STUDY & WRITING OF HISTORY

Space before Google Maps

WHAT IS THIS COURSE ABOUT? 🧐
The omnipresence of Google Maps in our lives has homogenized the way we think about space, or
at least the way we find places in space. This course will look at how past societies visualized space
and, particularly, what geographical space can tell us about power structures. We will explore how
historians incorporate geographical space to historical analysis, the sources they use, and the
methodological questions they raise. After examining case studies from the last two centuries,
students will produce a research paper on a topic of spatial history.

NEED HELP? 👋
Professor Ángeles Picone, Ph.D.
REQUIRED BIBLIOGRAPHY📚
Office: Stokes S309
E-mail: [email protected] 📖 Craib, Raymond B. Cartographic Mexico: A
History of State Fixations and Fugitive
We meet T at 4.30pm in Stokes S113 or via Landscapes. Latin America Otherwise.
Durham NC: Duke University Press, 2004.
Zoom
📖 Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to
This is HIST 336401 Writing in History (any of the 7th, 8th, or 9th
Office hours W 1-4pm (You are welcome to editions)
book an appointment through the
appointment page on Canvas)

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of the semester you will be able to:

🏆 Design and carry out an original research project.
🏆 Identify, analyze, and synthesize relevant primary and secondary sources.
🏆 Construct an argument and provide supporting evidence.
🏆 Apply diverse research methods as you look for, analyze, and present data.
🏆 Present information and arguments cogently.
🏆 Engage critically and constructively with the scholarship and with your peers.
🏆 Communicate effectively across platforms within the standards of the discipline.
🏆 Use a bibliographic manager.
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HOW TO LEARN IN THIS CLASS

Come prepared
• Our meetings provide unique learning opportunities. It's important that you are present to discuss, ask
questions, and present your work. You are allowed two absences without penalty. Communicate your
inattedances with me as promptly as possible.
• Phones must be off/silent and put away (not in your pocket, in your bag, out of sight).
• Come prepared to discuss ideas, arguments, sources, and stakes. Reading assignments are obligatory.
• Come prepared also to discuss writing.

Engage
• You will not learn very well by passively listening to lectures or skimming through texts. This class asks you to
come ready to engage with me and your fellow students. You will pracice the skills we are learning through in-
class activities and actvities online. Further, you will play a vital role in your peers' education: you will help
them learn more and they will help you.
• As a research-oriented course, it can be quite solitary. In time when a pandemic is driving us further apart, this
can be even more isolating. The course is design so that you share your concerns throughout the semester and
we learn together how to do historical research. Your participation is vital for the success of others.
• Engagement in and out of class means contributing to activities and discussions in ways that raise the level of
discourse. This means that posting to a discussion board or talking is not the same participating. Engaging with
the material and others means that you read and listen intentionally and respond to this by reflecting and
building on others' ideas.

Take care
• Your academic success depends, above all, on your health. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can sometimes be
hard during the semester. With the shock that COVID-19 has brought to our lives, much of our semester
remains uncertain. What is certain is that our lives are not the same. This semester will be very different from
others as we are all un-learning and re-learning how to cope with distance, digital environments, stress, etc.
Thus, do not lose focus on your well-being.
• Accommodations: I am happy to accommodate your needs so that you are successful in this course. If you
have a disability and will be requesting accommodations for this course, please register with either Dr. Kathy
Duggan ([email protected]), Associate Director, Connors Family Learning Center (learning disabilities or AHD)
or Dean Rory Stein, ([email protected]), Assistant Dean for students with disabilities, (all other disabilities).
Advance notice and appropriate documentation are required for accommodations.

Ask
• Last but not least, asking questions is at the center of history as a discipline and of liberal arts education more
broadly. Raising questions is as important as trying to answer them.
• I hold Office Hours for you to come to my office and ask questions or voice concerns. If you have other classes
during my office hours, you are welcome to e-mail me to set up an appointment on a different day.

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ASSESSMENT

WEIGHED ASSESSMENT

Ungraded requirements
10%

Participation & Discussion

25%
Final Paper
40%

Research Assignments
25%

UNGRADED REQUIREMENTS
(not exhaustive, you must complete them all)
✅ Complying with BC mandates of social distancing and mask wearing.
✅ Zotero workshop
✅ Quizzes
✅ Survey(s)
✅ Read the syllabus
✅ Office hours required meetings (see calendar)
✅ Meeting with the History Librarian, Brittany Lehmann

PARTICIPATION & DISCUSSION

✅ Discussion Videos
☆ Once during the semester, you will create a five-minute video discussing the readings of the day.
☆ Discussion videos are due on Monday before class before noon so that people have time to respond
to them.
☆ In addition to posting the video, you should engage with the commentaries people leave in a
reasonable manner. Imagine your role as a moderator facilitating discussion, with less pressure to
add entire new contributions. However, feel free to add anything you could not develop in your

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video. For example, if your video focused on one reading for some reason, use the commentaries
to integrate it with the other readings of the day.
☆ Your discussion should respond to the readings in a critical manner, and pose at least two discussion
questions.*
* Discussion questions are prompts that facilitate our conversation based on the readings,
the news, and other texts we have discussed.

