Public Evaluation
of
History 371, Historical Research

In Winter 2006, Prof. G. M. Curtis invited the students of History 371 to make a public evaluation of this required course on historical research. He explained,

I state "public" for it is my wish that you write publicly to the rest of us in this course your evaluation of the following major elements of what we have addressed since the first of the year:

The readings, both the works of fiction and the historiographic essays, have served as the major source for our conversation. Please comment on these readings, stressing, if you will, your reception of them; your growing or not growing relation with them; any advices you have for the next edition of this course; and your personal, special, attachment to any particular expression of this craft of history that you value particularly, thanks to your distinctive reading. Yes, on this last aspect, McClay is an historian whose comments attract me strongly. But then, after hearing my story this morning, none of you would find this a surprise, right?

The Tonypandy assignment, both the class presentation and the public essay, was very intentional on my part. Now is your time to assess it. Please, if you will, write about what this challenge meant to you—discuss the history of your reactions and your solutions. In short, write about what it meant to you to become a Grant, an investigator bent upon a rightful clarification of an intentional deception.

The I.S. Prospectus represents a distinctive challenge, for this is the first time in a public way that you are called upon to be an historian. Please comment about the ways that you addressed this new world, at least I am assuming that it is a new world, one where you shoulder responsibilities, wondrous interests, and delightful intellectual promises, many of which may at first appear daunting.

In conclusion, please comment about two closely connecting considerations. Comment about your thoughts at this stage of your being an historian. If you will, acknowledge in a manner that you find fitting for yourself, a comment about the importance for an historian to sustain what this morning I stated was "a constructive humility."

So this essay shall become on one level your evaluation of the course's readings, speaking, and writing assignments (And here I do not at all mean to encourage you to offer yet another bit of boilerplate academic puffery). On a much more significant level, however, this commentary becomes the voice of you the historian, something that in the months to come will flourish, something that I hope will give a special light to lively conversations in the months and years to come as you as it did to Carradine as he more and more grew to fit into that great coat of his, that coat of being the historian. Yes?

With my favorite tie safely back in its harbor, I wish you bon voyage, you, the Undaunted Seven.

GMC

 

Police at Tonypandy, 1911 (from the Glamorgan Record Office).

Note: Among the readings assigned in His371 last year was Josephine Tey's Daughter of Time (1951). One of the characters in that book talks about how popular memory is sometimes manipulated for political ends. His example is the Tonypandy Riot of 1910, which took place in the town of Tonypandy, in Wales: "If you go to South Wales you will hear that, in 1910, the Government used troops to shoot down Welsh miners who were striking for their rights. You'll probably hear that Winston Churchill, who was Home Secretary at the time was responsible . . . . "[In fact] all contact with the rioters was made by unarmed London police. The only bloodshed in the whole affair was a bloody nose or two. The Home Secretary was severely criticized in the House of Commons incidentally for his 'unprecedented intervention.' That was Tonypandy. That is the shooting down by troops that Wales will never forget."

From Jessica Taylor -

I think I'd like to begin my evaluation with the tonypandy assignment. It was challenging in ways I didn't expect it to be. I've written about this earlier in the course, but I had some difficulty in coming up with a tonypandy for a while, and it was only with some help from Dr. Thornton that I settled on a topic. This tonypandy assignment has made me look at the information that I'm presented with with a more skeptical eye. Before, I generally took it for granted that the information I was presented with was accurate. I was fairly content accepting the conclusions that historians arrived at and accepted them with little questioning, because the information was coming from someone who obviously knew a lot more about the subject than me. Who am I to question their carefully thought out and rational conclusions based on primary sources? Well, the tonypandy assignment made me more wary of these "professional" historians. In my tonypandy I saw how generations of historians have accepted one side of a story, the side of the victor, as the unquestionable truth. Problems arose concerning the primary sources that all of these historians used, which all came from Catherine and her supporters. These historians all used primary sources, and came to completely rational conclusions based on these sources, but the sources themselves were very biased and were produced for the purpose of vilifying Peter III. So, I don't trust everything I read anymore. The tonypandy assignment showed me that many people can go astray, and that I could very easily become one of them. It made me realize that I probably have gone astray in previous research assignments.

This IS prospectus was frustrating but helpful. If nothing else, it forced me to think a lot more about possible IS topics than I had been up to this point. I've had lots of ideas swimming around in my head for a while, but I've never been able to settle on anything (there's the possibility still that I will change my topic once again). Looking for primary sources has been the most challenging part of the IS assignment for me. I've come to see how incredibly important a variety of primary sources are to a historian (I knew this before, but especially after the tonypandy assignment it's been a major concern for me). The topic I chose to do my IS prospectus, and the tonypandy assignment for that matter, has made me think a lot about what it means for me to be a historian. It's easy to look at history majors and think it's a breeze (for example, I was sitting in the Science Center not too long ago when a couple of girls were saying just that. They were complaining about how difficult their exercise science classes were, which I do not doubt, and said that people like history majors had it easy because all they had to do was memorize dates and "stuff".) I've always felt that history is more than memorization (and undoubtedly I think these girls' opinions of history have probably been greatly influenced by what Schama talks about in his essay when he discusses "Social Studies Clio: dowdy, inarticulate, either obtusely strident or impenetrably mute") and the issues raised in both the tonypandy and IS prospectus about the reputation of certain people in history have become a major concern for me.

