HIST 3305 - Stanfield

This course examines American society during the era of the Civil War and Reconstruction (roughly 1848-1877). We will explore the themes of sectional conflict, slavery, political and military conflict, emancipation, and the social, economic, and political reconstruction of the American south.  This course pays close attention to the experience of war and its impact on civilians and soldiers, men and women, free and enslaved.

Here are some tips to help you get started:

• Quality historical research takes time. Start early.
• You will probably start with a broader topic and then narrow it to fit your assignments.
• Always start with a keyword search in the library catalog. You might need to refine your search terms or do multiple keyword searches. See the "Advanced Searching" tab for more information.
• Click on appropriate Library of Congress subject headings in catalog records to find more sources.
• Consult an archivist or library subject specialist.
• If possible, call or email an archivist before you visit an archives or special collections department.
• Start with secondary sources (i .e. books, scholarly articles, encyclopedias) for context and literature reviews.
• Mine bibliographies of secondary sources  (i.e. see what sources historians used).
• After reviewing secondary sources, proceed to studying primary sources.
• Take careful notes when reviewing primary and secondary sources.
• Make sure to document where images, quotes, ideas, etc. came from.
• Proofread your work carefully.

To view UTEP Library resource and research tutorials, click here.

To learn about using archives, click here.

To view a short video about how to use UTEP Special Collections, click here.