WAYLAND BAPTIST UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES
VIRTUAL CAMPUS
Wayland Mission Statement: Wayland Baptist University exists to educate students in an academically challenging, learning-focused, and distinctively Christian environment for professional success, and service to God and humankind.
Course Title, Number, and Section: HIST 5301. VC01 Historical Methods
Term: Spring 2016
Instructor: Dr. Autumn Lass
Office Phone Number and WBU Email Address: 806-291-1186; [email protected]
Office Hours, Building, and Location: Virtual Office Hours on Skype (username DrAutumnLass) and Gates Hall 306
Class Meeting Time and Location: Virtual Class – On Blackboard
Catalog Description: Investigation and development of professional historical methodology and research skills.
There is no prerequisite for this course
Required Textbook(s) and/or Required Material(s): John Arnold, History: A Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2000) John Lewis Gaddis, The Landscape of History: How Historians Map the Past (Oxford University Press, 2004) Joyce Appleby, Telling the Truth about History (W.W. Norton & Company, New Edition, 1995) Kate Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, Eighth Edition (University of Chicago Press, 2013) Marc Bloch, The Historians Craft: Reflections on the Nature and Uses of History and the Techniques and Methods of Those Who Write It (Vintage, Reprint 2004 Edition) Stephen Pyne, Voice & Vision: a Guide to Writing History and Other Serious Nonfiction (Harvard University Press, 2011) William Storey, Writing History: A Guide for Students (Oxford University Press, 2015)
Optional Materials:
1 Course Outcome Competencies: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
Assess, think critically about, and interpret historical issues; Analyze historical data, make reasoned inferences, and reach informed conclusions; Acquire and practice research, writing, and documentation skills; Increase understanding of the historical discipline and profession. Attendance Requirements:
Virtual Campus
Students are expected to participate in all required instructional activities in their courses. Online courses are no different in this regard; however, participation must be defined in a different manner. Student “attendance” in an online course is defined as active participation in the course as described in the course syllabus. Instructors in online courses are responsible for providing students with clear instructions for how they are required to participate in the course. Additionally, instructors are responsible for incorporating specific instructional activities within their course and will, at a minimum, have weekly mechanisms for documenting student participation. These mechanisms may include, but are not limited to, participating in a weekly discussion board, submitting/completing assignments in Blackboard, or communicating with the instructor. Students aware of necessary absences must inform the professor with as much advance notice as possible in order to make appropriate arrangements. Any student absent 25 percent or more of the online course, i.e., non-participatory during 3 or more weeks of an 11 week term, may receive an F for that course. Instructors may also file a Report of Unsatisfactory Progress for students with excessive non-participation. Any student who has not actively participated in an online class prior to the census date for any given term is considered a “no-show” and will be administratively withdrawn from the class without record. To be counted as actively participating, it is not sufficient to log in and view the course. The student must be submitting work as described in the course syllabus. Additional attendance and participation policies for each course, as defined by the instructor in the course syllabus, are considered a part of the university’s attendance policy.
Statement on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty: Wayland Baptist University observes a zero tolerance policy regarding academic dishonesty. Per university policy as described in the academic catalog, all cases of academic dishonesty will be reported and second offenses will result in suspension from the university.
Instructor’s Academic Honesty Statement: . Any student caught cheating – whether it be cheating on an examination, plagiarism of a published or unpublished work, plagiarism of online materials, inappropriate contact or collaboration with a fellow student, or any other action that prevents the student’s ability to produce an honest, original work – will receive a ZERO on that assignment and will not be allowed to redo or retake the assignment. Repeated incidents of cheating will lead to FAILURE OF THE COURSE and could lead to punishment from the university up to and including expulsion. . I DO NOT TOLERATE cheating or plagiarism. For more information see: http://www.wbu.edu/academics/online_programs/resources/refguide.htm
Disability Statement: In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), it is the policy of Wayland Baptist University that no otherwise qualified person with a disability be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational program or activity in the
2 university. The Coordinator of Counseling Services serves as the coordinator of students with a disability and should be contacted concerning accommodation requests at (806) 291- 3765. Documentation of a disability must accompany any request for accommodations.
