AH 522 XA, XB, ZA, ZB
Fall 2002
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Joyce Thierer
Office: 411A Plumb Hall
Phone: Office 620-341-5533 Home 620-528-3580
Email: thiererj@emporia.edu And to ridehist@satelephone.com
Address: PH 411a Box 31, Department of Social Sciences, Emporia State University, 1200 Commercial Street, Emporia, Ks 66801-5087
DESCRIPTION: see Santa Fe Trail Symposium 2002, Larned, Kansas at www.santafetrail.org or see the attached hard-copy description.
BOOKS:
Required:
Josiah Gregg Commerce
of the Prairie (hard copy or read at
http://www.ukans.edu/carrie/kancoll/books/gregg
And a non-fiction book of your choice. (adult, not children's or young
adult). Both the Santa Fe Trail Center and Fort Larned have excellent book
selections. Also,
www.amazon.com has
100 selections on all reading levels if you type in the key words Santa
Fe Trail. Many local bookstores and all public libraries have books on
the trail too.
Optional choices that I recommend:
Anything by Marc Simmons (he and other authors usually attend the conference) (On
the Santa Fe Trail is one example.)
The following are reprints and, like Gregg's (above) are primary sources:
Grades are based on meeting the requirements for the class component you are taking. Because this class is an intensive class, attendance is an asset.
****find your section****
DATE COURSE CALENDAR
SEE SYMPOSIUM'S SCHEDULE OF EVENTS for more detail. (attached)
Sept. 19 Pre-conference events are not required, but the more you do the more you learn. (After 5:00 pm Thurs. events are a must for this class)
Sept 20-21 events are listed on Symposium schedule of events. Plan on
doing field trips as you are actually out on the trail.)
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Class particulars:
Admire, Ks 66830
Pick up at the registration table further particulars relevant to this class. For example at exactly which table we will meet for the Friday evening meal-discussion.
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ALWAYS GOOD PLACES TO CHECK for history on these subjects, as well as book review examples :
REACTION PAPER or A THOUGHTFUL DISCUSSION OF THE MATERIAL COVERED IN THE BOOK AND THE CLASS:
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RESEARCH PAPER:
FOOTNOTES or ENDNOTES
2. Ibid. 65.
3. Ibid. 67-68.
(Ex: p. 41. Or: pp. 100-1.)
[you are expected to either underline or italicize a book title]
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GUIDELINES FOR BOOK REVIEWS
* Your book review should provide: a) an overview of the book's content, and b) your critical response to the book's content. Follow the example for format.
1. Computer generate and print the review or type the review on non-erasable paper. Make the margins 1 ½ inches on the left and 1 inch on the right. Double-space throughout, including the heading.
2. The length of the review should be about 500 words. That is two pages of elite type or use your computer's software's word count tool.
3. Pay attention to grammar and punctuation. Don't turn in your first draft--edit it into a clean document.
4. For the general format of the review, consult recent reviews in Kansas History, a journal you should get to know anyway. You will find it in most libraries. Pattern the format of your review as if you were writing it for this journal. The best way to learn about book reviewing is to read reviews. Most historical journals have sections of book reviews. I recommend, in addition toKansas History, The Journal of the West, The Journal of American History, and the Western Historical Quarterly. THE CITATION SHOULD BEGIN THE REVIEW. Look at examples.
5. Note that these reviews cover the following points:
a. the authority of the author
b. the author's style
c. the scope of the book's contents and sources
d. special features, illustrations, etc.
e. how the present work stands up compared to:
- the author's announced intent (thesis)
- other work on the subject or in the field
f. if the work is a reissue, translation or other variation of an earlier work
g. the contribution the work makes to Kansas or western history
h. sources used (Did the author use primary or secondary?)
i. time span covered
j. geo-area covered in book
k. comment on: topics covered, organization or arrangement of book (parts, sections)
6.In any book review the most important things to consider are the purpose of the book and whether the author achieved it (goal intent). Sometimes the purpose is stated plainly in the preface; other times you have to infer it. In either case begin by evaluating whether the author did what she or he set out to do
7. Summarize the content of the book. Be concise. No more than half of the review should be summary. Be precise. Use details and facts -- the wheres, the whens, the whos, etc.
8.
Comment on the quality
of various aspects of the book---the sources on which it is based, its
organization,
its methodology, its literary merit. You can't discuss all such aspects,
but you can touch on the striking ones.
9. Comment on the significance of the book. What notable facts, interpretations, or methods does it offer to historical scholarship? What does it say that was not been said, or said in this particular way , before?
10. Your goal is to summarize. Don't restate the title and author. Refer to the author by last name only: Williams, not Ms. Williams. Use Dr., if applicable, the first time as it establishes author's authority.
11. Really write a book review, not a book report. Be precise and loaded the review with details.