History 3910 Writing Biography Fall 2018 Professor Walter Isaacson Class Hours: Mondays, 3–5:30pm, HE 125D Office Hours: Isaacson: Monday 12:30-3 pm, Hebert Hall 125C Webb: Wednesday 12:30-3 pm, Hebert Hall 215i Basin St. in 1910. Hogan Jazz Archive, Howard- Tilton Memorial Library Course Description: This seminar will explore the writing of biography and narrative history. Students will study the different techniques of writing for popular and scholarly audiences, using my own and other more academic books as examples. Then each student will write a biographical 4,000-word study of a chosen subject using New Orleans archives, primary sources, secondary sources, and interviews. The focus will be on how to produce a carefully researched and edited work of narrative that provides rigorous training in writing skills.
Note: This course can be used to fulfill the intensive writing credit requirement. Students who wish to receive this credit must be registered for both HISE 3910 and HISU 3880. For more information in the writing intensive requirement, please see: https://liberalarts.tulane.edu/departments/history/academics/undergrad/major- minor/writing-intensive-requirement.
Coursework and Assessment: Coursework will consist of attending lectures and participating in discussion, (25% of the grade), reading quizzes (three at 5% each, Total 15%), and the biographical research paper (5% Proposal + 5% Outline + 5% Presentation + 45% Final Draft = Total 60% of course grade). Any extensions on the paper must to be approved by Professor Isaacson, [email protected], or the teaching fellow, Joel Webb, [email protected].
GRADE
Participation 25%
Final Draft 45%
Quizzes 15%
Presentation OutlineProposal 5% 5% 5%
Biographical Research Paper The goals of this course are 1) to explore the craft of biography and 2) to use that information as well as archival research culled from local collections to draft your own biographical research paper. Your biographical research paper should explore the life, or portion of a life, of a chosen person through an analysis of archival materials, secondary sources, interviews, and more. You are strongly encouraged to select a subject that lived in the century between the 1870s and 1970s so that you can make use of local archives such as: • The Historic New Orleans Collection • Hogan Jazz Archives • local newspaper archives • The Amistad Research Center • In-person interviews • and many other collections and local sources
Subjects that incorporate aspects of Storyville history are also encouraged. Possible subjects for research include but are not limited to: • Louis Armstrong • Moon Landrieu • Buddy Bolden • Chep Morrison • Lulu White • Edith Stern • Sidney Story • Edward Douglas White • Josie Anderson • Archie Manning • William Faulkner • John Minor Wisdom • Sherwood Anderson • F. Edward Hebert • Tennessee Williams • Lindy Boggs • Dutch Morial • Huey Long • Homer W. Plessey • Earl Long • Tom Anderson • Emma Barrett • Kate Chopin • Sandra Jaffe
Each paper should be approximately 4,000 words in length, not including a required bibliography. All sources should be carefully noted in footnotes and recorded in a bibliography using the Chicago Manual of Style citation format. See the following link for a citation guide: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html.
Paper Milestones • Revised Proposal September 24 • Detailed Outline October 15 • Short Presentation November 5 • Final Draft December 9
Course Readings and Materials: The following reading and materials will be available either online through the links provided, or on the course Canvas page.
Required Books (must be purchased, borrowed from the library, or otherwise acquired)
• Isaacson, Walter. Steve Jobs. 1st Simon & Schuster Hardcover ed. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2011.
• Isaacson, Walter. Benjamin Franklin : An American Life. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003.
• Morial, Sybil H. Witness to Change: From Jim Crow to Political Empowerment. Winston-Salem: John F. Blair, 2015. (The new paperback comes out Sept 18)
• Vaz, Kim Marie. The "Baby Dolls" : Breaking the Race and Gender Barriers of the New Orleans Mardi Gras Tradition. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2013.
Readings to be Provided
• Isaacson, Walter. Leonardo Da Vinci. First Simon & Schuster Hardcover ed. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2017.
• Franklin, Benjamin. Autobiography.
• Bundock, Michael. “Searching for the Invisible Man: The Images of Francis Barber,” in Jesse G. Swan. Editing Lives: Essays in Contemporary Textual and Biographical Studies in Honor of O M Brack, Jr. Rowman & Littlefield, 2013, pp 107–122
• Landau, Emily Epstein. Spectacular Wickedness : Sex, Race, and Memory in Storyville, New Orleans. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2013.
