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gC INNOVATION ABSTRACTS Xo-25

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rs Published by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development
With support from the W/. K. Kellogg Foundation and Sid W. Richardson Foundation

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THE HISTORY JOURNAL: WRITING-ACROSS-THE-CURRICULUM

Now that writing as a tool of thinking is about to return to fashionable consciousness, instructors everywhere
are rushing to the forefront of the debate on how to encourage writing assignments in the regular curriculum.
Instructors who never fled from the insistence on requiring students to write now have an opportunity to share
what they have been doing in their classrooms, or how what they have done has been translated into a
particular activity of the respective institutions they serve.

The time has now returned full circle to that old-fashioned position that writing is necessary in order to
function in a literate world of work. The consequences may be a new respectability for the term paper and the
critical essay at the freshman and sophomore levels of education.

North Harris County College (NHCC) established an ad hoc committee to study writing-across-the-curriculum
for the entire institution. A survey was conducted, and ideas were offered from various departments and
disciplines. In history, Martha J. Pierce developed—with the support and backing of the administration,
department chair, and other historians—a journal whose premier publication appeared in May 1984: The Journal
of History: A student publication for writing and research.

Initially, the journal’s purpose was to encourage historical research in four areas: local, national, regional
(southern), and Texas. Also it was believed that the project would develop student interest in writing better
history research papers. The rewards were to be: (1) cash awards for the three best essays submitted; (2)
recognition through publication in a widely distributed journal; (3) excellent essays to serve as models of
historical writing; (4) a concept of writing across disciplines.

Students would choose their own topics with approval of their individual instructors. Once submitted, the
articles would be evaluated by editorial board criteria: use of primary and secondary sources (difficulty factor in
theory or conceptualization in secondary sources considered); organization; synthesis; degree of analysis or
interpretation; quality of research and creativity.

Implementing the Journal Concept

Considerable thought went into the proposal designed to promote support for the journal concept. The
publication required funding. The journal format needed to be professional enough to justify the expense,
attract students to submit their best work, and be a worthwhile publication for state and national distribution.

Once the project was funded many decisions had to be made regarding the aesthetics of the journal, design of
the cover, offset printing, and where permanent placement of the annual copies of the journal could be found by
students. Finally, it was established that each student whose essay was published would receive a specific
number of the journals for his/her personal distribution.

As editor, Pierce opened the process of submission of papers to all in the college. The primary criteria was
that the essays be historical in content, that they reflect good writing and some degree of research skill. A
printed handout was given to each student interested in the project, outlining and offering suggestions on how
to write for the journal, as well as suggesting appropriate style manuals. The result was a school-wide "Call for
Papers." Posters announced the project in addition to announcements by instructors. Consequently, some
"free lance" papers were submitted along with papers by students under the direct supervision of history
instructors. |

In 'Pierce’s classes there had always been a required paper—either a critical essay or term paper. With the
journal in mind, another component was added. As usual, students were required to write the seven-page
research paper; but, in addition, the option of writing a longer research paper of twelve pages was announced
(with| accompanying bonus points for doing the more involved work). Further, the students were told that if
they wrote a fine seven-page paper, they might very likely be asked to add five more pages and submit it to the
journal.

All students were requested to turn in their papers six weeks before the end of the semester. Those students
whose papers were selected for admission to the journal were asked to do rewrites and final drafts per
instructions and return them early in the spring semester. The students who wrote seven-page papers worthy

 

 

 

   

c Y, Community College Leadership Program, The University of Texas at Austin, EDB 348, Austin, Texas 78712