Course Requirements and Grading Criteria:
Overall Requirements and Grade Allocation (1000 point scale): . Professor Chats – 50 points (2 @ 25 points each) . Reading Assignments – 300 points total Reading Discussions – 150 points total (6 @ 25 points each) Book Reviews – 100 points total (2 @ 50 points each) Book Presentation – 50 points . Learning to be a Historian Journal – 100 points total (5 @ 20 points each) . Historical Skills – 100 points total Finding Sources Exercise – 25 points Turabian Citation Exercise – 25 points Plagiarism Exercise – 25 points How to “Gut” a Book – 25 points . Midterm – 75 points . Final – 75 points . Final Project: Thesis Proposal – 300 total points Project Proposal – 25 points Annotated Bibliography – 50 points Rough Draft – 75 points Final Draft – 150 points . Bonus – 100 points Syllabus/Course Policy Quiz – 10 points Introduction Discussion – 20 points Book Presentation Discussion Critique – 20 points Portfolio Submission – 50 points Grade Scale (1000 points)
. 1000-900 = A . 699-600 = D . 899-800 = B . 599-0 = F . 799-700 = C Professor Chats: . Twice during the semester you will need to schedule a video chat with the instructor on Skype. The meetings are meant to help students get to know their instructor, talk about their concerns/issues with the class, and discuss ways to improve their overall performance in class. . The instructor will send out a scheduling list and it is the student’s responsibility to get back with the instructor to pick the times that best work with their schedule. . While these to chats are required, students should feel encourage chat with their instructor as often as they need to feel comfortable in the course or any time they have questions. Reading Assignments: Every week students are assigned to read scholarly articles or a monograph or listen to an academic podcast. Students should complete the reading early so they can complete the week’s assignments regarding that reading. . Book Reviews: 2-3 page book review.
3 Book reviews are NOT SUMMARIES but instead should discuss the thesis, arguments, strengths, weaknesses, and historiographical contribution. All book reviews must be submitted according to the formatting and citations guidelines explained below. All book reviews must be submitted as Word documents. See detailed schedule for due dates . Book Presentation: Students are required to prepare an audio/video presentation of the assigned presentation book for the class to watch to help facilitate discussion over the book. Students should use Kaltura Media to record their presentations. Presentations must be at least 8 minutes and no longer than 10 minutes in length. Students are also required to submit the 1-page presentation form (provided by the instructor) with their video for distribution to their fellow students. Presentations must be included: a brief summary, brief discussion of thesis and major themes/arguments, historiographical significance, an assessment of the book’s arguments, and finally what questions came to mind as the student read the book. See detailed schedule for due dates . Online Discussions: On monograph reading weeks, students will be expected to discuss the assigned readings in an online discussion. There will be a total of 6 ONLINE DISCUSSIONS Students are required to post one response to the discussion thread they were assigned (for example, Thread #1). This post that is 3-4 paragraphs that answers the original discussion question (10 points). The initial post will answer the complete question, use in-text citations, demonstrate that the student has read the book, and illustrate critical analysis of the author’s arguments. Students are then required to post TWO additional responses to different student’s comments on a DIFFERENT DISCUSSION THREAD (for example, Thread #2 or #3) These responses need to be 3-5 sentences long. (2 points per response) See Discussion rubric for a detailed explanation of expectations. Students need to make note when their initial post is due by on the detailed syllabus. Learning How to Be a Historian Journal . Each student will be required to submit a reflective journal entry 5 weeks of the semester. . Each entry will have an assigned theme (see below and in the detailed schedule). . Each entry must be at minimum of 3 full paragraphs (5-6 sentences each), use correct spelling and grammar, and thoughtful answer the assigned topic. . Students should make use of previous readings and assignments to help them thoughtful answer each question. . Journal Entry Topics: #1 – Why are you interested in history? What topics interest you? What are some possible research questions you have for those topics? #2 –What is the relationship between citations and plagiarism? Why are citations so important to a historian and historical writing? Why is plagiarism such an important issue to historians? Finally, what do you think it shows about your own historical writing when you do not properly cite or acknowledge previous scholars’ work? #3 – What are acceptable sources – both secondary sources and primary sources? How do you determine if a source is acceptable or valid? In other words, how do you determine if a source is usable source for historical writing and interpretation? Once 4 you’ve determined the acceptability of a source, how do you evaluate the source? What are the different approaches or questions you need to consider when evaluating secondary sources? What are the different approaches or questions you need to consider when evaluating primary sources? #4 – After working on and writing your thesis proposal, are you interested in pursuing your research topic? In other words, are you interested in writing a thesis? Why or why not? What about the thesis proposal project helped to influence your decision and understanding of writing a thesis? #5 – What do you think it means to be a historian? What qualities make for a good historian? What are your strengths and weaknesses as a historian? Finally, why do you think the historical craft so important to both individual learning and societal progress and development? Historical Skills . Finding Sources Students will be required to compile a list of acceptable scholarly articles and monographs (10 total secondary sources) AND a list of primary sources (5 total primary sources) Each source should have a 2-3 sentence explanation for why the student believes this source to be either a