There is so much to say about the readings, but I'll try to limit myself. Copenhagen and Flaubert's Parrot especially resonated with me. Copenhagen was very important to me because of the connections I made between it and my IS topic. Heisenberg was made to look the villain, just as Furtwangler was and is still considered by some to be the villain, because of their associations with the Nazis. Copenhagen made me think about the serious issues of guilt, of the culpability of individuals who lived in that era. I really liked Flaubert's Parrot because I felt like each chapter, though connected, could actually stand on its own as an independent essay concerning what it meant to be and to become a historian. Of course, reading it all together was important for pulling out Barnes' larger themes, but I felt like each chapter had something very important to contribute. The issues Barnes raised about the wishes of the person of study who cannot defend himself or prevent the study of his life again connected to my IS and tonypandy presentations, because these men really have no say in what historians write about them now. They cannot defend themselves and can no longer shape their reputation. I guess it made me question the right historians have in digging up information on people who may not have wanted information dug up about them at all.

I think that constructive humility is very important, because no matter how much we think we know about something, there's always something that we miss. I hate to keep going back to my tonypandy, but when I look at all of the historians who have believed and propagated the popular view of Peter III, it makes me wonder how they would feel about constructive humility. It's important to realize that you might be wrong, and to accept that, at the same time defending what you think is the truth. I'm going to try to always keep the thought in the back of my head, that I may be on the wrong track, and that I should be prepared for that eventuality. As for my being a historian at this stage, I think I have a long way to go. I learned a lot in this course about the responsibilities and the troubles historians face, as well as the joy they can experience in discovering history. I think that I've most enjoyed the help I've received throughout this course, and I am reminded of a discussion at the beginning of the term about the importance of helping each other in each others' historical inquires. Getting help, having read and having sent out papers and opinions online, and getting very helpful responses back has changed the way I look at being an historian in comparison to my views before I took this course.

Jessica Taylor

From Dustin Stewart -

I'm sure I am going to mention things in this evaluation that many other people have already mentioned, but here it goes:

Since everybody is beginning with Tonypandy, I might as well too. Just for the record, I hope that I never have to do another assignment dealing with Tonypandy, partly because I still would not completely understand if my topic was acceptable. However, when I did settle in on my topic, it went smoothly because it was a topic that I enjoyed, so it was not hard for me once I found a topic. BUT, I did not decide on a topic/ or could not find a topic until about three days before my presentation. So, the assignment was given to us very early in the year and I am sure we had at least 4 weeks to prepare, but it took me from then until a few days before my presentation to scramble for a topic. I do think that I learned something about doing the Tonypandy project - DON'T ALWAYS BELIEVE WHAT PEOPLE WRITE!!!!!!!!!

Next, for the readings, I really enjoyed reading Pears' "An Instance of The Fingerpost." I think I can say that this book was one of my favorite books I have read at Hanover College, along with "Night" by Elie Wiesel. My favorite part of the book were the Prescott chapters. To me, he was a very exciting character, partly because his life was surrounded by drama. He raped Sarah Blundy, and he slept with a whore (Kitty). There were other parts that I am missing but overall I really enjoyed Prescott's story.

I did not think to highly of Flaubert's Parrot and Copenhagen. These books were not interesting to me, and so it was hard for me to even grasp what the hell I was reading, which was a problem.

Overall, I really did enjoy MOST of the readings in this course because they were all mysteries, and I am always up for reading a good mystery.
Finally, the IS prospectus. It also did not take me very long choosing a topic. For me, Abraham Lincoln interests me. I believe this is so because I never really learned much about Lincoln in high school. I mean yeah he was the 16th President and was born in Kentucky and eventually moved to Indiana BLAH BLAH BLAH. Also, I've learned over time that Lincoln is one of the greatest Presidents ever, BUT I do not know much about him right now. So, what I am hoping to do is master the life of Abraham Lincoln and his Emancipation Proclamation by the time my IS is over. So far, it has been easy for me to get a hold of primary sources, but I plan to try to find letters about Lincoln from actual slaves back then when Lincoln was President, if that is even possible.

Dustin Stewart

From Erin Stanifer -

For the fiction readings, I enjoyed all (except for Flaubert's Parrot, though I understand why we read it). I especially liked "An Instance of the Fingerpost" I think becuase of the mystery and suspense. There was always something to surprise and confuse me in every chapter. I also have enjoyed reading the essays more recently, especially the McClay as well (which I have already commented on publically). I loved the way that McClay emphasizes how the past is directly tied to the present.

The Tonypandy essay was frustrating when first assigned because I had difficulty thinking of what I wanted to research and write about. Once I picked a topic, though, the research was enjoyable and rather easy. The paper was not difficult to write, either. By the amount of research I had found in a short period of time, it was evident that I was not the first to think of this Tonypandy. The presentations were the most interesting thing for me about this assignment because it was intruiging to head others' ideas and think of more possible Tonypandy's. I now find myself on the look out for more and different Tonypandys (I think I found another one as well. We were discussing Evita in my Spanish class and though she did much to help the poor in Argentina, for which she is remembered and even worshipped to this day, she was incredibly vindictive to those of upper classes, especially her enemies).

