The History Project

Utica College's History Project allows history majors the chance to perform original research and gives students the opportunity to have their findings published in a journal that is distributed locally.

"I think it's rather unusual to have this built into the curriculum," says David Wittner, associate professor of history. "The students come into this at a time when they are focusing on graduation. But after performing original research, and working hard on their projects, they realize the value of walking away with tangible evidence of our program and what they've learned. This is more than a senior thesis, which usually doesn't get saved. With this program, students walk away from the class with a publication."

The most recent History Project issue is "Workers and Working Class Culture in the Mohawk Valley."  Forthcoming is Volume VII, "The Mohawk Valley and the Great Depression."  Each is the culmination of two semesters of advanced work.

Getting Started

Students start the program with HIS 455 Historical Methods. This course is designed to train students in historial research, including location of sources, critical evaluation of sources, and the organization and writing of scholarly papers. It also reviews the works by significant historians of the past.

In HIS 455, the professor involved identifies a theme. The students then select and research a related topic. During the following spring semester, students enroll in HIS 456, Guided Historical Research.  In 456, each student completes a 20 to 30-page paper based on their original research. Students are introduced to the publishing aspect of the project as well, learning software programs such as Quark Express, PageMaker, and using and learning editing techniques.

Completed papers are then blind reviewed by a faculty committee which selects the best papers for The History Project. At the end of the semester, students have the chance to present their findings in an academic setting that's open to the public.

The Finished Product

Published journals are distributed to Utica College's Library, the Utica Public Library, Oneida County Historical Society, and 27 high school libraries in Oneida, Herkimer, and Madison counties. Journals are also available for purchase.

* You can request a copy by contacting Sue Cox via e-mail at scox@utica.edu, or
* Print and send in our order form.

Industrialization and Deindustrialization in the Utica, NY Area: Economy, Politics, Society	1919: A Year of Crisis and Change in New York State	Faces in the Crowd: Ethnic Portraits	Building the Mohawk Valley: Enterprise and Society
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