✅ Commentaries on Discussion Videos.

☆ You will comment on a video with substantive, original contributions that react to the video, reflect
on our class discussion, and/or bring to the conversation other aspects of the texts that we did not
discuss.
☆ Commentaries are due 3pm the day of class.
☆ Commentaries should follow up. In other words, you should respond to other people’s responses
after you post yours. You should engage at least two more times after your initial commentary.
☆ Commentaries and their responses can tackle the questions posed by the video discussant or they
can pose new ones.
☆ You are required to leave a commentary on one video per discussion day. In total, you will make
one video and comment on three.

✅ Engagement.
☆ Discussions are at the center this syllabus. Thus, you will have plenty of opportunities to provide
insightful commentaries and questions on the topics at hand. You will feel more comfortable with
one and not with another, though you are required to participate in all forms of discussion. This
will help you communicate effectively in different platforms, which comes in handy in the middle
of a pandemic.
☆ This class is the place to engage with one another and discuss ideas. In this class we take risks, we
engage with ideas, and we discuss them respectfully. Your grade will be based on a demonstrated
ability to contribute to class activities and discussions in a way that raise the level of discourse.
Engagement includes (but is not limited to) the following:
→ Preparing for class (doing the readings, submitting assignments, and bringing questions).
→ Avoiding distractions and actively trying to focus in class activities.
→ Asking questions (in class, over email, in office hours, etc.).
→ Discuss specific ideas or bring to the discussion specific examples (not just throwing in things
that sound smart).
→ Synchronous and asynchronous active engagement with the material and your peers,
contributing to our class community.
☆ Because our course is a roadmap to write a research paper, your general engagement is
fundamental for your success (that is, submitting a well-written, well-researched paper).

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RESEARCH ASSIGNMENTS
✅ These assignments make up the stepping stones towards the final project. They will help you create
a research plan and think about your research.
✅ You must score 70% in all of them. When you don’t, you will be required to re-do them (highest grade:
85%)
✅ General requirements for your research project (in addition to the minimum requirements for any
history project):
☆ Your project must fall within the scope of spatial history, broadly conceived.
☆ Your project must incorporate at least one visual primary source, such as a map or a photograph.
☆ Your project must incorporate into the discussion at least three scholarly references to spatial
history, broadly conceived. A good way to do this is to read through the footnotes of our readings.
☆ Do not choose a geographic area or chronological era unfamiliar to you, unless it is Latin American
history where I can help you the most.
✅ Topic Presentation (20 pts)
☆ You will give a 2-minute presentation on your research topic. Your presentation should have a clear
topic, a clear research question, and a clear outline of why this question is important. You should
identify possible sources/archives (6 pts).
☆ After the presentation, you will receive questions and feedback from peers, you should incorporate
these in your written submission (7 pts).
☆ Part of your grade will also be the quality of questions and feedback you offer others. You should
engage with at least three other presentations (7 pts).
☆ Reference: Rampolla, Ch 1.
☆ Due dates:
• Oral Presentation (2’): Sep 15 in class.
• Question/feedback to others: Sep 15 in class.
• Written Abstract (250-300 words): Sep 16, 5pm.
✅ Annotated Bibliography (40pts)
☆ It should include at least ten entries:
• Primary sources: two written and two visual sources.
• Secondary sources (the literature): three monographs and three articles or book chapters from
an edited volume.
☆ Include an introductory paragraph to explain your rationale and how the bibliography fits into the
project. Maximum 500 words.
☆ Reference: Rampolla, Ch 3b and Ch 3d.
☆ Due date: Sep 22 (before class)
✅ Project Proposal (50pts)
☆ Reference: Rampolla, Ch 4 and Ch 5.
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☆ A research proposal should:

