Historiography

History of LAC Mrs. Waters

First, let us ask ourselves, what is historiography? Turning to the University of Kansas Writing Center for an excellent explanation, we learn: Literally, the word means "the writing of history." In modern usage, however, the word refers to the study of the way history has been and is written--the history of historical writing, if you will. 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. Second, how and what do we research for a historiographical paper? Historiography is the study of the various approaches to historical method, the actual writing of history, and, primarily, the various interpretations of historical events. Historiography is the study of the techniques employed by the individual historian. It is not necessary to study primary materials, i.e., original source materials, in order to study historiography. For historiography is concerned mainly with what has been written about historical events--the various schools of thought and interpretation centered around any particular historical occurrence--not with the source materials from which the historical fact was derived, although the methodology employed by the historian may be scrutinized to substantiate his or her conclusions. The primary sources of historiography are the works of historians. Third, what kind of topics can we tackle for a historiography that have to do with Latin America and/or the Caribbean? Consider time. Historiography really begins with academic written record. Too far back or too recent, not enough scholarly information. There needs to be a variety of academic work in existence on your topic. Consider perspective. Think about picking a topic that has a door open to different interpretation and opinion. Good places to start include; causes for, handling of, relevance to, significance of. Consider breadth. Keeping in mind you are exploring an array of historians, you do not want to select a topic that you cant handle in 7-8 pages. Consider region. You must choose a topic that does not relate exclusively to the country you did your lesson on. Expand your learning! Consider approach. A list of possible historical subjects; military, political, diplomatic, intellectual, economic (agricultural/industrial), scientific, social, religious, cultural, gender, racial/ethnic etc.

Guidelines and Expectations: 7-8 pages. That means a minimum of 7, no more than 8! Label page numbers in lower right corner. No page number on the title page. Title page that includes author information, and a 7th edition MLA formatted bibliography at the conclusion on its own page (doesnt count towards 7-8 pages, sorry). Footnotes (not endnotes) used throughout paper, in addition to the bibliography. Minimum of 3 different historians. You may likely want to add more sources, either in support of content or to add a different perspective. Your first draft is due Monday, April 29th. In the week following we will work on the revision of your drafts, and you will submit your final copies on Thursday, May 9th. Check points along the way: Monday April 8th: Formal topic proposal due. Graded. Tuesday April 9th: First source, annotated. This mean a bibliographic citation, in addition to minimum 3 sentences explaining usefulness, reliability, etc. Bring your source to class, in addition to your laptops! Graded. Thursday April 11th: Thesis statement and your 2nd and 3rd sources, annotated, in addition to any others you may have found that you would like me to review. Graded. Tuesday April 16th: Evidence of notes, using Evernote, for each of your sources. I will grade them on the check system. Thursday April 18th: Title page, thesis incorporated into an introduction and a first page, bibliography. Graded: check system. Monday April 22nd: Onto 3rd page. Graded: check system. Thursday April 25th: Onto 5th page. Graded: check system. Monday April 29th: Full first draft! 7 pages, title page and bibliography. Graded: check system and one-on-one meetings to edit with Ms. Whit. Tuesday April 30th Tuesday May 7th: Drafts back, revisions. Thursday May 9th: Hand in final papers!!