a pdf of the assignment instructions for the historiography and ...

HISTORY 4690: Historical Methods Fall 2012
WRITING INSTRUCTIONS: Historiography and Annotated Bibliography
DUE DATE: Thursday, November 29, 2012 by 10:00am by email
All scholars build on the work of those who have come before them.
Historians are no exception. If you look at review articles in
professional historical journals or the introductory chapters of history
books you will find comprehensive overviews of the prevalent debates
on a given topic. When you study “historiography” you do not study
the events of the past directly, but the changing interpretations of
those events in the works of individual historians. Thus, a
historiographical essay is one which summarizes and analyzes the
arguments and interpretations of writers on a given topic.
What distinguishes a historiography paper from a regular research
paper? The former critically examines scholarly works on a given
topic, historical period, or event. It may also critique the works of a specific historian or a specific
“school” of historiography. A traditional “content” research paper focuses on an actual historical event,
process, or question.
Please remember, this is not a bibliographic essay—you are not expected to assess ALL the literature on a
given topic. Rather, you need to extrapolate arguments from the various authors which prove relevant to
the theme of your essay. I will post an example of a historiographical essay that I wrote on consumer
behavior in the Atlantic World as a model (I work through the different approaches historians have taken
over time to study what people in the Americas bought and what their purchases meant).
PART 1: The historiography section of this assignment should be 5-7 pages long, double-spaced, Times
New Roman 12 pt. font. As you complete the historiography assignments for your particular topic,
you should be thinking about these questions:
a. Who are the major historians for your topic?
b. How can these historians be organized into schools of approach or methodology?
c. How has the historiography of your topic evolved over time?
d. How have the major developments in historiography (such as the social history, Marxism,
feminism, ethnohistory, etc.) had on your topic?
e. How have they caused historians to ask new questions or take their research in new
directions?
PART 2: In addition, you need to append an annotated bibliography of 5 primary sources and 5 secondary
sources (the latter a combination of books and articles—I do not want just 5 articles!). All sources should
be listed in Chicago Manual of Style proper bibliographic style (and I will be brutal about this), and
include three or more sentences summarizing the main point of the source and its relevance to your topic.
Some Helpful Hints
It is critical that you frame your topic clearly. Unlike bibliographical essays where you summarize and
assess the strengths and weaknesses of a given historical work, in a historiographical paper, there is room

for you to present your own argument--do not be afraid of inserting your own voice throughout the paper
(though not in first person!).
Be careful not to stray from the original theme. Make sure that each of the works you use illustrate a
larger body of scholarship—remember, you are not aiming to summarize everything written on the
subject in your historiography, but to demonstrate familiarity with the lay of the land and that you
understand how historians have approached your topic over time (the evolution of a topic is critical).
Obviously, in an ideal world (and by next semester!), you will fully read several secondary sources
related to your essay’s theme. Because college is often in fact the antithesis of an ideal world, however,
here are some suggestions on how to avoid the reading overload:
● Briefly skim the introduction and conclusion to assess the thesis of the book and its significance to
your own argument. (Keep in mind that chapters outlining the author’s methodology might come after the
introduction.) Just because you are interested in Abraham Lincoln, in other words, doesn’t mean EVERY
book about Lincoln will help your cause. You need to be able to justify your choices.
● Look at the chapters and identify relevant sections of the book. If you are focusing on a very specific
topic, there is nothing wrong with exploiting the author’s index. For example, if you are analyzing the
role of Native Americans as consumers, check in the index to see if there is a section on Native peoples,
material culture, etc. However, be wary of relying too heavily on the index: In many cases, the index may
be very general and specific people or events may not be identified even though the author does in fact
discuss them in the text itself (remember that an index is itself a “social construct”—an author or editor is
identifying what they think the primary themes, ideas, etc. are in each book. But they are rarely
exhaustive—they cannot catalogue everything a book contains.
● You can also identify general themes and arguments from specific works from reading book reviews.
In many cases, a large number of these reviews are now online (remember JSTOR and Project Muse!!!).
As with any secondary source, you must carefully avoid any hint of plagiarism: Read the review to
ascertain whether the book in question may prove relevant to your own essay topic and how it fits into the
larger field you are studying; then analyze the book yourself. You may incorporate the reviewers’
comments, but of course be sure to cite them carefully.
As with past assignments, this paper should be emailed to me at michelle.mcdonald@stockton.edu by the
date and time specified. IT IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT THAT THESE BE ON TIME. I know it’s a
busy time of semester for you, but it is for me too and I need time to turn these around quickly in order for
you to be able to use my comments in drafting your final paper for this class.
As already stated on all assignments for this class, be careful in quoting and paraphrasing statements.
There is a zero-tolerance policy for plagiarism in this course (which I define as the use of five or more
consecutive words without proper citation). Footnote style should conform to the Chicago Manual of
Style.
Grading will be based on (1) effective use of English including spelling, grammar, organization,
precision, and clarity of expression, and (2) content, including your choice of topics, use of supporting
detail, and overall conclusions. Proofread before submission.
There are no extensions. All late assignments will be marked down one full grade each day after
the due date (weekends included). Papers turned in the same day as due but after the beginning of
class will be considered one day late. Thank you and good luck!