History Papers or Theses
II. HISTORY PAPERS OR THESES
As a rule, broad courses in history do not admit of much special study or detailed investigation of the very many personalities, factors of environment, and events which history comprises. For that reason, it Is a customary practice to give opportunity during a course for a careful and intensive investigation of one or more of the great variety of important points included in the field of study.
1. The Undertaking: Choice of Subject. The accompanying list of topics (see p. 6) is given to suggest the variety of subjects which can be profitably treated in this fashion. Those suggested are, for the most part, general in character. They will usually need to be further limited or defined for actual use, to conform to:
a. The interests or purposes of the student,
b. Books and materials available on the subject, and
c. Space limits prescribed for the paper.
This defining of the subject is an important matter, and should not be undertaken without having given considerable thought to the nature, scope, and historical significance of the subject as listed.
It may be pointed out that the proper treatment of a biographical subject is not altogether a simple matter. In selecting a topic of this kind, one should not attempt to write a biography or a life, but to discuss the personage chosen from some particular historical point of view; that is, his relation to the important developments of his own or subsequent times.
2. The Tools: Bibliography. The next step in the preparation of the paper is the location and evaluation of all sources of information bearing on the subject. These should be classified thus:
a. Primary (original) sources—official documents (laws, constitutions, decrees, etc.), contemporary papers, memoirs, accounts by eyewitnesses, etc.
b. Secondary (derived) sources—bocks, papers, articles, etc., by more recent writers, based directly or indirectly on the above.
Materials in each list should be arranged alphabetically (by name of author), and the bibliography should show, for each work listed,
a. Author's full name, reversed,
b. Full title of the work,
c. Place of publication (city and publishing house), and
d. Date of publication, together with—
e. A brief critical analysis or review of each title, showing its general nature and its fitness for use in connection with the particular subject.
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