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Hist 301: Historian's Craft (Petty, Fall 2025)

Getting Started

  • Has public perception of antiwar protests of the Vietnam War overshadowed tributes for returning veterans at the time?
    •  (vietnam AND war AND protest* AND veteran*) OR (vietnam AND "Returning veterans" AND (reception* OR "public opinion"))
  • The perception of southern slaveowning women of the nineteenth century versus the reality
    • "female slaveholders" OR ("slave owning women" OR "slave-owning women")
  • The depiction of history at Disney amusement parks
    • My friend is actually working on a book about this! Anyone who gets to spend their sabbatical at Disney World is clearly a genius.
      • disney AND history
        • many false hits, but worth skimming to find the gems.
        • articles in AHL 
          • ex "disney's american revolution"
          • ex "disney, history, and the uses of the past"
      • disney AND history AND past
        • for books. worth skimming for relevant chapters 
          • ex see chapt in The American historical imaginary : contested narratives of the past Guthrie, Caroline
  • how media (advertisements, movies, games, books, etc.) shaped modern public opinion surrounding the American West.
    • ("american west" OR "wild west") AND (depiction* OR imagin*) AND (media OR film OR television OR games OR literature OR advert*)
      • articles in AHL
      • books at wm -- a great deal there.
      • worldcat narrow search (will be more helpful when you narrow further)
  • the history of summer camps in the American South, through a lens of how they have appropriated Native American culture which can reinforce stereotypes and affect the minds of the children who go there
    • books about native americans in US pop culture, esp Deloria's works.
    • ("summer camp" OR "summer camps" OR sleepaway OR "sleep away") AND ("native american" OR "native americans" OR indian*)

Getting Started

  • history of how and why southerners collect Depression Glass
    • "depression glass"
      • material in catalog
      • articles in ebsco
      • books in worldcat (need to skim through the random adverts and catalogs (ex)
  • the various motivations of guerilla fighters based in Kansas and Missouri during the American Civil War. Specifically, I would like to examine their motivations through the lens of films depicting these guerillas in order to see how the guerillas have been characterized in popular culture and how accurate those depictions are to my findings.
  • the Lavender Scare of the 1950s, but specifically focusing on how the pathologization of homosexuality affected it
  • the West Virginia Mine Wars, focusing on the legal aspects of the unionization, conflicts and politics.
  • history of food options at William & Mary dining halls
  • history of depictions of Pocahantas in film versus reality
    • Pocahontas AND (film* OR "motion pictures" OR cinema)
  • history of 1970s and 1980s tenants' rights organization in Louisville, KY

How Kappa Alpha fraternity remembers and deals with its Lost Cause history

How heirloom firearms have been used as a medium for storytelling

  • firearm* AND ("material culture" OR memory OR "Storytelling" OR exhibit*)
    • AHL
    • ebsco (ex)
    • firearm* AND ("material culture" OR memory OR Storytelling OR exhibit*) AND "united states"

W&M alum and Georgia O'keefe-; William and Mary alumnus (Class of 1912) and Georgia O'Keeffe.

In my medieval Europe class, I found and noted many instances and sources that pointed the beginning, end, and subsequent labeling of this period was defined by a fall in individualism and a rise in methods of forming collectives or other ties, feudal relationships, Papacy and Kings. and the end of the era and numerous changes throughout the period occurs when these shackles lessen over time, knight's vs guilds and churches with their holy relics.

  • (medieval OR "middle ages") AND individualism
  • (medieval OR "middle ages") AND collectivism
  • may need to narrow to more specific aspect (Ex creation of guilds, creation of strong central state, etc)

To what extent did the Civilian Conservation Corps contribute to the creation and maintenance of the Appalachian Trail?

  • My Ma' loves the CCC -- great topic!
  • " Civilian Conservation Corps" AND appalachian
  • For general context, see also histories of the CCC; easier if you focus on specific states

role of white plantation class children in upholding slavery