How to Succeed in HIST300

Read the syllabus and refer to it regularlyRead the syllabus and refer to it regularly Use a planner to stay organizedUse a planner to stay organized Check your daily and bookmark the course websiteCheck your daily and bookmark the course website Be respectful towards othersBe respectful towards others Come to class prepared and bring the readings!Come to class prepared and bring the readings! Take responsibility for your educationTake responsibility for your education

What Is the Historians Craft? 24 August 2011 Dr. Kristen Epps

Part I: What does it mean to be a historian? Part II: How do historians think?

Marc Bloch, Marc Bloch,

The Historians Craft

1)What is history? 1)What makes the study of the past a profession?

1)What is history?

What is the use of history, when the values of the past are being ruthlessly discarded? What is the use of history, when we repeat our old errors over and over again? What is the use of history, when the values of the past are being ruthlessly discarded? What is the use of history, when we repeat our old errors over and over again? Marc Bloch

1)What is history? 1)What makes the study of the past a profession?

Even if we are sure that history has its uses, are we able to write the kind of history that can be used? Even if we are sure that history has its uses, are we able to write the kind of history that can be used? Marc Bloch Marc Bloch

What Is the Historians Craft? Asking provocative questionsAsking provocative questions Being objective about your conclusionsBeing objective about your conclusions Using primary sourcesUsing primary sources Understanding cause and effectUnderstanding cause and effect Studying the why not just the who, what, where, and whenStudying the why not just the who, what, where, and when Producing written work to present your conclusionsProducing written work to present your conclusions Making it useableMaking it useable Passing it on to future generationsPassing it on to future generations

Part II: How do historians think?

Your Identity as a Historian Geographic areaGeographic area

Definition of Atlantic History It is based on the notion that the Americas, Africa, and Europe have composed a regional system from the late fifteenth century to the present….. It offers rich opportunities for comparative history of its subregions, focusing on a host of issues, from economic structures to state formation, to political discourses and institutions, to the complex relations, identities, and practices of class, race, and gender. Michael Jiménez and Marcus Rediker

The Atlantic World in 1720

Your Identity as a Historian Geographic areaGeographic area Time periodTime period

Your Identity as a Historian Geographic areaGeographic area Time periodTime period ApproachApproach

Historical Approaches Social historySocial history Political historyPolitical history Economic historyEconomic history Intellectual historyIntellectual history Religious historyReligious history Environmental historyEnvironmental history History of an ethnicity/race (e.g. Latino/Latina history)History of an ethnicity/race (e.g. Latino/Latina history) Womens historyWomens history Legal historyLegal history Military historyMilitary history Labor historyLabor history

What is Social History? 1)History with the politics left out or history from below

What is Social History? 1)History with the politics left out or history from below 2) Deals with everyday people

What is Social History? 1)History with the politics left out or history from below 2) Deals with everyday people 3)The study of peoples behavior, belief systems, socio-economic structures, popular culture, etc….

What is Social History? 1)History with the politics left out or history from below 2) Deals with everyday people 3)The study of peoples behavior, belief systems, socio-economic structures, popular culture, etc…. 4) Embraces the interaction between history and its neighboring fields (anthropology, political science, sociology, etc.)

What is Political History? 1)Study of political events, movements, ideas, and structures

What is Political History? 1)Study of political events, movements, ideas, and structures 2)Generally deals with the traditional nation-state

What is Political History? 1)Study of political events, movements, ideas, and structures 2)Generally deals with the traditional nation-state 3) Biographies of political leaders and their influence

What is Intellectual History? 1)Studies those who generate, discuss, and theorize about ideas

What is Intellectual History? 1)Studies those who generate, discuss, and theorize about ideas 2)Closely tied to philosophy

What is Intellectual History? 1)Studies those who generate, discuss, and theorize about ideas 2)Closely tied to philosophy 3)Often tends to study the great white men

Two Main Techniques Qualitativethe interpretation and analysis of texts and images in order to understand the past

Two Main Techniques Qualitativethe interpretation and analysis of texts and images in order to understand the past Quantitativethe use of social science methodology (such as statistics) and other quantification to understand history

How would you categorize this work?

What is Historiography? 1)The body of literature dealing with historical matters; histories collectively

What is Historiography? 1) The body of literature dealing with historical matters; histories collectively 2) The body of techniques, theories, and principles of historical research and presentation; methods of historical scholarship (Definitions from dictionary.com)

What is Historiography? 1) The body of literature dealing with historical matters; histories collectively 2) The body of techniques, theories, and principles of historical research and presentation; methods of historical scholarship 3) The history of historical study and the important debates occurring in the field (#1 and #2 definitions from dictionary.com)

A BRIEF Historiography of Slavery U. B. Phillips (1918)

A BRIEF Historiography of Slavery U. B. Phillips (1918) Kenneth Stampp (1956)

A BRIEF Historiography of Slavery U. B. Phillips (1918) Kenneth Stampp (1956) Stanley Elkins (1959)

A BRIEF Historiography of Slavery U. B. Phillips (1918) Kenneth Stampp (1956) Stanley Elkins (1959) Eugene Genovese (1974)

Conclusions Our goal is interpretation of the past in addition to descriptionOur goal is interpretation of the past in addition to description Historians realize that their unique perspective will affect the questions they ask, their method, and their conclusionsHistorians realize that their unique perspective will affect the questions they ask, their method, and their conclusions History is infinitely complex and often raises as many questions as answersHistory is infinitely complex and often raises as many questions as answers Historians try to approach their subject objectively because we have a responsibility to not glorify the pastHistorians try to approach their subject objectively because we have a responsibility to not glorify the past