Hy 1302 Book Dissection Exerciseintroduction And Objectivesscientists
Scientists perform much of their research in laboratories. The library is the historian's laboratory, and books are often the tools of our research. Part of succeeding in a history course is learning how historians work. The single most basic skill for any historian is to know how to read a historical *monograph* critically and thoroughly. That means knowing the parts of a book, grasping the arguments of its author, and understanding other historians' criticisms and analyses of that book.
It also means that historians must be able to explain to others efficiently where they found the information or interpretations they use in their own work. Since historians are entrusted with the past, they carry a lot of responsibility for getting it right. They must check their sources for bias, confirm their information from as many sources as possible, try as hard as they can to be objective in their own work, and make sure someone else has checked their work before they publish it. This exercise is designed to help students develop some of those skills. Everyone is an historian to some extent.
It's important to be a good one. Choose a book from the Further Readings Section in the Appendix at the end of the textbook. The original edition of the book you choose must have been published since 1990, and it must be a monograph. What is a monograph? It is a book written as a detailed study of a single specialized aspect of History by a single author.
It is not a biography of an individual, it is not a collection of essays edited by an author, not a memoir by someone who took part in the events, not a collection of primary sources edited by an author, and not a general history of America in any given period. Choose your book carefully, and clear it with the professor before you start reading it! The book you choose also must have numbered footnotes or endnotes and it must concern a subject in your American history course, HY 1302 After 1877.
Once you have tentatively chosen your book, you must locate one scholarly review of that book before you begin reading it. Your review must be complete, and it must be at least three paragraphs in length. Good sources for reviews include the American Historical Review, the Journal of American History, The New York Times Book Review, and The New York Review of Books. Many book reviews are indexed in "America: History and Life" (available on-line or in most college libraries). Ask the librarian for help if needed.
The reviews in CHOICE come out first but are too short (150 words) for this assignment. If you find an abstract that looks interesting, order the entire review via interlibrary loan! Do not begin reading the book
until you have a review of it in hand and have cleared it with the professor. Showing the professor a photocopied review of the book secures your reservation to borrow it. Also, do not mark in library books or hoard books unnecessarily. The integrity of library resources must be maintained. The exercise involves three parts: Citation and Acknowledgment, Arguments, and Critique.