Major Historiographical

Project

History Extension

Presentation created by T Ellam, Cheltenham Girls High, 2013

The basics

It is worth 40/50 of your HIE assessment marks. That is a weighting of 80%

It will be triple marked by three experienced HIE teachers. CGHS and HHHS

On completion it must be certified by your teacher and principal. This is where they sign off to declare to the government that this project is all of your own work.

I can only certify it if I have seen continuous progress and had regular discussions and submissions from you each term.

The basics

It has several components:

Log- both log book AND final log summary

Synopsis

Essay. 2500words

Bibliography

Certification: includes 2 mini assessments- proposal and report.

What is certification?

You need to show the ongoing development of your project to your teacher regularly. (Not last minute!)

This can be done via appointments, log book submissions, progress reports etc

Your project needs to reflect the style of writing you'd do in an exam.

Not plagiarised

All references are cited in footnotes

Link to All My Own Work

Your log book will be kept by CGHS for 7 years.

Why is certification

important?

It is the way that your teacher and school vouches for the integrity and originality of your work

If it is not certified, your project may not be marked or recorded for assessment which jeopardises 80% of your HIE assessment mark

How to get certified! (And

maybe certifiable in the

process!) Ensure you regularly check in with the teacher about your progress- around 2 meetings per term.

Ensure you regularly show the teacher your log book

Complete all certification report forms throughout terms 4-2

Keep teacher in the loop of the stages, problems, successes, changes and developments of your project.

Useful resources

Check the edmodo folder for the major project or the following:

Handbook 2013. The 2014 version is coming soon but will be basically the same.

Handbook includes assessment details for mini assessments 1 and 2 (proposal and Midcourse report) and the major project submission

You must have read the handbook cover to cover.

Topic development worksheets (will be issued in class soon)

Sample major projects / model works

So what do you have to

do?

You are to undertake a research inquiry of an area of your own interest in order to examine the issues of historiography.

The topic must relate to the concepts of the course but also the 5 Key Course Questions

It is not a historical topic. You are not looking at an event, person or issue. You are to look at how an event, person or issue has been constructed or presented by historians or 'historians' over time. That is, historiography!

Examples of topics

Area of interest: English Civil War

2U HIE

Causes of the ECW

How and why interpretations over the causes have differed

since the 17th C

Examples of topics

Area of interest: Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia

2U HIE

Was she a great ruler?

How and why interpretations over the causes have differed

since the 17th C

What were her achievements?

Legacy?

How has the history of Catherine's reign been

constructed since the 18th century.

Examples of

topics Area of interest: King Arthur

2U HIE

The legend of Arthur and

Camelot

The historicity of King Arthur

The role of historical legend

How media constructions of Arthur reflect the contexts

of their times

Examples of

topics

Instead of examining the historical and heritage importance of a site, eg Hyde Park Barracks

What the heritage listing of a site like HPB reveals about the role and purpose of social and public history in Australia. Implications for the study of 'history'

Examples of topics

Instead of a discussion of the historical issues surrounding a particular genocide

An analysis of origins of genocide history and the distinction between cultural and physical genocide indicating the societally determined and functioning role of history.

Selecting a topic

Avoid pop topics. Eg Arthur, WW2 bombings

Avoid very recent, modern topics, eg Iraq, 9/11 = lack of Historiographical research and objectivity.

The topic cannot be covered in any syllabus.

You cannot do a topic which is a model sample project issued to students, in class/edmodo

Make sure the topic is clearly historiographical- frame it around the key questions of the course

Selecting a topic

Make it of significant interest to you. You have to stick by it for 8-9 months!

Be original.

You can choose from people, events, or historical issues.

Issues/themes of Historiographical debate are often different- eg historicism, metanarratives, postmodernism, public vs private history, museum debates, historical fiction etc

Stages of

Research Select a topic. Make it of interest and Historiographical value. Must be teacher approved.

Develop and refine your topic to a question (ongoing through terms)

Conduct initial research into the debates. Develop research notes.

Relate and focus on key questions

Any topic refinements?

You may like to begin identifying / planning sections or themes of essay topic.

Continue research throughout terms 4-2 and compile detailed research notes.

Plan layout and sections of your essay.

Construct draft 1- eg a skeletal structure of paragraph points, and related Historiographical arguments and concepts

Construct draft 2- essay writing

Further drafts?

Editing. Swap with a friend in class to edit each others work, make suggestions regarding layout etc

Synopsis, bibliography, log summary.

Presentation and binding

How to get thinking!

What era of history do you prefer? Ancient, medieval, renaissance, early modern, modern ??

Do you have a preference for a person study, event, issue, or Historiographical theme, site study etc

Brainstorm example topics of interest.

Complete the Choosing a Topic worksheet

Print out and fill in the Application to borrow at Mac Uni form - hand in to me.....

What to do next?

Buy a log book. One side can be used for log, the other side for research notes.

Alternatively an expanding file is useful for organising and filing research notes

Alternative to a hard log book is use of Evernote for log entries and research. This can be shared with teacher.

What to do next...?

Read handbook cover to cover! Just do it!

Examine a range of model projects

Start log of your research process and finding a topic

Complete topic worksheets and mindmap sheet

Fallout the Mac Uni library borrowers card app form and hand in to teacher

Extend yourself...

Borrow books from universities

Get a group of friends (HIE, SOC PIP) together and got the state library of NSW in the city.

Other Uni libraries? Sydney, NSW etc

Can you conduct interviews for human resources references?

