Reflections about ....

 

The Study of History

"I am amazed that the people who attack me never ask the first question that a historian would ask: Is it true?" Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.

Welcome to your first internet exercise. The purpose of this exercise is to help you develop your computer skills. By completing it, you will not only learn how to locate information using electronic retrieval systems, but also how to write a paper using properly formatted footnotes. Task 1 lists internet sites designed to help you improve your writing skills. Some of these sites are specific to history. Others, like the OWL sites, concentrate on general writing skills. Task 2 lists general history sites. Here you will find links to subject areas covered in this course.

  • How do you write a history paper? 
  • Why do historians use citations?
  • What is Turabian style?
  • How do you write footnotes/endnotes?
  • Do history papers have thesis statements?
  TASK 1 Writing History

Review the following Internet Resources.

Citation Guides

If you want to brush up your 'English Skills,' go to one of the on-line writing labs (OWL). 

 Student History Papers (14.4 | 28.8) REAL RADIO:  Listen to Anders Henrikssen talk about some of the more "memorable bloopers" in students' history papers. (6:00 min) National Public Radio 

What happened on this day in history? Visit Today in History from the Library of Congress.
 

 
  TASK 2 Locating History Resources on the Net

How do you locate resources on the net? Which search engines are the most effective? To learn the answers to these questions, review Finding Information on the Internet: A Tutorial at the UC Berkeley Teaching Library. Once you know the basics, follow the links below and locate at least three (3) sites that you personally consider interesting. Be prepared to share your findings with the class. What materials are available at the site? How is the material organized?

General References

Primary and Secondary Sources

Learn more about primary sources and how to locate them at Library Research Using Primary Resources (Berkeley) Also, see Yale University Library Workshop: Primary Sources. Understand the ways historians evaluate primary source by reviewing Making Sense of Evidence.

Online Resources

User Groups and Listservs

 

TEACHING HISTORY:  

David Grubin and Kenneth C. Davis talk about history. "Many people think of history lessons as a combination of dull details, even duller speeches, memorized dates, timetables and traditions. But history can teach valuable lessons while one is perched on a sofa in front of the TV...and it can be interesting and even, fun. Whether it's in print or on the screen Ray Suarez and guests discuss engaging ways to teach and appreciate history ...on the next Talk of the Nation, from NPR News"

 
 

Special Topics (RealAudio from NPR)

Environmental Science

 

  

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