I’ve updated my external links to connect to the latest version of Paul Edwards’s great instructions, How to Give an Academic Talk.
Category Archives: website updates
Outline an article in a page and a half
To complement my existing instructions on How to Write an Outline, I have added an Article Outline Example. By keeping the outline to just the top two levels, this document outlines Wells’s article in just a page and a half.
How to Write a Prospectus
I have posted a new page, “How to Write a Prospectus.”
A dissertation prospectus is an essay arguing that you have found a research problem whose solution merits thousands of hours of your time; hundreds of hours of the time of your various advisors and committee members as well as that of librarians, archivists, and other people of good will; and, if you are lucky, some public or foundation funds toward your research expenses. Though the dissertation you complete will likely differ significantly from the one you conceive, you should be able at least to sketch out a viable project before attempting to write one.
Comments appreciated as always.
Critical Reading Moves
My page on Examples of Critical Reading lists several techniques used by historians to read primary sources critically. I have posted a one-page list of those techniques, which I have found useful in the classroom.
[Update, 1 April 2013: I have changed the handout to read “unstated agenda,” not just agenda.]
Cronon the Storyteller, part 2: What about the Storylistener?
Back in October, William Cronon fretted that today’s readers, especially younger readers, may lack the attention span to read book-length accounts of the past, whether they are printed on paper or displayed on a screen.
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New links on research and writing
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On my external links page I’ve links to William Cronon et al., Learning Historical Research and Macalester College, Write Well. Thanks to Steve Burt for pointing me to the latter.
New Theme
I have switched the theme of this WordPress.com blog to Twenty Ten. I liked the way Enterprise looked on screen, and for now I will continue to use it for zacharyschrag.com. But I like to be able to print the pages from HistoryProfessor.Org, and from what I can tell, Twenty Ten is one of the few WordPress.com themes that comes with a style sheet for printing. That’s a pity.
Richardson’s Rules of Order
I have added a link to Richardson’s Rules of Order to this site’s external links. Richardson’s rules include advice on participating in class, researching papers, writing essays, and communicating with instructors.
Examples of Critical Reading
In preparation for my fall courses, I have substantially revised my Examples of Critical Reading, adding several more examples and a taxonomy.
Reverse Engineering for Historians « HistoryProfessor.Org
In preparation for my fall graduate research seminar, I have added a new page to this site: “Reverse Engineering for Historians.”
