History 203L
Dimensions of History Lab
5:00 - 7:50 W (Lab)
CAS 128
Spring Semester, 2008
Michael R. H. Swanson Ph. D.
Office:  CAS 110, Ext. 3230
Hrs:  M. F.  1:00-2:00
T, 11:00-12:30,  W 2:00-3:00
E-mail:     History 203L@msn.com
Roger Williams University
“We shall best show how marvellous and vast our subject is by comparing the most famous Empires which preceded, and which have been the favourite themes of historians, and measuring them with the superior greatness of Rome. . . . . Students will gain from my narrative a clearer view of the whole story, and of the numerous and important advantages which such exact record of events offers.”	Polybius
Lab Schedule
The object of the laboratory section of History 203 is to give you a series of tools and experiences which will enhance the study of history for you.  It complements the class section of History 203 taught by Professor Mulligan, but it will not always be rigidly tied to the work therein.   The lab will center on a series of projects which will be introduced through tutorials and practice in the lab room and at home.  All the specific projects are not set in stone as yet. 

Here's a preliminary list:

Lab Exercises for History 203 (Not necessarily in this order)
a.You'll be introduced to features on Blackboard rather like a
  Journal  or Weblog. 
b.you  will be asked to keep a diary of “meditations” on history,
                        stimulated by your various history classes.  This kind of
                        intellectual Diary or "Commonplace Book" was kept by such
                        thinkers as Thomas Jefferson.  You can write anything you
                         choose (knowing that other students will have access to read it)
I.For example:  "The most interesting thing I learned about
                                      history today," or
      ii.      "Thoughts on the value of studying history stimulated by
  _____" or
     iii."A fragment of my philosophy of history," etc. etc.  The
         idea is to get them to be introspective about what
         they’re learning and how it is influencing their intellectual                                       growth, and to consistent in applying a little time to
  introspection.

    a.Each student will  be assigned a random course from among
       History 101, 102, 201, and 202.  In addition, they will choose
one other history or American Studies Course from the
              Roger Williams University Catalog..Faculty must approve the
      course chosen.
    bStudents will create an annotated bibliography of web
                             resources appropriate for those particular courses, using a
                             number of Web Portals:
         i.The Librarian’s Guide to the Internet
         ii.The Internet Scout Report
        iii.Research Buzz
        iv.The Open Directory Project
        v. Library-Based Data Bases such as J-Stor and
                                          Lexis-Nexus.

N.B.  A number of these announce updates on a weekly basis via E-mail.
Students will subscribe and update their bibliography regularly.

    a.I'll introduce you to Project Gutenberg and the process
      whereby books are prepared for electronic editions.
    b,You will enrol  in Distributed Proofreaders, Take a
       demonstration Walkthrough, and let them browse to find
       books which they’d like to proofread.  Each student will be
       required to proofread a minimum of five pages to receive
              a passing grade (c) for this exercise.  Higher grades will be
      available for proofreading a larger number of pages
  .   There will be a prize for the "Proofreading Prince or
      Princess".  This project has  a secondary benefit.  It
      allows us to pay back the hard work others have done to
      provide materials for us by preserving and providing rare
books for the rest of the world.
                   documents.
    a.There are a number of websites with facsimile documents on
them—letters from people like Thomas Jefferson, or former
slaves.  There is also a website on the evolution of English
Handwriting.
    b.I will provide you with individual facsimiles, have you
transcribe them and post them where the rest of the class
can see your work.
    strengths and weaknesses of each.
    aYou will do a comparative search of some historical term
or person using such tools as:  Google, Clusty,
Dogpile, Ask, and perhaps one or two others.  This
       follows on the training given through the internet
tutorials.
    b.Introduce Web Directories, as well, a follow-up to the
      Open Directory Project. 
    c.Introduce the newest web research tools:  Del.icio.us,
       Stumble Upon and Zotero.
     interpret a variety of illustrations, including maps, paintings, cartoons,
            photographs, and three-dimensional objects.
    more eloquent history.   I do not plan to spend lab time in class discussing
    elementary rules of grammar.  I do intend that you critique each other's
    work--including the assignments given in the class section of this course,
    and that upon my suggestion or that of your peers, you revise your work,
   using the Writing Center as necessary.
Some of these will  be on-going projects, others will be accomplished in a week, with the understanding that you continue practicing the skills until mastery.
GRADING for the LAB and its relationship to your grade for the course. 
The Lab does not have an independent grade:  Your work in the lab will be averaged into the grade for the course as a whole.  It will contribute approximately 40% to your grade for the class.

The three  most important projects will be the research project based on London, your research bibliography (described under number four above) and the reflective journal I'm calling your Commonplace book.  Together these will count approximately 60% of your lab grade.  The rest of the projects will contribute 40% together.
Attendance Policy:
Each Session counts a week's work.  Unexcused absences will have a negative effect upon your grade.  Three Unexcused absences counstitues failing the lab section of the course.   Having said this, I'm fairly liberal in granting excuses, provided I'm notified in advance, and provided you make an appointment to see me during office hours.
Academic Honesty.

The University Academic Honesty Policy will be scrupulously adhered to in this class.  One of the tutorials is based upon proper citation methods for web-based materials, and we'll use that method in here.