• Krist, Gary. Empire of Sin : A Story of Sex, Jazz, Murder, and the Battle for Modern New Orleans. First ed. New York: Crown Publishers, 2014.
• Select Times-Picayune articles by James Karst.
Class Schedule
Aug. 27: Course Introduction and Overview
Sept. 3 No Class; Labor Day
Sept. 10: Narrative, Chronology, and Storytelling Read: The Book of Genesis, Chapters 1–3; Isaacson, Benjamin Franklin, Chapter 2; Isaacson, Steve Jobs, Chapters 1–2.
Sept. 17: Setups and Narrative Breaks Read: Isaacson, Steve Jobs, Introduction and Chapters 15–16; Isaacson, Benjamin Franklin, Chapter 1.
Sept. 24: Research Tools Students will meet in Howard Tilton. Additional instructions will be provided in class. Due: Revised Proposal
Oct. 1: The Doughnut Biography Read: Bundock, “Searching for the Invisible Man: The Images of Francis Barber,” in Jesse G. Swan, Editing Lives: Essays in Contemporary Textual and Biographical Studies in Honor of O M Brack, Jr. (Rowman & Littlefield, 2013), pp 107–122.
Oct. 8: Into the Archives with James Karst (Editor of Times-Picayune) Read: James Karst stories from Times-Picayune on Louis Armstrong.
Oct. 15: Autobiography as a Source with guest Sybil H. Morial Read: Franklin, Autobiography, Sections 1–3; Isaacson, Benjamin Franklin, pp. 254–257; Isaacson, Leonardo Da Vinci, Chapter 5; Morial, Witness to Change, prologue – Chapter 4. Due: Detailed Outline
Oct. 22: Academic vs. Popular Biographies Read: Landau, Spectacular Wickedness, Chapter 5; Krist, Empire of Sin, Chapters 8, 10, and 12.
Oct. 29: The Interview as a Source Isaacson, Steve Jobs, Chapters 32, 36, and 38.
Nov. 5: Biography Presentations Each student should come prepared to give a 5-minute presentation on their subject and respond to questions from the class.
Nov. 12: Guest: Kim Marie Vaz on Forgotten Sources Read: Vaz, The Baby Dolls, Chapters 1–2 are required (it’s suggested to read all of this short work).
Nov. 19: Changing Historical Perception and Biography Read: Isaacson, Benjamin Franklin, Chapter 18
Nov. 26: Biography Paper Workshopping No Readings; Come prepared with drafts of your paper.
Dec. 3: Biography Paper Workshopping No Readings; Come prepared with drafts of your paper.
Final Papers Due Dec. 9 11:59pm.
Departmental Learning Goals: Students should become historically literate by demonstrating in written work, oral presentation and/or classroom discussions the following:
• Knowledge of historical facts and ideas over a broad period of time. • An ability to evaluate historical evidence. • An understanding of the concept of context and a comprehension of change over time. • Recognition that there are different perspectives on the past, whether those be historical, interpretative, or methodological in nature. • Writing skills that are coherent and reflective, as well as analytical and grammatically correct. • The ability to evaluate national or regional trends and variations.
Honor Code: All Tulane/Newcomb students are governed by the school’s Honor Code: http://college.tulane.edu/code.htm Academic honesty is expected and required by all students. Violations will be submitted to the Dean’s office and handled according to the outlined procedures.
Accommodations and Students with Disabilities: If you qualify for any accommodations, such as additional test-taking time, please register with Educational Counseling and Resources (ERC) and communicate this accommodation with me. • Please see: o http://tulane.edu/studentaffairs/erc/ or o http://tulane.edu/studentaffairs/erc/services/disabilityserviceshome.cfm
Title IX Tulane University recognizes the inherent dignity of all individuals and promotes respect for all people. As such, Tulane is committed to providing an environment free of all forms of discrimination including sexual and gender-based discrimination, harassment, and violence like sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and stalking. If you (or someone you know) has experienced or is experiencing these types of behaviors, know that you are not alone. Resources and support are available: you can learn more at titleix.tulane.edu.