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Local History Research and Writing Workshop!
History 26R - Fall 2008
Description: This is a small workshop class on researching and writing local and regional history. This class is designed for students who have a project underway or one that they wish to complete. The purpose of the course is to assist those working in local and regional history to learn where to find their primary and secondary materials and how to get them into a form that will advance us all forward.
Need to have taken History 25A or be enrolled in History 25B? It is recommended, but not required. A number of the class members will be enrolled in History 25B and we will be addressing the particular research strategies for those subjects as we move along.
Note: Subject can cover any time frame in local and regional history. Contrary to what the official class schedule says, students may work on topics both prior to and following 1890.
Possible Subjects:
• Personal genealogy and family history
• The history of a building, house or business
• The history of a public place, town (though this might be a bit too wide)
• The history of an event
• The history of an industry (again might be too wide)
• Analyzing a particular photograph
| Schedule: The class will meet on 9 Thursday evenings beginning October 2nd and ending December 4th. We also have set aside two Saturdays – October 11 and November 15 for potential field trips to local and regional archives. Time: The Thursday evening class will begin at 6:00 PM and end at 9:00 PM. Location: Room 401 (downstairs on the south side of the 400 building). |
Parking – All parking requirements are enforced on Thursday nights. And, parking can be very tight at the beginning of the semester.
Cost – Registration is $20/unit = $60 + several other fees – grand total of $78.00 If you wish a parking sticker add $20.00. You can also use the parking permit dispensers on campus for one-night parking.
Food – There is a snack vending gazebo open on Thursday evenings. You may bring things to eat to class, HOWEVER, everything must be cleared from the room at the conclusion of class.
Grade/Credit No Credit: The student can take the course on whatever grade trajectory they wish. The emphasis will be on completing a project.
Finding the Raw Materials – topics include: • Bibliographies – where to find them and how good they are • Public repositories and archives – we will be visiting some of these • Private repositories and archives – we will be visiting some of these too • Oral Interviews – how to do them and where to find ones already done • Maps – where to find them • Local and Regional newspapers – where to find them, how to use them, and the various indexes that are available. Including the “ghost” indexes for the period after World War II. • Photographic collections – where to find them • Photo Analysis – how to determine dates and places when they aren’t on the photograph – and also how to analyze the photograph for time and place. • Issues of ownership and copyright – we will discuss the protocols for using printed, written, private and public documents and photographs • The World Wide Web – we will have practitioners come in and discuss the latest strategies • Genealogy Repositories - Using Ancestry.com and other on-line sources. Turning the Raw Materials into Finished Product – • Strategies for organizing – What do you do with the “stuff”? • Writing – Strategies for writing the final product • Format – Bibliographies, footnotes, and the detail of the finished product |
Depending on the subject and type of projects we may attempt to assemble them into some kind of finished and published product.
Experts in the Field: We will invite practitioners from various disciplines to join us and discuss the state of the art in their particular field, from the Internet to the technical aspects of cleaning up and enhancing historical photographs. We will also have a conversation with a copyright and trademark attorney to get the latest in how to get legal permissions to use materials and also how to protect the material we produce.
The Instructor – Sandy Lydon has been researching and writing local and regional history for over 40 years. He has written everything from television scripts, regular newspaper columns, reviews, magazine articles, book prefaces, museum labels, guidebooks to finished book-length manuscripts. He is currently involved in numerous research and writing projects and will bring some of them to class to demonstrate the different approaches he takes to the various types of projects he works on. He has access and a working relationship with most of the historical organizations in the region as well as projects ranging across the region.
Can students audit this course? No. All students planning to attend this class must be registered.
| How to Register: All students attending class must be registered. You will receive a special lanyard identifying you as a registered student. Auditing is not permitted on either lecture nights or field trips. Continuing Credit Students may begin registering on-line May 12th. Go to www.cabrillo.edu to begin the process. New Students must begin the application process after which you will receive a registration appointment date. You may register any time following that date. What if you have trouble making application or registering? Ms. Judy Periera in Admission and Records has volunteered to give you personal assistance if you find the process to be too complicated or daunting: Judy Periera – campus telephone: 479-6206; e-mail: juperier@cabrillo.edu. Many returning or first time students who registered for History 25A this past spring semester found Judy’s help to be invaluable. Don’t hesitate to ask her. Cabrillo Extension is not involved in registering students for History 25B, so please don’t bother them about it – just contact Judy if you’re not sure what to do. |