The IS prospectus has made me even more exicted to write my final IS. I have thought of more ways to research my topic than before I had taken this class. I am looking forward to continuing to read about my topic over the summer before I write my final IS in the fall. I also found the presentations interesting to see what exactly interested others and how they were doing in their own research.

Finally, I am realizing more and more how careful an historian must be. There are many resources to read and evaluate and failure to include one might be irresponsible, while including certain ones is also irresponsible, though in different ways. But, the historian must always be open to new ideas or new sources to evaluate. It is difficult, but it is always interesting.

Erin Stanifer

From Amanda Lohrig -

I enjoyed the majority of the readings, excluding Flaubert's Parrot because there was just so much in it that I did not understand. The one that I most enjoyed was The Daugheter of Time. The way that Grant explored and dug deeper into finding the truth just really got me thinking about things and where I want to be as a historian. He did not take the face value of who Richard III was portrayed to be. The articles have for the most part been really interesting and thought provoking.

Tonypandy...how long it took me to understand this word?!? This assignment I found to be very frustrating because it made me take a step further as a historian than I had ever thought to. Even when I found a topic, it was still difficult to fully grasp the concept. By the end of the assignment with the presentations and everything finished, things seemed much clearer. I find myself being on the lookout with everything that I look at in the world of history.

The IS prospectus was probably my favorite thing. It might be because I have known what I was going to do my IS on ever since I found out that there was such a thing as an independent study. As I began to prepare my presentation I began to look back at Grant in The Daughter of Time and started wondering about the portrait of Chamberlain that has been painted by historians of recent. Is this who he really was or is there more to it? On another note, I have been engrossed or obsessed with my topic since eighth grade and it was very distressing when Dr. Thornton asked me what it was about Chamberlain that attracts me to the topic and I did not have an answer. I am still distressed thinking it has been that long that I have read about him and just taken anything and everything about him and I still do not have an answer for that question. So how in one year will I be able to develop such an answer?!?

Wow what it means and takes to be a historian...much more than I thought at first. Not just anybody can be a historian. It has to be someone who is willing to take the time and committ themselves to evaluating all resources and do the topic or people justice that are being researched. To be a historian will never be dull.

Amanda Lohrig

From Barry Jenkins -

I really dont know what to write for the evaluation of this course. As many know I changed majors at the beginning of this semester from being a Medieval-Renaissance major to being a History major. I was convinced to take this course by several professors and am very glad they did. I did not know what to begin to expect when I signed into the course and was knocked off my feet and out of breath from the very beginning and am only now beginning to find my feet again.

I will begin with the tonypandy assignment. It took me forever to begins to grasp even the faintest meaning of the term "tonypandy" and even now Im still figuring it out. I found the assignment very difficult because of my chosen period of history, I expressed this many times throughout the duration of the assignment. Most of the primary sources from my period, what primary sources can be found, are riddled with myth and legend and sifting through all this to find tonypandy is near impossible. This means that tonypandy, if there is any derives from the secondary sources. I like many before me and like many will after, assumed that all when reading histories written by "professional" historians, that the histories and information that there were presenting to me were accurate and correct. Thought I myself failed to truly find a tonypandy, listening to everyone elses presentation and ideas made me realize that I cannot trust and believe everything that is being told to me in the essays and books written by professional historians and I am know more observant and careful when reading articles, essays, and books for the various historical projects I have on my table.

The I.S. presentation also proved to be quite a challenge to me. I had never really thought of what I wanted to do my I.S. on. Everytime I did I kept think of one particular subject area and kept avoiding it. So I kept looking and searching, never being satisfied with any idea that I presented myself with. I couldnt find anything to be passionate about except the one topic I wanted to avoid it because I believed it was far too large for and undergraduate like me to even consider and it really is but I can no longer let myself avoid it. I know my presentation didnt come close to par because I didnt havee a topic at all and I was honestly embarassed about it but I didnt know what to do. I was given many really good ideas and such from the comments of Dr. Murphy and Dr, Thornton. I know have some sort of direction in which to begin a more focused search and find a topic that is 100% me.

As for the reading I enjoyed all the reading, even Flaubert's Parrot. They presented me with ideas and thoughts that I hadnt considered before and the discussions on the reading started me thinging in directions that I hadnt thought about before as a historian. Ultimately thought it was the few one on one discussions with Dr. Curtis that helped me the most and made me realize where I lack the most. Though he completely intimidates me when he looks me in the eye, his advise and insistance on things regarding my approach torwards certain aspect of myself as a historian helped me to finally get off my butt and find my feet as a historian and do justice to the topics and figures with whom I will be working with in the future.

I will end my evaluation as I began. I was initially knockled off my feet. I thought I knew what I was getting into but I had no idea and this class thought I sturggled helped me begin to realize with some difficult, my responsibility as a historian and what I owe the world as well as my subject matter as a historian.

Barry Jenkins