trustworthy and acceptable secondary or primary source. For each primary source, you must provide a web link for the instructor to access the source. . Turabian Citation Exercise Using the revised list of sources, students must submit each source’s correction citation for both a footnote and bibliography. . Plagiarism Exercise . How to “Gut” a Book Students will be concisely provided a questionnaire and template for gutting a book for the assigned “gutting book.” Students are expected to answer the questions concisely yet thoroughly. Midterm & Final: . Students are required answer the assigned exam questions using the corresponding books list assigned to the questions provided by the instructor. . Each exam will feature 1 longer essay question and 2 two short answer questions. . See the detailed schedule for the due dates Final Project: Thesis Proposal – The goal of a thesis proposal is to make sure the project is a viable research assignment. It needs to give a brief overview of the field and identify the historiographical hole the project intends to fill. The proposal will also briefly describe how the student intends of accomplish their research goals (research, sources, travel, etc.). . Project Proposal Students must write a 2-page maximum thesis proposal “proposal.” The proposal should address the research questions, reasons for interests, possible outcomes of the research, and the possible pitfalls to writing a thesis on the topic. Proposal should incorporate the use of secondary and primary sources to help provide a tentative roadmap for your thesis proposal. . Annotated Bibliography An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief (usually about 150 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited.
5 The list should include 10-15 secondary sources that will help you develop your thesis proposal and 10-15 primary sources that will help you research and write your thesis. . Rough Draft Students will submit a 12-15 page thesis proposal. The proposal must contain the following components: title page, abstract, table of contents, proposal, and conclusion), and bibliography. (See template provided) The body of the proposal must contain an introduction, theoretical frameworks, analysis of primary sources, background information, proposal argument, literature review (historiographical component), rationale of project significance, and a conclusion. The draft must adhere to Turabian citations and style guides. . Final Draft Students must incorporate the revisions provided by the instructor for the final draft. Bonus Activities . Bonus Syllabus Quiz – students will be given a bonus quiz on blackboard over the syllabus and course policies at the beginning the semester. The quiz is worth 10 points. Students will be given two attempts to take the quiz. The highest score will count as bonus. . Introduction Discussion – students are encouraged to post introduction videos of themselves on the discussion forum labelled “introduction discussion” during the first week of class. In order to receive the bonus points, students must post Kaltura media videos on to the discussion forum and then respond to two different students in the forum. This is an all or nothing bonus. Follow directions and fully participate to earn your 20 bonus points. . Book Presentation Discussion Critique – students will be able to share their Bloch book presentation video on the labeled discussion forum. In order to be awarded the 20 bonus points, students must share their book presentation video and then constructive critique at least 2 other student’s presentations. Your critiques must be at least 3 sentences long each. Constructive critiques include both positive feedback and suggestions for how to improve the presentation. Remember, you are not GRADING their presentation but trying to help your fellow student improve his/her own skills. This is an all or nothing bonus – you will not receive points for just sharing your video. . Portfolio – students are encouraged to submit a “Historical Methods” portfolio during the last week of the semester. The portfolio must follow the template provided by the instructor. The portfolio must contain the corrected versions of historical skills assignments, corrected book reviews, corrected annotated bibliography, and your final version of your thesis proposal. Please see instructional video for questions! You must have all components of the portfolio completed in order to be eligible for the 50 bonus points. Use the template and email the instructor for questions! 7 Day Policy: Students have 7 days following when a grade is given back to discuss that grade with the instructor. After the 7 days have passed all grades are FINAL. The instructor will NOT round up grades or give out free points at the end of semester. The University has a standard grade scale: A = 90-100, B = 80-89, C = 70-79, D = 60-69, F= below 60, W = Withdrawal, WP = withdrew passing, WF = withdrew failing, I = incomplete. An incomplete may be given within the last two weeks of a long term or within the last two days of a microterm to a student who is passing, but has not completed a term paper, examination, or other required work for reasons beyond the student’s control. A grade of “incomplete” is changed if the work required is completed prior to the last day of the next long (10 to 15 weeks) term, unless the instructor designates an earlier date for completion. If the work is not completed by the appropriate date, the I is converted to an F. 6 Student grade appeals:
Students shall have protection through orderly procedures against prejudices or capricious academic evaluation. A student who believes that he or she has not been held to realistic academic standards, just evaluation procedures, or appropriate grading, may appeal the final grade given in the course by using the student grade appeal process described in the Academic Catalog. Appeals may not be made for advanced placement examinations or course bypass examinations. Appeals limited to the final course grade, which may be upheld, raised, or lowered at any stage of the appeal process. Any recommendation to lower a course grade must be submitted through the Executive Vice President/Provost to the Faculty Assembly Grade Appeals Committee for review and approval. The Faculty Assembly Grade Appeals Committee may instruct that the course grade be upheld, raised, or lowered to a more proper evaluation.
