A Student's Guide to History

by Jules R. Benjamin

• ISBN13: 9780312403560
• ISBN10: 0312403569
• Edition: 9th
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2003-10-30
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's

Summary

Whether you are taking your first college-level history course or are majoring in history, this best-selling guide provides tools that will help you to improve your performance:

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
A Note to Students	xvii
1 The Subject of History and How to Use It	1	(18)
What History Can Tell You	1	(2)
What Historians Are Trying to Do	3	(1)
History and the Everyday World	4	(1)
How Historians Work	4	(13)
Philosophies of History	5	(2)
Historiography	7	(1)
Changing Directions of Historical Research	8	(2)
Methods of Historical Research	10	(1)
Primary and Secondary Sources of Evidence	11	(2)
Exercise: Understanding the Types of Primary Source Evidence	13	(2)
Interpreting and Organizing Evidence	15	(2)
The Computer and Historical Research	17	(1)
How You Can Use History	17	(2)
2 How to Read a History Assignment, Take Notes in Class, and Prepare for and Take Exams	19	(39)
How to Read a History Assignment	19	(7)
Reading a Textbook	20	(1)
Reading a Monograph	20	(2)
Reading an Anthology	22	(1)
Reading a Historical Novel	22	(1)
Examples of Reading Assignments	22	(4)
How to "Read" Nonwritten Materials	26	(11)
Interpreting Maps	26	(2)
Analyzing Statistical Data	28	(7)
Interpreting Illustrations, Photographs, and Other Visual Material 31
Interpreting Artifacts	35	(2)
How to Take Notes in Class	37	(6)
From Class Lectures	37	(1)
Guidelines for Taking Lecture Notes	38	(1)
Examples of Note Taking	38	(4)
From Slides and Films	42	(1)
Classroom Participation	43	(3)
Classroom Discussions	43	(1)
Guidelines for Speaking in Class	43	(1)
Giving an Oral Presentation	43	(1)
Guidelines for Giving an Oral Presentation	44	(1)
Group Work	44	(1)
Guidelines for Peer Reviewing	45	(1)
Communicating Online	46	(3)
E-mail, Listservs, and Chat Rooms	46	(2)
Exercise: Communicating Online	48	(1)
E-conferences and E-seminars	48	(1)
Web Communication and Advanced Research	48	(1)
How to Study for and Take Exams	49	(9)
Objective and Short Answer Exams	50	(1)
Preparing for In-Class Essay Exams - Composing Sample Questions	51	(1)
Writing a Good In-Class Essay Exam	52	(1)
Guidelines for Writing In-Class Essay Exams	52	(1)
Writing Take-Home Essay Exams	53	(5)
3 How to Write History Assignments: The Importance of Writing Skills	58	(20)
Why Clear Writing Is Important	59	(1)
The Components of Clear Writing	59	(4)
Write Clear Sentences	59	(1)
Do Not Clutter Sentences with Unnecessary Phrases	59	(1)
Avoid Using the Passive Voice	60	(1)
Use the Past Tense	60	(1)
Link Your Sentences	61	(1)
Write Clear and Coherent Paragraphs	61	(1)
Link Your Paragraphs	62	(1)
Guidelines for Clear Writing	63	(1)
Building an Essay	63	(5)
The Need for a Clear Beginning	64	(1)
Creating a Writing Outline	65	(1)
The Importance of Continuity	65	(1)
Writing a Conclusion	66	(1)
Revising Your Paper	66	(1)
Proofreading Your Paper	67	(1)
Preparing Specific Writing Assignments	68	(9)
Writing Book Reviews	68	(1)
Sample Book Review	69	(4)
Guidelines for Writing a Book Review	73	(1)
Writing Comparative Book Reviews	73	(1)
Comparing Essays or Articles	74	(1)
Comparing Primary Documents	74	(1)
Writing Short Essays	75	(1)
Guidelines for Writing Short Essays	76	(1)
A Note on Plagiarism; A Serious Offense	77	(1)
4 How to Research a History Topic	78	(43)
What Is a Research Paper?	78	(1)
What Should I Write About? Choosing a Topic and Crafting a Thesis	79	(4)
Moving from a Topic to a Theme	79	(1)
Narrowing Your Theme	80	(1)
Moving from a Theme to a Thesis	81	(1)
Creating a Research Outline	82	(1)
Conducting Research	83	(10)
Exploring Your Library's Resources	83	(1)
Creating a Research Bibliography	84	(1)
Using the Library Catalog	84	(3)
Exercise: Finding a Book in Your Library	87	(3)
Research in Primary Sources	90	(1)
Reference Sources	90	(2)
Locating Library Materials and Using Call Numbers	92	(1)
Locating Other Historical Materials	92	(1)
Conducting Research on the World Wide Web	93	(10)
Using Subject Indexes and Directories	94	(1)
Using Search Engines	95	(2)
Exercise: Finding an Article in a Periodical Database	97	(2)
Example of a Web Search Using Keywords	99	(4)
Exercise: Conducting Internet Searches	103	(1)
