Hometown History

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

Take a look around where you are right now, or picture the view from your bedroom window at home. Whether you see an ancient temple or a fire hydrant in front of your neighbor’s yard, wherever you are has a history. This semester, you will dig into that history to learn about where you live, about the field of local history, and about how to do historical research. We will begin by reading and discussing some important works of and about local history, but most of the semester will consist of your research into whatever place you call home, whether that be a town, a block of apartment buildings, a county, or some other geographical unit. (You can also choose Georgetown University as your home, or Washington, DC as your home). Students will research a significant building, significant cultural landscape, significant individual, significant event, significant cultural or social institution, and significant controversy or social issue in the place they call home, and will share the results of their research with the class. They will also pick one of those categories to dive into even deeper and produce a written work based on primary research with a view to publishing their work (or a piece of it) in a local historical society newsletter, town website, local newspaper, or some other venue meaningful to the particular student’s home. We will devote purposeful attention to the steps necessary for good historical research (locating sources, evaluating credibility, constructing a bibliography, citing sources properly, etc.), but students will also be expected to exercise substantial creativity and independent resourcefulness. Assignments will include: a powerpoint tour of your home place, oral presentations, intermediate assignments (primary source analysis, annotated bibliography, project proposal, pitch to the venue you hope will publish your work), and a final piece of historical research such as an article for a local historical society publication.