• Outline your main topic and your research question(s).
• Explain how your case study will help us answer that broad research question. (Significance)
• Outline the main historiographical discussions around the main topic. (Literature Review)
• Explain how your bibliography will help you partake in this conversation. (Your participation
in the Literature Review)
• Outline the main primary sources you will use, how you will use them, and where you found
them. This is not a wish list, it is a flight plan.
• Outline the structure of the project.
• Outline next steps in your research.
• Anticipate possible obstacles and how you will solve them.
☆ Due dates:
• Oral presentation (5’): Oct 6, in class.
• Written proposal: Oct 13, 5pm.
o Proposal, 3-5 pages; revised annotated bibliography (sources included), 3-4 pages;
you can include other resources (such as maps) as hyperlinks if they are too big for
the page.
✅ Source Analysis (50 pts)
☆ Choose one of your sources and write a source analysis using StoryMap JS.
☆ You can analyze any source from your project, but the base map must be a georeferenced map
from the David Rumsey collection.
☆ Reference: Rampolla, Ch 2 and Ch 3c.
☆ Due date: Nov 10, before class.
✅ State of the Project (50pts)
☆ Two separate 2-page submissions.
☆ This is a space to outline where the project is in the research process (what have you done? What
obstacles did you encounter? How did you solve them? What’s next? What are you finding more
difficult or easier than you thought? How can this help you improve your paper?).
☆ This is a space to explain, for example, changes in your research question, shifts in your
assumptions, difficulties in your writing habits, etc.
☆ Due dates:
• State of the paper I (3-minute presentation): Nov 10, in class.
• State of the paper II (2 pages): Dec 1, 5pm.
✅ Paper Draft (10-12 pages) (50 pts)
☆ Submit a section of your paper. Your document should briefly situate this section within the project
so we understand what you are doing.

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☆ You will provide feedback to a fellow student and this feedback will be part of this grade. Feedback
should help others improve their paper so praising alone is not useful.
☆ Due dates:
• Draft (10-12 pages): Nov 17, 5pm.
• Feedback: Nov 24, before class.

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CALENDAR
All in-person meetings are subject to change to Zoom meetings and viceversa. All meetings will have a bathroom break
at 5.45pm. Unless otherwise stated, submissions are due before class.

Sep 1 😃 In-person meeting, 4.30pm at Stokes S113

📖 Prepare:
• The syllabus, bring at least one question.
🛠 Do:
• Schedule meeting with Prof. Picone to talk about your topic.
Sep 8 🎧 Zoom meeting, 4.30pm
📖 Prepare: Discussion I
• White, Richard. “What Is Spatial History?” Spatial History Project - Stanford University
(blog), 2010. https://web.stanford.edu/group/spatialhistory/cgi-
bin/site/pub.php?id=29.
• Baron, Nick. “New Spatial Histories of Twentieth Century Russia and the Soviet Union:
Surveying the Landscape.” Jahrbücher Für Geschichte Osteuropas, Neue Folge, 55, no. 3
(2007): 374–400.
• Jens Andermann. “Placing Latin American Memory: Sites and the Politics of Mourning.”
Memory Studies 8, no. 1 (2015): 3–8.
☆ Reference: Rampolla, Ch 3a.
📺 Discussion videos: Shane and Dennis
Sep 15 🎧 Zoom meeting, 4.30pm
🛠 Do: Topic Presentation (2’)
📦 Submit: 250-word abstract of your project due Sep 16, 5pm.
Sep 22 😃 In-person meeting, 4.30pm at Stokes S113
📖 Prepare: Discussion II
• Craib, Raymond B. “Cartography and Decolonization.” In Decolonizing the Map:
Cartography from Colony to Nation, edited by James R. Akerman, 11–71. Chicago, IL:
University of Chicago Press, 2017.
• Carter, Paul. The Road to Botany Bay: An Exploration of Landscape and History.
Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2010, Chapter 1.
• Bol, Peter K. “Creating a GIS for the History of China.” In Placing History: How Maps,
Spatial Data, and GIS Are Changing Historical Scholarship, edited by Anne Kelly Knowles
and Amy Hillier, 27–59. Redlands, CA: ESRI Press, 2008.
📺 Discussion videos: Maya and Teresa
🛠 Do: Schedule a meeting with Prof. Picone to talk about your bibliography.
Sep 29 ☀ No meeting
📦 Submit: Annotated Bibliography

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Oct 6 🎧 Zoom meeting, 4.30pm