Mining Information from Your Sources	103	(10)
Evaluating Print Sources	104	(1)
Guidelines for Evaluating Print Sources	105	(1)
Evaluating Web-Based Sources	106	(1)
Guidelines for Evaluating Web Sites	107	(1)
Exercise: Evaluating a Web Site	108	(1)
How to Read Your Sources	108	(1)
How to Take Notes from Your Sources	109	(3)
Photocopying and Downloading Sources from the Web	112	(1)
Avoiding Plagiarism	113	(3)
The Computer and Plagiarism	113	(1)
The Art of Paraphrasing	114	(1)
Guidelines for Avoiding Plagiarism	115	(1)
Plagiarism and Group Work	115	(1)
Organizing Your Research	116	(5)
Preparing a Writing Outline	116	(3)
Organizing Your Notes	119	(1)
Budgeting Your Research Time	120	(1)
5 How to Write a Research Paper	121	(58)
Preparing to Write	121	(2)
Why Your Paper Needs a Thesis	121	(1)
Your Writing Outline	122	(1)
Writing the Text	123	(4)
The Rough Draft	123	(1)
Clear Writing: A Matter of Continuity	124	(1)
Quotations: When and How to Use Them	125	(1)
Incorporating Visual Materials into Your Paper	126	(1)
Documenting Your Paper: Citing Your Sources	127	(25)
When and How to Use Footnotes and Endnotes	128	(1)
Directory to Footnote/Endnote Documentation Models	129	(1)
How to Write Footnotes and Endnotes	130	(11)
Organizing a Bibliography	141	(1)
Directory to Bibliography Documentation Models	142	(10)
Revising and Rewriting	152	(2)
Word Processing: Advantages and Dangers	153	(1)
Example of a Research Paper	154	(25)
How the Theme and Thesis Were Chosen	155	(1)
The Writing Outline for the Thesis	156	(1)
Turning Research into Writing: A Sample Research Paper - "Wage Slavery or True Independence: Women Workers in the Lowell, Massachusetts, Textile Mills, 1820-1850"	157	(22)
Appendix A Basic Reference Sources for History Study and Research	179	(53)
Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, Atlases, and Yearbooks	180	(3)
General Dictionaries	180	(1)
Historical Dictionaries	180	(1)
Specialized Dictionaries	181	(1)
General Encyclopedias	181	(1)
Historical Encyclopedias	181	(1)
Specialized Encyclopedias	182	(1)
General Atlases	182	(1)
Historical Atlases	183	(1)
Yearbooks	183	(1)
Biography Collections	183	(3)
Guides to Biography Collections	184	(1)
American Biography Collections	184	(1)
British and Canadian Biography Collections	185	(1)
National Biography Collections	185	(1)
International Biography Collections	186	(1)
Newspaper Directories and Indexes	186	(1)
Newspaper Directories	186	(1)
Newspaper Indexes	187	(1)
Periodical Guides and Indexes	187	(2)
Periodical Guides	187	(1)
General Periodical Indexes	188	(1)
Historical Periodicals	189	(2)
U.S., British, and Canadian Historical Journals	189	(1)
Book Review Indexes	190	(1)
Government Publications and Public Documents	191	(1)
International Agencies	191	(1)
Foreign Government Publications	191	(1)
U.S. Government Publications	191	(1)
Subject Bibliographies	192	(17)
Disciplines Other than History	192	(1)
Specialized Branches of History	192	(1)
General World History	193	(1)
Ancient History	194	(1)
Medieval History	194	(1)
Early Modern and Modern European History	195	(1)
British History	196	(1)
East European History	197	(1)
Russian (and Soviet) History	197	(1)
African History	198	(1)
Near and Middle Eastern History	198	(1)
General Asian History	199	(1)
Latin American and Caribbean History	200	(1)
Canadian History	201	(1)
U.S. History	201	(8)
Sources for Historical Statistics	209	(1)
World Statistical Data	209	(1)
European Statistical Data	209	(1)
African, Asian, Latin American, and Middle Eastern Statistical Data	209	(1)
British Statistical Data	210	(1)
U.S. and Canadian Statistical Data	210	(1)
Guides to Photographs, Microfilms, Microforms, Movies, Recordings, and Oral History	210	(1)
Guides to Dissertations, Archives, and Manuscripts	211	(1)
Digital Reference Sources	212	(20)
Databases on CD-ROM and on the World Wide Web	212	(2)
Search Engines	214	(1)
Indexes and Directories	215	(1)
Gateway Sites to History Materials	215	(1)
Archives of Texts and Documents	216	(2)
Specialized History Topics	218	(11)
Digital History Journals	229	(1)
Electronic Discussion Lists in History	230	(2)
Appendix B Useful Information for the Historian	232	(4)
Historical Sources in Your Own Backyard	232	(1)
How to Research Your Family History	233	(2)
Sources for Family History Research	234	(1)
Grammar and Style Manuals	235	(1)
Glossary	236	(7)
Index	243