Hello all,
In our next class, we will spend a bit of time reviewing last week's discussion on research and then move on to talk about writing—the most important tool you have to share the stories of historic places you care about.
For the next class, please try to bring the research questions you wrote down during our second in-class activity and one or more primary source. You can use the third activity guide to find newspaper articles related to your topic. You can find other sources (including maps, directories, and images) through our directory of local history sources.
I'll also bring a collection of primary sources that you can use for our writing activities so do not worry if you can't find anything (or don't have the time to search).
In our next class, we'll talk about how to turn your research into writing asking:
- How do you make evidence-based claims?
- How do you write a story with a beginning, middle, and an end?
- What are the common challenges with historical writing?
Here are three optional readings for next Tuesday:
- How to Write a Paper for this Class (2009), Jill Lepore, Harvard University (3 minute read)
- How to Write A Good History Essay (2012), Robert Pierce, History Today (10 minute read)
- Drafting, Revising, and Editing (2009), Learning to Do Historical Research, Genya Erling and Trish O’Kane (15 minute read)
Finally, I'd love to hear what you think makes a good story about a historic place? If you have an idea or example to share, please send me an email including:
- a link to a story you enjoy
- a few words about why you picked it
You can check out Explore Baltimore Heritage and the Maryland Historical Society underbelly blog for ideas but stories about any place (not just in Baltimore) are welcome.