Additional Information:
Assignment Submission Guidelines: All writing submissions must be submitted as Word Documents and all submissions must also meet the following requirements: . 1 inch margins . Times New Romans 12-point font or Calibri 11-point font. . Use the Header Function to provide the date and name Example: Date Name . All submissions must have a title For book reviews, the full book citation is to be used as the title. For exams, the question and the question number. For the annotated bibliography, students may create their own topical title. . Must have page numbers All writing submissions must be submitted in Turabian citations. . See http://www.press.uchicago.edu/books/turabian/turabian_citationguide.html or use the recommended Turabian manual listed in the recommended reading sections. . ONLY FOOTNOTES ARE ALLOWED – DO NOT USE IN-TEXT CITATIONS OR ENDNOTES Students only get ONE redo on formatting, after that students will receive point deduction for not following citation and formatting guidelines. Students will be docked points equivalent to ONE LETTER GRADE . For each time formatting guidelines are not met the point deduction grows a letter grade. For example, the second (after the one free) infraction will result in points equivalent to TWO LETTER GRADES . Class Materials & Computer/Software Requirements Computer Access: . Each student is required to have regular (daily) computer access, preferably a home computer with broadband Internet access. This course can be completed using public computers at a library or other public access areas. However, be aware that using public computers may create a hardship. All course requirements remain the same regardless of your computer access. Technical Skills: Students who take this course must be comfortable with the following . using a word processor . using email for communication
7 . sending email attachments . navigating the Internet, websites like Blackboard, and search engines . downloading appropriate software and or plug-ins Required Software: Students who take this class will need the following free software installed on their computer. (See http://www.wbu.edu/academics/online_programs/works/tech.htm for a complete list of technical requirements) . A web browser like Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome, or Safari. . Adobe Flash Player & Adobe Reader . QuickTime . JAVA . A word processor such as Microsoft Word Blackboard: (http://wbu.blackboard.com) . In order to successfully complete this course, students must log on to the course blackboard page regularly in order to complete assignments and exams. Communication: The instructor will regularly post class announcements/reminders on Blackboard. Therefore, students will need to log-in to Blackboard every day. Please send all emails to [email protected] to avoid confusion. Please allow at least one day for responses during the week and two days during the weekend/holidays. . When emailing your instructor please use the proper salutation, grammar, and signature. The instructor may ignore emails that are considered “text-message” emails. Please address and write your emails to the instructor in a polite, respectful manner. The instructor will only use students’ email listed as his/her official email address provided by Wayland Baptist University. It is the student’s responsibility to use/check/maintain that email account. All emails from the instructor will only go to that email address. Office Hours will be held using Skype. This software allows for IM, audio, or video chat with the instructor. Students are strongly encouraged to download Skype and create an account so they can make use of this opportunity to meet virtually with the instructor. When searching for the instructor use the instructor’s name or email address. . To download Skype see: https://www.skype.com/en/ . Professor Username: DrAutumnLass Workload: Because this is a three credit hour course, you should plan to spend a minimum of 6-9 hours per week completing work for this course. Students should expect to devote at least as much, if not more time to this course than they do in a face-to-face class. Although online courses offer more flexibility than traditional courses, they require greater self-discipline in order to keep up with the work and complete it in a timely fashion. Deadlines, Missed and Late Work Unless otherwise noted, all assignments must be completed by the end of the due date at 11:59pm CST. Any work that is not received by that time will be considered late and given a grade of zero if it does not meet the below “late work policy.” There is no exception to this policy. Any work submitted late will only be accepted under strict professor approval. Students only get ONE late acceptance – after students have used their one free “late turn-in” – late work will not be accepted. In order to use the free late turn-in, students are required to notify the instructor within 24 hours prior to an assignment due date. If the professor is not notified or does not give her approval the late work will not be accepted.