About time management

This is absolutely vital for doing a major project

Set timelines and weekly goals

Schedule around other subject, projects, exams etc

Keep notes in your log as a record of progress and direction

Getting it under control

Get your topic sorted ASAP. It will need to be approved by your teacher. This is the most difficult and longest part of the project process.

Aim to have your topic set by Week 6-7 term 4. (It can be refined further later)

Set weekly goals

Set a timeline of steps until submission

Follow the issued HIP timeline from your teacher.

Get to Uni libraries early on -Dec-Jan or before!

Do NOT fall into the trap of thinking you have 'plenty of time' after the holidays. You don't. You'll have lots of other assessments and events. Get organised now and make your life easier a,

Remember: the best

projects Had topics sorted within term 4

We're of students who had read and examined that handbook carefully, including mall requirements and sample extracts.

We're often by students managing 2 or more projects - ie they had time management down pat

Undertook secondary research in the school holidays

Had an essay draft outline done early to mid term 1 some even had it done before the Dec holidays!!

We from students who regularly met with the teacher to discuss successes, obstacles, refinements, editing, historiography etc

Useful advice from a

student who did 3 major

projects

Read Lucy U's advice in the document on edmodo.

Lucy did HiE, SAC, D&T in 2012. She got a band 6 in SAC and an E4 in HIE by pure determination, interest and time management.

Research Process Project

Proposal assessment, 5% Synopsis

Progress report, Midcourse assessment 5%

Essay

Log summary, included in final project submission

10% Bibliography

Log book/Evernote entries - handed in with

project

Source annotations and analysis

A Historiographical focus

Your project must focus on how history has been written and created and why.

It must show debate and disagreeing interpretations.

It must focus on historians and their views

You can look at contemporary debates or

You can look at changing interpretations and revised histories over time.

Starting topic ideas

After initial topic thinking and completion of the two worksheets on edmodo (Choosing a Topic & the mindmapping worksheet) you should have a BROAD topic area eg : Attila the Hun, Marie Antoinette, Spanish Civil War etc)

Find your angle... What specifically about the topic interests you?

Do some initial googling and reading to find out what issues or debates concern the topic. If there aren't disagreements as to the topic it may not be Historiographical.

Now consider how it relates to the KQs. Make it relate to 3 or so.

Getting organised.

Exercise book journal or digital log???

Either format must be regularly maintained and submitted for log checks.

Good idea! If using a journal format get a large page size and use one side for log entries and one for research notes

A really organised student from last year had an expanding file as well. This was used to separately store and categorise articles, summary notes, drafts, certification documents, assessments, photocopied sheets etc etc

A

digital

log

Some useful methods for using a digital log:

Evernote - (PC, website, Laptop, iPad, iPhone). Ease of access, portable, accessible on the move, create different 'notebooks' for different sections eg Proposal, Research notes, Historian details, bibliographical details, journal notes, etc etc. you can insert links, photos, files, documents Etc. also, you can share your notebooks with people, eg your teacher, for easier monitoring. It will automatically sync with your other versions of Evernote (eg any additions made on your laptop will auto sync to your smartphone or iPad etc). You will have to PRINT out all notes/folders to submit with your major project in June.

Google Docs. - attached to your gmail account where you can access Google Drive through Apps option. You can create folders and documents. You can share folders with classmates or teacher. Note that creating a document through Google Drive will have mixed formatting if you try to download it as a Word document. Download as PDF instead. Note that Google and Gmail have a clause that they can access any of your documents. You will need to SHARE with your teacher and give them CAN EDIT permissions.

One Note - (PC, laptop) - allows you to set out your notes into different tabs, as mentioned above in Evernote. Be careful. It doesn't always automatically save. Can insert files and notes, photos etc You will have to PRINT out all notes/folders to submit with your major project in June.

Note Binder (iPad). A fancier and somewhat more organised version of One Note. You can create binders and in each binder add different folders. Within each folder you have a note pad to which you can add as many pages as you like. Insert files, pictures etc eg you could have one binder for the HEP and then folders for different sections, eg proposal, log entries, research notes, historians etc etc. you can EXPORT the binder as a file which will allow you to submit.

Create a schedule

Create a schedule or timeline on A3 paper and paste it up in your bedroom.

Set small, achievable goals for each week. Eg, find 2 books for my topic. Read and take notes from one book. Research the historians context. Prepare an outline of Historiographical issues.

Remember, if you do a little bit each week, you will avoid huge pile ups of work around other assessments, exams events, etc

Human Resources

Don't forget that if your topic suits this research methodology, you can conduct interviews with historians (lecturers, professors, doctors etc) either in person or by phone email survey.

This can look impressive in terms of fieldwork research. Herodotus would be proud! ;)

See your teacher beforehand for info on how to create an appropriate request letter, and how to structure interview questions.

Remember the

historiographers

! Students often forget that you can include historians' interpretations and views regarding What is History?, in your major project.

For example, EH Carr's interpretations of the importance of facts and the role of the historian, or Carl Becker's relativist point of view about subjectivity and facts, or Keith Jenkins' comments about the postmodernist nature of history.

You can incorporate and integrate these historians views where they are appropriate to comment on the Historiographical nature of your topic and the Historiographical implications.

Final thoughts!

START NOW!!!

START LOG ENTRIES NOW

GET THAT TOPIC SORTED AND APPROVED BY WEEK 6-7

START RESEARCHING HISTORIANS AND HISTORIOGRAPHY NOW....

GET LIBRARY MAC UNI BORROWERS CARD APPLICATION TO MS ELLAM ASAP