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Instructions for Historiography College Essay Examples

Title: Sallust

Total Pages: 15 Words: 3836 References: 10 Citation Style: MLA Document Type: Essay

Essay Instructions: Historiography on Sallust.

Only use secondary sources, no primary.
You must include at least 10 secondary sources (scholarly books, monographs and articles in scholarly journals, excluding book reviews and general textbooks!).

In your paper, you must explain what other historians have thought, said and written about your chosen historian. You must explain how historical interpretations of your historian have changed over time, and you must explain the differences between various “schools” of historical interpretation regarding your historian. In other words, you need to compare and contrast what other historians have argued about your writer, and you need to think like a historian about why these interpretations have changed over time.

In addition to the usual formula of introduction, body and conclusion, historiographical papers should be organized as follows:

Section 1: The historians life, including an analysis of the historical and intellectual movements of the time.
A. Influences upon the historian
1. Education
2. Historical Events
B. Professional career, positions held.

Section 2: The historians historical Contributions
A. Predecessors
B. Major Contributions
c. Influence and Successors

Section 3: Analysis of one or more historians works.
A. Theme(s) and reason(s) for writing
B. Its purpose and scope
C. Its influence

The Historian: Sallust
The Book: The Jugurthine War/ The Conspiracy of Catiline
Penguin Classics

Excerpt From Essay:

Essay Instructions: Historiography paper for the History of Canadian Foregin Policy.

Topic: Alaska Boundary dispute

Specifics: Students will be required to write a 5-6 page brief historiography of the chosen topic. Historiography is essentially the history of writing and research on a particular historical subject. In other words, how have historians throughout the years interpreted particular subjects, events, etc. What methods have they used, what sources have they relied upon, what theories or ideological perspectives have guided them in that research and writing? Because history is really nothing other than the ideas of historians themselves, it is profoundly influenced by the worlds those historians inhabit. And so the history of particular topics tends to be writen anew according to the questions and issues that dominate their worlds. Examine and comment on how previous historians/scholars have interpreted the chosen topic in the grand narrative of the history of Canadian foreign policy. Pay particular attention to particular schools of thought/interpretation as well as to how methodological and interpretative changes in the discipline of history itself affected the study of the topic.

In other words: write about what's been said on the topic (in general), where the lines of debate are, where do the authors line up in the debate (pro/anti), interpretative frameworks (idealist/Marxist/realist/liberal/internationalist) quickly group the authors together under these categories, what is the status of the conversation, what is the overall sense the sources are going with, what are the different points of view (American, Canadian, Russian), what are they striving to achieve? what are their underlying goals (defence policy/trade policy).

Thesis for this paper (general idea): more like a road map of where you're going. Group authors together into general categories and explain them.

Essay format for this paper.

**You must use the references included with the term paper already written and attached. You may also use other references if necessary, but the references from the paper must be used.**

**I have already written the term paper for this topic, I will attach it. This historiography is based on this paper**

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Title: lincoln or jef davis

Total Pages: 7 Words: 2536 Bibliography: 0 Citation Style: APA Document Type: Essay

Essay Instructions: Historiography project: Examine the interpretation of one specific topic by more than one author and from more than one period of writing.
Definition: Historiography is the study of how written history is created and evolves, based on a critical examination of the underlying sources, how the authentic materials were selected and used, and how the author’s syntheses of material was developed into a narrative, that should be able to stand against the test of critical research methods. Primary source material is original documentation created by an eyewitness, participant or author of an original document. Secondary source materials are those created by newspaper accounts developed from interviews, commentary by others on an event or person, books/articles/papers written by anyone who was not a participant in the event or is not autobiographic.
Goals: Through this project, you will be introduced to the basic methodology of written history. The project will help you develop a larger view of the study of history, in order to have a better understanding of how history is “constructed” and/or as preparation for in-depth study of historiography in HIS440. That will be accomplished by moving you away from the memorization / repeating of names, dates and places or from stopping with one author’s view as authority - to a view that is broader, more developed, critical and analytical. To reach that ultimate goal, you will tackle smaller goals by:
Examining how the author of the text under study treated the selected topic (favorably/unfavorably).
b. Reviewing the primary and secondary sources which the author used to develop his/her presentation, seeking to determine if he/she presented the information as in the original or if it has been altered, slanted or taken out of context of time, place and events.
c.Then find other resources on the same topic to see what primary and secondary sources were used and if they differ from the text under study. Even if a second author used the same source material, you should analyze how that material is used and presented to shape the ultimate perspective on the subject.
d. Briefly examine how depictions of the subject have changed or been modified through time or location.
The ultimate goal is find the most accurate sources relating to the original event, in order to develop the least unambiguous knowledge about the subject. In doing so, you should begin to develop the skills of identifying bias in writing, and preconceptions within yourself. While eliminating all bias is not truly possible, limiting, isolating and coming to terms with how both an author’s and our own bias greatly affect one’s perspective on and understanding of an event or person in history.
Assignment:
Select one of the seven characters who figured prominently in the Civil War and whom you find of special interest.
Abraham Lincoln
Jefferson Davis
Examine how McPherson (2001), generally treated that figure, (use your notes and the index in the back of the text to focus your research).
Review the major events related to the person selected and corresponding description(s), depictions and incidents listed in the index. For each, examine the notes, footnotes and references McPherson cited in order to determine:
What primary and secondary source material did he use?
Are there hints about any method that he may have used to shape the information?
What was the context of the incident(s)? Did McPherson keep that context clear – allowing the events/persons to “speak” for themselves?
Determine what materials were primary sources (i.e., eye witnesses statements, personal accounts) and which were secondary (i.e., accounts by others of the events who were not participants).
If possible review the original material, particularly the Official Records. The Official Records of the Civil War can be electronically word searched and examined at: http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/moa/browse.monographs/waro.html
Examine two to three other sources concerning the selected figure looking for differing opinions, accounts, depictions etc, in opposition or support of McPherson’s interpretation and explain the differences or corroboration. (You should look beyond Wikipedia, and not use it as one of the two to three sources consulted.)
As a result of the research and reading, you should be able to produce a paper which explains briefly the nature of the character examined, how the person has been depicted by McPherson and others and give an informed opinion as to why or how those depictions were developed and how they deviate/comply with the primary source material.
Instructor Notes:
Be selective determining how far you are going to take the subject. Those four figures loom large in the text and in the Civil War and may present a larger project than you care to do or have time to produce. If you have questions, please contact your instructor for suggestions about narrowing or approaching the subject in a practical manner. For example, if examining Lincoln, you might select one of the categories listed by McPherson in the index on pp. I-15—16, such as Lincoln – “as commander in chief” and focus only upon the data used to shape the presentation in that selection of references from the McPherson text.

Excerpt From Essay:

Essay Instructions: Historiography as described by historians James McPherson on his Ordeal By Fire book and Alan T. Nolan on his book.. Lee Considered: General Robert E. Lee and civil War History.

What primary and secondary sources they used to develop their presentation, seeking to determine if they presented the information as in original or it has been altered, slanted or taken out of context of time, place and events

How were the materials used and presented to shape the ultimate perspective on General Lee's.

How's Lee been depicted by these authors and others and give an informed opinion as to why or how those depictions were developed and they deviate/comply with primary source.

Was Lee treated by authors favorably/unfavorably?

Excerpt From Essay:

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