History/ Social Studies Education

Resources

Curriculum Resources

Higher Ed
National K-12

Writing

Does the following quote sound familiar?

“Writing is stressful. Sitting in my computer chair my neck and shoulder muscles almost immediately tense up as I dig around in my brain for the best phrase or even any coherent string of words, whether I am writing an essay like this one, a book chapter, a letter of recommendation, or an email message to a friend. Writing is time-consuming.“

In an article published in 2010 in Perspectives in History, “How Writing Leads to Thinking,” UCLA professor of history Lynn Hunt distills the frustrations and joy of writing. For some, words come naturally but strong ideas, and provocative thesis arguments, are a bit of a struggle. For others, it is quite the opposite. Maybe you are one of the lucky few whose ideas and words flow beautifully in tandem; or, maybe you are one of the unlucky who struggles with both.

This semester, you will likely discover which of the four categories you might fall under. Ultimately, though, writing is inherently a thinking process. This is especially true in the field of history, where research becomes an exhilarating endeavor that bears a vast amount of notes and sources, while writing can seem overwhelming when trying to put those notes and sources into a coherent product.

Hunt’s article offers several suggestions, but two stand out: be consistent with your writing (a little bit each day goes a long way!) and be patient (learning to write well is a lifelong endeavor). I hope HIS 4100 becomes an important step in your journey as a historian, and, maybe, just maybe, it becomes the invigorating habit Dr. Hunt describes in her article:

“Writing means many different things to me but one thing it is not: writing is not the transcription of thoughts already consciously present in my mind. Writing is a magical and mysterious process that makes it possible to think differently.“

RESOURCES
CITATIONS
  • Chicago Manual of Style (simply known as “Chicago style”) is the standard for the field of history. It is sometimes known as “Turabian style,” for University of Chicago dissertation guru Kate Turabian. All footnotes/endnotes and bibliography (or works cited page) must adhere to Chicago style according to the type of source you are citing, and following the conventions for the notes & bibliography system.

Research

Research is about discovery. For most historians, it is a joyful experience precisely because it is an intellectual journey of the unexpected. You never know what leads you might find; or, you might discover that a particular source has yet to be explored by others and is ripe for analysis. Even if you are working on a topic, or a set of sources, that are well known to most historical researchers, you bring a unique perspective and analytical approach that is all your own. Why? Because historical research is by nature a personal endeavor. Thus, your narrative and analysis are uniquely your own.

As simple as this sounds, a lot of thought and planning goes into historical research. Which content management tools do I use? How will I record my information? Does the archive place limits on what I can bring with me? How do I organize my photographs? Which books in my field should I read? Is there a danger of reading too much (and not getting to work on writing or producing my findings)?

For an easy-to-reference list of History-focused journals and databases, visit the Belk Library History portal.
It is vital to read broadly and then find the key works of research that exist on your topic. You want to figure out the spaces you can navigate that will allow you to say something new about your subject. Your goal is to spark a conversation among historians, which sometimes means pushing back on established narratives. As daunting as this sounds, no one wants to read a “re-tread” on a given subject. Once you have found your space, it’s time to put your research and primary sources to good use!

How do I get started? Read, read, and read about your subject/topic … and then begin formulating questions that may or may not become the research question for your project.

HISTORIOGRAPHY

Historiography is the study of the discipline of history.  Its study requires you to consider how interpretations of a particular event changed over time. When analyzing, discussing, or writing about historiography, you are using secondary sources— not primary sources. This means working with articles and books written by historians in order to understand how interpretations of the past have evolved over time, and sometimes how historians enter into debates (even heated ones at times!) over sources and interpretations.

RESOURCES
  • NC State’s Department of History has an old, a bit dry, but excellent “Step-By-Step Guide” on how to get started with historical research. We will refer to this page on a frequent basis.
  • A similar webpage comes from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts course on Historical Methods & Literacy.
  • Although somewhat focused on environmental history, the personal website of historian William Cronon offers a nice introduction to historical research, guiding students from the initial research question-stage to working with specific sources (photographs, maps, interviews, etc.).
  • Make sure to explore the various menu items (located on the left) on the “Introduction to Historical Research” webpage of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries.

New Media [Digital] Tools

The “digital shift” of the last two decades has raised interesting possibilities and questions about how we can research, write, learn, and teach about history. Today, historians reach audiences in multiple ways that use some form of technology (websites, digitized collections, e-books & journals, social media, online courses, and webinars, and more). Whether your career path involves education, curriculum development, museum studies, government or NGO work, or other sectors, you will deal with two basic questions: “How can audiences engage with the past online?”, and “How can historians make the best use of digital tools and new media?”
For a comprehensive list of digital resources for historians, check out the AHA webpage for getting started with digital history.

There are many websites out there that curate a collection of digital tools and resources for historians. Although many tools (and links) wind up “dead,” it’s useful to become familiar with a few, such as this one on teaching with digital tools from the University of Washington, and a page on digital tools from Sam Houston State University. You can also find enthusiasts’ sites that compile digital history tools and resources from around the world, such as Awesome Digital History, and a comprehensive personal website from historian Jeff McClurken (check out his ongoing compilation of digital tools and papers presented at history conferences and workshops).

For those interested in teaching 9-12 social studies, an oldie (but goodie) is the website Teachinghistory.org and its section devoted to the Digital Classroom. Here, you will find teaching strategies and over 70 reviews for digital tools under Tech For Teachers, which include steps on how to get started and examples of history lessons.

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