Howdy and Happy Friday!
There is not much to report this week. However, I am looking forward to the next Zoom meeting with Dr. Farless and Abigail. We plan to go over our recommendations for the lengthy paper as well as decide on the next assignment. I am excited to discuss ideas or options for shortening an essay while maintaining the quality of the text. Dr. Farless has planned to let Abigail and I choose a paper from the list of submissions. Yay!
Reading through the submissions has been enjoyable since each paper represents the unique interest of the author. This uniqueness serves as reminder that there is no limit to topic ideas, a notion that seems scary when an idea does not come to mind. Thankfully, there are professors to guide us through the process, and help us to become better writers. While I have always appreciated feedback, my hope is to retain the critiques and apply them! With that said, I anticipate working with the writers and helping them ready their unique paper for print.
Although interest plays a role in research topics, there are a few things to consider when approaching the subject matter. According to Mary Lynn Rampolla, author of A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, Ninth Edition, in order to think like a historian, we must respect the subject, and avoid generalizations, anachronisms, and personal biases.[1] We must not judge the past based upon our own perceptions or experiences but examine the content within its own context. In other words, it is important to refrain from measuring the past against modern values as though modernity is a greater virtue. Perhaps this is where historians become more like anthropologists. If we venture to study cannibals, then our approach should be within the scope of who, what, why, where and when of cannibalism. We should not be dismissive of historical figures and events we disagree with, but study to understand them, lest we become shortsighted. As a Doctor Who fan, it would be wonderful if the Time and Relative Dimensions in Space (TARDIS) vehicle existed, so we could experience history in real time. Until then, it is up to historians and students of history to approach research with respect for the subject matter and avoid the mistakes that take away from the quality of an academic paper. Here’s to thinking like a historian!
[1] Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing History, 9th edition (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2018), 55-6.