📖 Prepare: Discussion III
• Nyhart, Lynn K. Modern Nature: The Rise of the Biological Perspective in Germany.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2009, Introduction.
• Olwig, Kenneth R. “Reinventing Common Nature: Yosemite and Mount Rushmore -A
Meandering Tale of a Double Nature.” In Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human
Place in Nature, edited by William Cronon, 379–408. New York; London: W. W. Norton
& Company, 1996.
• Wakild, Emily. “A Revolutionary Civilization: National Parks, Transnational Exchanges,
and the Construction of Modern Mexico.” In Civilizing Nature: National Parks in Global
Historical Perspective, edited by Bernhard Gissibl, Sabine Höhler, and Patrick Kupper,
191–205. The Environment in History: International Perspectives. New York: Berghahn
Books, 2012.
📺 Discussion videos: Matthew, Thomas, and Zoya
🛠 Do:
• Schedule meeting with Prof. Picone to talk about your proposal (no availability after
Thursday 5pm).
Oct 13 ☀ No meeting – Substitute Monday Schedule
📦 Submit: Project Proposal by 5pm
Oct 20 😃 In-person meeting, 4.30pm at Stokes S113
📖 Prepare: Discussion IV
• Craib, Raymond B. Cartographic Mexico: A History of State Fixations and Fugitive
Landscapes. Latin America Otherwise. Durham NC: Duke University Press, 2004.
⛔ This is a book so start reading early!
📺 Discussion videos: Ryne and Michael
🇺🇸 If you are voting by mail, you should send out your ballot today.
Oct 27 🎧 Zoom meeting, 4.30pm
📖 Prepare: You should have the basic architecture of your StoryMap JS (base map and three
slides). You will present briefly on your source analysis outline. Be prepared to give feedback to
others as well.
🛠 Do: Schedule a meeting with Prof. Picone to show your StoryMap JS draft. You should come
to the meeting with a base map and at least three draft slides.
Nov 3 🇺🇸 No meeting – Election Day, VOTE!
Nov 10 ☀ No meeting
📦 Submit: Source Analysis using StoryMap JS
🛠 Do: State of the Project I (3’)
Nov 17 ☀ No meeting
📦 Submit: First Draft (10-12 pages)
🛠 Do: Schedule meeting with Prof. Picone to talk about your draft.
Nov 24 🎧 Zoom meeting, 4.30pm
📦 Submit: Feedback (by 4pm, so I can distribute it)
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Dec 1 ☀ No meeting
📦 Submit: State of the Project II
🛠 Do: Schedule meeting with Prof. Picone to talk about your draft. You might be excused from
this meeting if you are showing significant progress.
Dec 8 🎧 Zoom meeting, 4.30pm
Dec 15 📦 Submit: Final Paper by 4.30pm – You are done! 🎉

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

COVID-19 AND LEARNING

❓Are we meeting this semester?

Yes, this is a blended, mostly synchronous course. This means that we will meet in person
and on Zoom periodically. There are a couple of days with no meetings but with work
to do. There are no in-person meetings after Thanksgiving break. You are expected to
come to class. If we meet in person, you are expected to wear a mask at all times and
practice social distancing.
❓What happens if I have COVID-19 symptoms and cannot come to class?
If for any reason you feel unwell or are quarantining, do not come to face-to-face
meetings. If you are able to join us but don’t feel strong enough to participate, feel
free to email me before class so that I am aware. If you miss one or several classes,
do let me know as soon as you can so I can ask someone to share their notes with
you and so that I add a reminder to follow up. The more you communicate with me,
the more I can help you. Remember to follow BC’s guidelines regarding your
symptoms.
❓Why is attendance important in the context of COVID-19?
Roll call attendance helps me better help you if you absent for several days. In addition,
attendance will help you check in during your research and writing periods, share
concerns or habits that worked, and provide feedback to others. When we meet in
person, it helps with contact tracing. That said, attendance will also be measured in
other ways, mostly through your engagement with class materials and the
community.
❓What about deadlines and COVID-19?
This course rests heavily on deadlines to help you make time to write your paper. Writing
and research take a lot of time. If we don’t break it down into smaller, manageable
tasks, writing can be quite daunting. As a result, the multiple deadlines that you see
in the calendar will help you keep you working on your research throughout the
semester. That said, this semester poses more questions than certainties. If our
semester changes or if you are affected by COVID individually, then we will of course
recalibrate.
❓What happens if we need to go online like in the Spring?
The syllabus is designed so that we can transition smoothly to online learning if we need
to.
❓What are expectations during Zoom meetings?

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When you join Zoom meetings, turn your camera on and greet your classmates in the
chat. You are expected to engage like when we meet in person. This includes leaving
phones out of sight (it is very obvious when you are looking at your phones). Upon
entry, your microphone will be muted, but you can unmute yourself. You are
expected to behave appropriately. Be mindful of how you present yourself to the
class.

COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY
❓How can I contact Professor Picone?
The best way to contact me is via e-mail ([email protected]). Unless it’s a clear
emergency that only I can resolve, I do not respond to e-mails after 5pm or during
weekends. When communicating by e-mail, err on maintaining formality. Open your
e-mail with a salutation (such as Dear Dr. Picone or Dear Professor Picone), kindly ask
your question/make your suggestion, and close. If your e-mail includes several
paragraphs, consider the possibility of discussing the issue in person. If you are
writing to schedule an appointment, kindly propose three meeting times.
❓Announcements are annoying, will we get many of those?
I am committed to decreasing the amount of information you receive from me. I have
learned, however, that there is always something I need to tell you or remind you
every week. To avoid too much clutter, I will send out announcements on Thursdays.
If you want me to share anything with the class, feel free to email me the information.
❓What are office hours and how can I attend?
Office hours are slots of time professors reserve to meet with students. My office hours
are Wednesdays, 1-4pm. This means that at that time I will not have meetings or
other commitments but meeting with students. For now, office hours are going to be
held virtually over Google Meet, which allows me to be online and for you to drop by.
You don’t need to, but I would strongly suggest making an appointment through the
Appointment Calendar.
❓What happens if for some reason, I cannot meet a deadline?
This is what I call the Sh*t Happens Clause 💩. While we all hope
our semester unfolds smoothly, life happens. Sometimes, it
brings good things and sometimes it may bring things that
require our full attention. For these extenuating, non-COVID
circumstances*, you have one Get Out of Jail Free Card to
push a due date three days, no questions asked/no explanation needed. Invoke the
clause via e-mail. (It cannot be invoked for Assignment III).
*For any COVID-19-related circumstances contact me.

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READING, WRITING, AND ENGAGING

❓How much reading will I have to do?
There are three types of readings in this course. We will read some “regular” history
articles or books to discuss in class. You will also be doing your own readings for your
project. This should start on Week 1. Finally, you will read from Rampolla’s guide to
writing in history. However, we will not discuss the book itself but you are expected to
apply what you read.
❓How can I prepare for class effectively?
History courses tend to be reading-heavy. This sometimes requires you go through a lot of
information in very little time. In order to be prepared for class, I’d recommend:
💡 Read for understanding, don’t try to remember everything.
💡 Take notes of key points and examples that illustrate these points.
💡 Build your own timeline/mind map.
💡 Jot down some questions. Bring these questions to class
💡 Try to paraphrase the main points.
💡 Make connections with other topics discussed in class.
💡 Think about how the readings intersect with the main themes of this class.

❓What does participation look like?

Participation might look different to different people. We are all motivated by different
things and we engage with readings and assignments in a variety of ways.
Participation in this class means to engage with the literature, the discussions, and the
class. Here are some examples on how you can do this:
🗣 Ask a question or make a comment to a fellow student showing you listened
attentively.
🗣 Make a comment that brings two other views together.
🗣 Use body language to show you are listening to what others have to say (this
semester we will need to pay more attention to these).
🗣 Ask a question that summarizes differing views and moves the conversation
forward.
🗣 Post a comment to your peers’ work on Canvas.
🗣 Ask a question or make a comment that brings into the conversation previous
readings.
🗣 Bring to class a resource (news article, website, twitter thread, book, movie
clip, etc.) that is not on the syllabus but that contributes to our learning.
🗣 Make a comment on why you found somebody else’s ideas compelling.

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🗣 Contribute something that builds on, or springs from, what someone else has
said. Be explicit about the way you are building on the other person's thoughts –
this can be done online.
🗣 Ask a cause and effect question - for example, "can you explain why you think
it's true that if these things are in place such and such a thing will occur?"
🗣 Find a way to express appreciation for the enlightenment you have gained
from the discussion. Try to be specific about what it was that helped you
understand something better. Again, this can be done online if this suits you
better.
🗣 Compare other people’s point of view.
🗣 Explain how somebody else’s ideas move you to think further about a topic.
Source of this idea and some bullet points: Stephen D. Brookfield

❓What learning support is available to BC students?

BC Libraries: This should be your go-to place for studying and research. To schedule an
appointment with the History Library Liaison, click here.
The Connors Family Learning Center: especially for tutoring advice regarding writing, time
management, and reading skills.
The Bowman AHANA Intercultural Center: for dedicated support to AHANA students.
Counselling Services: For professional mental health services.
Learning to Learn: Dedicated support for first generation students.

❓What is Academic Integrity and why is it important?

Academic integrity means that in your learning, you take responsibility for what you say, and you give credit
to others for what they said. Central to scholarship, academic integrity means you recognize the intellectual
property of others. In the history classroom, it usually means that you can claim your work is yours and
nobody else’s. Boston College has a strong policy in place, which you can find here. Familiarize yourself with
it as I take for granted that you have read it and you understand it.

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