Category: Research Methods

New Delaware Humanities Program: Becoming A History Detective

Adventures in Research or Becoming a History Detective is the title of a new program I offer through the Delaware Humanities Forum. Designed for either the classroom or a public lecture, the program examines how someone solves mysteries from long ago.  It blends actual tales of intriguing historical discovery with basic insights on conducting investigations. For anyone with a curiosity about the past, the program will be worthwhile as audiences learn about the nature of understanding our past, while accompanying me through a series of inquiries.

Depending on the groups interest, a stronger emphasis may be placed on a cluster of fascinating investigations, which helps develop an awareness and appreciation of the discipline that puts us in touch with the past. Or it may place more weight on the how-to-approach by focusing on practical suggestions for researching your own mystery in your backyard, community or family.

Working With Students on Oral History

For course assignments, I try to employ projects that engage students in the practice of history while also helping them understand the subject they are examining. 

As this time in the semester rolls around, it’s time for everyone to present one of those deliverables, an oral history project.  As we wrapped up this task, I was pleased with the outcome as all the participants produced engaging work, while several had developed outstanding projects.

Everyone had identified an appropriate individual for the task and obtained quality information from the interview.  Those that excelled had gone beyond that to place the data collected during the lab in the larger context of what was happening in the period to provide meaningful interpretations to their work.

I am usually impressed with a number of the class presentations each semester and have found oral history assignments to be a worthwhile means for engaging my students in the practice of history while helping them gain better comprehension of the subject matter.  For example, two students

focused on the Vietnam War today.  One interviewed a relative about the draft during the war, while another focused on the war veteran’s reaction when he returned home in the late ’60s.  Another student interviewed a small-town police chief.  He’d been on the job for forty years, beginning when the force of two men had to share one gun.  He talked about the professionalization that has occurred over the decades.

While I can lecture on these subjects, the hands-on experience students acquire in these interviews is helpful.  I am happy with how these turned out
and how this also appeals to a young group of college students.

Learning Historical Research Methods

Our son, Kyle, an 11th-grade AP history student at Bohemia Manor High School in Chesapeake City, is working on his 2008 National History Day project.  This year’s theme is conflict and compromise in history.  For the juried project, students must do original research, place the topic in a historical perspective, and interpret their findings. 

For his assignment, he compares how three counties on Maryland’s upper Eastern Shore (Cecil, Kent & Queen Anne’s) handled conflicts and compromises related to school integration. 

Over the Christmas holiday, Kyle started his documentary research, collecting primary materials such as newspaper accounts, school board minutes, and so on.  Right now, he is focused on interviewing individuals with first-hand knowledge of that time, and he did his first interview with a lady from Kent County this evening. It was fascinating to hear the digital recording of that interview as he successfully applied new research skills to acquiring data and got information that provided deeper insights and understanding. 

He plans to become a high school history teacher, and it’s great to see him developing the profession’s skills with this learning opportunity.  It provides valuable first-hand experience in working with primary sources and interpreting bodies of data.  I will enjoy watching his effort unfold over the next few months while hearing about his work and seeing the final results.