Skip to Main Content

Researching Like a Historian: Fall Semester

Instructor Requirements

Assignment: Students will submit a 6-page historiography essay that builds upon the corrected Bibliography and Book Review assignment. Students may select topics from 1400 - 1878. The essay should contain a creative argument and demonstrate both careful analysis and clear prose while analyzing at least 4 scholarly sources that address a major subject of historiographical concern. The essay will be written in the Chicago style format using NoodleTools. The essay will be typed, with one-inch margins, double spaced, and Times New Roman size 12 text font. The essay should include a cover page, footnotes, and a bibliography. The essay will be uploaded into SafeAssign in Blackboard where it will be checked for plagiarism. The results of the report for SafeAssign should reflect a paper with less than 20% matching results. Essays must be uploaded to black board by December 10th @ 11:59 PM. Technical glitches should be accounted for, please save your work frequently and work ahead of deadlines. Late work will not be accepted.

Assignment:

Objectives:

Student will be developing the following:

  1. Historiographical presentation where they will allow them to view (and share) a historical event or issue from multiple perspectives by engaging multiple sources. It will also allow them to display their mastery over analysis of sources and understanding of events/ issues. They will also be developing their critical reading skills as they seek to answer ‘why’ their chosen sources agree/disagree and what those source driven opinions tell us about events/issues and the very nature of history itself.
  2. Complete a journal article review/analysis of a source that will be utilized in their presentation.

Requirements:

  • Topics must fall within the timeframe of 1607-1877 (End of Reconstruction).
  • Students will be required to utilize the works of at least 6 historians in their (10-15 minute) presentation.
  • Students will be required to complete an article review of one of their sources that will be utilized in the presentation.

Library:

  1. Establish project in Noodletools. Students will be going through every aspect of the research process as if they were writing the historiography. They will still be required to develop a thesis, do an annotated bibliography, and complete a bibliography of their sources used.
  2. They will need to confirm the sources they already choose or choose from new options introduced to them during their library visit.
  3. Understand how to access reference sources to build their foundational knowledge of the topic area that they choose to write about.

Assignment: The final paper will be a seven-page research essay with Chicago style with footnotes. Students will use NoodleTools to document all sources. A minimum of seven sources are required: four primary sources and three secondary sources. Students will analyze and explain racial tensions, issues, and legislation prior to the civil war. Their paper will look into the events that eventually caused the civil war. They will do this while analyzing racial issues in both the north and south, from the perspective of the government and society as a whole. 

Topic Ideas & Historiography Guide

Historiography: A historiography is the analysis and interpretation of historical writings and perspectives over time. It is not the retelling of a events. A historiography may include multi-decade perspectives, viewpoints from a certain group (ie feminist, racial, nationalist etc), analyzing the work of a specific historian, etc.Refer to the "Step by Step LibGuide" from the University of Rhode Island to help you write a historiography

Helpful Library Resources to Choose a Topic:

Topic Selections for Race in Antebellum America

Helpful Library Resources to Choose a Topic:

Rodriguez- American Revolution Paper