8 . Discussion Posts and Responses as well as Book Presentations do not fall into the “late work policy” exception. Discussions must be submitted on time and according to the deadlines!! Absence Excuses – It is up to the discretion of the instructor to decide if an absence/assignment excuse is acceptable. http://catalog.wbu.edu
Detailed Course Schedule
Week One: 2/26-3/4/2017 Reading/Listening Assignments . Course Introduction by Dr. Lass . Doing History Podcast by Simon P. Newman “How Historians Find Their Research Topics” . Doing History Podcast “Why Historians Study History” Week Assignments: . Bonus Syllabus Quiz – Due Wednesday @11:59pm CST . Course Introduction Bonus Discussion –Initial Post Due Thursday @11:59pm CST; Response posts due Saturday @ 11:59pm CST . Plagiarism Exercise – Due Saturday @11:59pm CST . Learning to Be A Historian Journal Entry #1 – Due Saturday @11:59pm CST Week Two: 3/5-3/11/2017 Reading/Listening Assignments o Marc Bloch, The Historians Craft: Reflections on the Nature and Uses of History and the Techniques and Methods of Those Who Write It o Doing History Podcast by James Horn “What is a Historical Source” Week Assignments: . Finding Sources Exercise - Due Saturday @11:59pm CST . Reading Discussion #1–Initial Post Due Thursday @11:59pm CST; Response posts due Saturday @ 11:59pm CST . Book Presentation – Due Saturday @11:59pm CST Spring Break: 3/12-18/2017 Week Three: 3/19-3/25/2017 Reading/Listening Assignments: . Doing History Podcast “How Historians Research” by Jennifer Morgan . Doing History Podcast by Zara Anishanslin “How Historians Read Historical Sources,” . Doing History Podcast by Sharon Block “How to Research History Online” Week Assignments: . Turabian Exercise – Due Saturday @11:59pm CST . Learning to be a Historian Journal Entry #2 – Due Saturday @11:59pm CST Week Four: 3/26-4/1/2017 Reading/Listening Assignments: o William Storey, Writing History: A Guide for Students Week Assignments: 9 . Reading Discussion #2 - –Initial Post Due Thursday @11:59pm CST; Response posts due Saturday @ 11:59pm CST . Final Project Proposal Due – Due Saturday @11:59pm cST Week Five: 4/2-4/8/2017 Reading/Listening Assignments o John Arnold, History: a Very Short Introduction Week Assignments: . Reading Discussion #3 – Initial Post Due Thursday @11:59pm CST; Response posts due Saturday @ 11:59pm CST . Professor Chat #1 . Midterm – Due Saturday @ 11:59pm CST Week Six: 4/9-4/15/2017 Reading/Listening Assignments . Doing History Podcast by Billy Smith “How to Organize Your Research” . Doing History Podcast by John Demos “How Historians Write” Week Assignments . Final Project: Annotated Bibliography Due – Due Saturday @11:59pm CST . Learning to be a Historian Journal Entry #3 – Due Saturday @ 11:59pm CST Week Seven: 4/16-4/22/2017 Reading/Listening Assignments o Stephen Payne, Voice and Vision: A Guide to Writing History and Other Serious Nonfiction Week Assignments: . Reading Discussion #4 – Initial Post Due Thursday @11:59pm CST; Response posts due Saturday @ 11:59pm CST . How to Gut A Book Exercise – Due Saturday @11:59pm CST Week Eight: 4/23-4/29/2017 Reading/Listening Assignments . NONE Week Assignments: . Final Project: Thesis Proposal Rough Draft Due – Due Wednesday @11:59pm CST . Learning to be a Historian Journal Entry #4 – Due Saturday @11:59pm CST Week Nine: 4/30-5/6/2017 Reading/Listening Assignments . Joyce Appleby, Telling the Truth About History Week Assignments . Reading Discussion #5 – Initial Post Due Thursday @11:59pm CST; Response posts due Saturday @ 11:59pm CST . Professor Chat #2 – Due by Friday . Book Review – Due by Saturday @11:59pm CST Week Ten: 5/7-5/13/2017 Reading/Listening Assignments . John Lewis Gaddis, The Landscape of History: How Historians Map the Past Week Assignments . Reading Discussion #6 – Initial Post Due Thursday @11:59pm CST; Response posts due Saturday @ 11:59pm CST 10 . Book Review – Due Saturday @11:59pm CST . Final Exam – Due Saturday @11:59pm CST Week Eleven: 5/14-5/20/2017 Week Assignments . Thesis Proposal Final Draft Due – Wednesday @ 11:59pm CST . Learning to be a Historian Journal Entry #5 – Due Wednesday @11:59pm CST . Bonus Portfolio – Due Friday @11:59pm CST
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