susan Doran, Elizabeth I and Foreign Policy, 1558-1603
Second Library Session in McDermott 2.524: Reference Works & Research Aids for
Historical Studies
11 Mar [Spring Break]
18 Mar Political Analysis: The
Exercise of Power
Discussion of Christopher Haigh, Elizabeth I
(2nd ed., 1998)
(Be sure to include the Bibliographical Essay and List
of Dates at the end of the book; indeed, I would
recommend that you look at them first.)
Psychological Analysis: The Role of Personality in Politics
Discussion of
*Larissa Taylor-Smither, "Elizabeth I: A Psychological Profile," Sixteenth Century Journal 15 (1984):
47-72, and *Carole Levin, "Power,
Politics, and Sexuality: Images of
Elizabeth I," The Politics of Gender
in Early Modern Europe, ed. Jean R. Brink et al. (Kirksville, MO, 1989):
95-110
25 Mar Discussion of Research Topics
Literary History:
A Classic Text as Participant in Cultural Politics
Discussion of William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew (1592), ed. Frances E. Dolan (in the Bedford
Texts and Contexts series), vii-x and 1-159
1 Apr Discussion
of the Dolan edition of Taming,
160-228, 244-253, and 288-296, as well as *David Underdown,
"The Taming of the Scold: The Enforcement of Patriarchal Authority in
Early Modern England," Order and Disorder
in Early Modern England, ed. A. Fletcher and J. Stevenson (Cambridge,
1985), 116-136, and *Martin Ingram, “’Scolding
Women Cucked or Washed’: a Crisis in Gender Relations in Early Modern England,”
Women, Crime and the Courts in Early Modern England, ed. J. Kermode and
G. Walker (Chapel Hill and London, 1994), 48-80
Further Discussion of Research Topics
8 Apr Religious
History & Politics
Discussion of *Patrick Collinson,
“The Elizabethan Church and the New Religion,” and *Christopher Haigh, “The Church of England, the Catholics, and the
People,” The Reign of Elizabeth I, ed. Christopher Haigh (Athens GA,
1987): 169-219
Further Discussion of Research Topics
15 Apr History & the Arts:
Visual & Literary Evidence
Discussion of *Roy Strong, The Cult of Elizabeth: Elizabethan Portraiture and Pageantry,
14-55, 56-83 [Strong-1],
and 111-112 [Strong-2]
Further Discussion of Research Topics
22 Apr Elizabethan Music: Some
Recordings [Music-Texts]
Afterthoughts & Course Evaluation
Final Writing
Assignment: Research proposal with
bibliography due in class at
[See the guidelines below.] Examples of successful proposals from past
courses: [Proposal-Shipping]
[Proposal-Reformation] [Proposal-Martial
Arts] [Proposal-Law] [Proposal-Women]
Unfortunately,
I am unable to accept late papers. Please attach a stamped self-addressed
envelope, if you wish
me to return the proposal with comments and your marks
for the course.
Guidelines
for Writing Assignments
First
Writing Assignment Due Thursday,
5 February
An Analytical Outline
Your first writing assignment this semester is an analytical
outline of chapter seven of John Tosh's Pursuit
of History. In no more than one
single-spaced (or two double-spaced) typed page(s), your outline should capture
the major arguments the author makes in the chapter and also indicate some of
the supporting positions or evidence he presents.
While you need not follow all the formal devices of
traditional outlines, you should observe a few guidelines. First, as Cantor and Schneider emphasize, the
outline should present the author's arguments in clear, coherent fashion and
should not merely list keywords to jog the reader's memory of them. Complete sentences are generally preferable,
though you need not always use them. Then,
second, as you relate arguments to one another in the outline, do observe the
old convention that use of any subdivision implies that there are two or more
such units, never just one. In general,
employ parallel construction with subdivisions.
Think of the outline as something you could take from your
files in six months to find a cogent presentation of the author’s (not
necessarily your own) views. In that
"skeleton guide," as Cantor calls it, arguments not facts are
emphasized, and they are presented in clear, logically related form.
Second Writing
Assignment Due Thursday, 26 February
An Interpretive Essay
In a paper of some five to seven pages, compare the treatments
of the Martin Guerre episode in Vigne's film and Davis's short book. Your essay should probe the aims of the two
interpreters, their use of the empirical evidence we have about the episode and
its historical setting, and their successes or failures at reaching persuasive
interpretations of the incident. Make
your paper, in other words, a case study comparing and contrasting a professional
historian’s with an artist’s interpretation of a sixteenth-century
occurrence. Remember that your essay is
not a Rankean attempt to tell the story the way it “actually happened,” but an
analysis of two interpreters of the past.
How do they agree or disagree about what happened? What motivates or influences their
conclusions? How can Davis claim that
hers is a more historical reading than Vigne’s?
Final Writing Assignment Due
Thursday, 22 April
Research Proposal
As your final assignment for Historical Studies 3301 this
semester, you are to prepare a proposal for a research project dealing with
some aspect of English history during the Elizabethan or early Stuart
periods. Make the proposal a short essay
of five to seven pages, in which you define the topic and indicate why you
think the subject or problem is of general interest and importance in
historical studies. Then explain your
research strategy, how you would go about investigating the subject: what methodological approaches, what kinds of
primary sources, what preliminary hypotheses would you employ in your
exploration of the topic? Please do not
mistake a discussion of techniques (use of the library catalogs, consultation
of national bibliographies, searches on the internet, and the like) for a
research strategy, which must emphasize the intellectual bases (the substantive
ideas and the line of reasoning) for your work as well as
the specific help you expect from the documentary sources and secondary works
you plan to use.
While you will not be carrying out your proposal, it must
nevertheless be a practicable research plan.
Think in terms of an issue or problem that could be explored in some
depth in a paper of twenty pages, to be written over one semester while you are
also taking a couple other courses. To
ensure practicability, you must append a bibliography of some thirty items,
divided into primary sources and secondary works, with emphasis on materials
available in the metropolitan Dallas area.
Use proper bibliographical form and indicate both the library in which
you have found each item and its call number there. Should you need to add bibliographic items
only available outside our area, indicate the libraries from which you could
order them through interlibrary loan. Do
not "pad" the bibliography. If
you think an item is likely to raise doubts in the instructor's mind about its
relevance to your topic, indicate briefly why you think it helpful. In a sense, then, you are providing an
annotated bibliography, though your annotations concern the location and
relevance rather than a substantive evaluation of the titles listed.
The typed proposal with its appended bibliography is due in
class on Thursday, 22 April. Unfortunately, I cannot accept late proposals. Please attach a stamped self-addressed
envelope, if you wish me to return the proposal with comments as well as your
marks for the course.