Docx 6 - Summary A Pocket Guide to Writing in History PDF

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Outline: Mary Ann Rampola, “ A Pocket Guide to Writing In History.”

1. Chapter 1 A. Why Study history  Tells us how we came to be who we are  Looks at the roots of modern institutions, ideas, values, problems  Allows us to see our world through different eyes  Gives us a perspective other than our own  Allows us to make informed decisions about the future by understanding how complex problems of our past have shaped our current society B. Ask Historical Questions  Who, what, when, where, why  Lies at the heart of historical thinking and inquiry  History is not about memorizing facts but interacting with and thinking about the past  Develop historical thinking skills C. Use of historical evidence  Start with the question, who created the document or artifact, who was the intended audience? For what purpose was the source written? How does the author describe people? Places? Things?  Consider the use of language  Use critical thinking to uncover biases, unspoken points of view or assumptions.  Make sure your source is relevant to the topic you are studying or considering.  Is your evidence sufficient to support the point you are trying to make?  Comparison- never rely on a single source, consider multiple perspectives on the same event, different genders, religious beliefs, cultural practices, class differences.  Contextualization- Understand the context under which events occurred.  Causation- Most events can never be linked to a single cause, avoid simplistic cause and effect relationships as an explanation of events. Events can be correlated with an occurrence or event without being the cause. Such as major events can happen in succession to one another but be unrelated.  Interpretation- Historians interpret primary sources, so approach secondary sources with that understanding  Periodization- The organization of past into segments that share similar characteristics  Argumentation- evaluate and interpret evidence, then construct an argument supporting the conclusion that is reached  Synthesis- analyzing and evaluating multiple sources, examining their relationship to each other, and developing a new perspective on the topic you are exploring. Develop a thesis that supports and reflects the conclusion you have reached. 2. Chapter 2 A. Identifying Historical Sources Falls into these 2 catagories  Primary sources- Materials produced by people or groups directly involved in the event or topic under consideration, either as a participant or a witness. Provides the evidence on which historians rely on in order to describe and interpret the past.

Exampled of Primary sources; Written documents like letters, diaries, newspaper and magazine articles, speeches, autobiographies, treaties, census data, marriage, birth and death registers, works of art, films, recordings, items of clothing, household objects, tools, archeological remains. Oral sources, interviews, eyewitness accounts.  Secondary sources- Texts, books, articles or films created by people who are not eyewitnesses or participants to the events or period in question. Written by professional historians, writers, journalists. Should be used in conjunction with primary sources and not solely relied on. B. Use of primary and secondary sources  Primary- allow you to enter the lives and minds of the people you are studying, brings you into direct contact with the people of the past.  Secondary- Broader perspective on events of the past, allows you to view them with a broader perspective, allows you to see them in context. Historians can present multiple points of view.  Both must be analyzed- Primary sources of info are not always honest, like a person testifying for a murder or an eyewitness account. So interpretations can vary in secondary sources and be conflicted depending on the interpretation of the primary source. See page 13 for tips on evaluating text base and non written primary sources. See page 18 for tips on evaluating Secondary sources. See page 23 for evaluating on line web sources. 3. Chapter 3; Approaching Typical assignments in history A. Read actively  Engage in dialogue  Ask questions  Make comments, connect with what you are reading.  Evaluate the usefulness of the text, analyze its significance and synthesize all of your reading into one coherent picture of the topic you are studying. B. Reading strategies  Pre Read the text- get a sense of the book or article, note subtitles, contents, appendices, maps, illustrations, read bibliographies, introductions footnotes, endnotes.  Determine the authors thesis- identify the conclusion that the author has reached, understand the sources main idea allows you to absorb the text more effectively. Quickest way to identidy the authors thesis is to read the preface, intro and conclusion.  Read with the thesis in mind.  Ask questions of the text- what is the authors point? Why did they choose this example? Do I agree or disagree?  Write as you read- be physically active, write in the margins of the text, highlight, take notes in your own words  Review what you have written- answer questions reading raised for you, compare arguments with other class readings  See page 28 for tips for writing as you read C. Writing about reading

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Summaries- also called precis; Condense what you have read and describe central ideas in your own words. Helps ensure you have understood and digested

the material. Should not include your reaction to or critical thinking of the text. It should recount the authors main point or thesis and key evidence used to support it. Use the most important, not all. All words must be your own. 4. Chapter 4- following conventions of writing in history A. Approaching history  Determine key verb in your assignment; examples given are identifying words like “compare, trace” so you know what your teacher is wanting you to do in your response  Determine what sources you can or should use. Analyze and synthesize the sources  Stay on topic B. Thinking like a historian  Respect your subject- do not consider people of the past more ignorant or barbaric, unenlightened because their ideas and behaviors do not conform to our own.  Do not generalize- groups are formed of individuals do not assumed all people of a time period thought and acted the same. EX; “Pre modern people were not emotionally attached to their children.” Quote I like from Rampolla for citing- “ At best such statements are cliches’. More often than not, they are also wrong.” Page 54, chapter 4. Avoid anachronism- Quoted from page 54 chapter 4 “an anachronistic statement is one in which an idea, event, person, or thing is represented in a way that is not consistent with its proper historical time or context.” - Example given was treating bubonic plague with infective folk remedies when it can be cured with antibiotics. Antibiotics were not available at that time (not discovered), and you cannot hold medieval medicine to modern standards.  Be aware of your own biases- do not let your own concerns, judgments or biases direct how you interpret the past C. Developing a thesis  Quote from page 55- “Since the thesis is the central idea that drives a history essay, it is important that you understand exactly what a thesis.” A thesis is not a description of your paper topic A thesis is not a question A thesis is not a statement of fact A thesis is not a statement of opinion 

Rather, a thesis is a statement that reflects what you have concluded about the topic of your paper, based on a critical analysis and interpretation of the source materials you have examined. Page 56 chapter 4

D. Constructing an argument  Convince your reader that your interpretation or argument is valid. Not that it is the only option. To do this provide concrete evidence from reliable sources.  Support your thesis  Respond to counter evidence and respond to opposing viewpoints E. Organizing your paper  Draft an intro- Let readers know what paper is about, providing background info on texts, people or problems under discussion; put the topic of your paper into context; state your thesis while attracting your readers interest and intentions. Plan to rewrite opening paragraph later.  Body- provides arguments for your thesis based on evidence from your sources“You should think of each paragraph as a building block in your argument that presents one specific point.” Quote from page 65 chapter 4  Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence- one driving idea that supports the overall thesis  Provide support for the paragraphs main point  Make clear connections between your ideas- compare, contrast, intensify, show sequence, cause and effect. F. Revising for content and organization *See page 70 box for examples G. Editing for style and grammar  Check for typographical errors, spelling errors, correct punctuation, contractions, sentence fragments, run ons  Choose appropriate language- avoid bias, avoid conversational language, slang and jargon  Use clear concise language  Use your thesaurus  Be precise  Replace vague referances with specifics  Appropriate use of active and passive voice. 5. Chapter 5- Writing a research paper A. Moving from topic to research  Choose a topic that maintains your interest, that you are able to write about in the time allotted, decide what you want to know about the topic, and formulate a research question you want to answer in your paper.  When choosing a research question avoid questions that illicit simple descriptions  Avoid yes or no questions  Avoid too broad questions  Avoid leading or rhetorical questions  B. Developing a research plan

C. Take effective research notes D. Develop working thesis E....