Because of the importance of writing to the practice of history, there are literally hundreds of books and articles on writing and history, and even hundreds on the relationship between history and writing in the classroom. I have not aimed at comprehensiveness here, choosing instead to highlight several readily available resources.

In this bibliography, all annotations marked with a single asterisk appeared in the ERIC database, available online from the Golda Meir Library website at: http://www.uwm.edu/Library/Info/db.html; those with a double asterisk came from the WAC subject bibliographies published by the Georgia State University WAC program at: http://WWW.GSU.EDU/~wwwwac/.

Brostoff, A., & Beyer, B. (1980). An approach to integrating writing into a history course. Journal of Basic Writing, 2 (4), 36-52. ERIC EJ238566.

Abstract: Presents a model course for teaching writing in a subject course, developed by a writing teacher and a history teacher. The course deals with students' writing attitudes, forming concepts from data, analyzing frames of reference and writer's bias, and steps toward a final draft.*

Dillon, G. (1991). Dialogues with the dead: The rhetorics of history. Contending Rhetorics: Writing in Academic Disciplines. (113-125). Bloomington, IN: Indiana UP.

While the purpose of history is often characterized as "giving voice to the dead," both the rhetoric of historical discourse and its implications in the construction of historical knowledge generate less generally accepted arguments. A brief survey of three historians' (Hexter, White, LCapra) views of the rhetoric of history indicates the grappling with the position of history between social science and literature. Historical discourse resists both the positivist-empiricist forces in scientific rhetoric, it also resists literary criticism's impulse to discount knowledge claims as irrelevant to the construction of meaning.**

Friedman, H. (1997). Painting societal portraits: one approach to teaching critical Reading and writing. Teaching History: A Journal of Methods, 22 (2), 64-72. ERIC EJ556257.

Abstract: Profiles an undergraduate course that combined historical research on U.S. foreign relations with writing assignments designed to develop and improve writing skills. Students begin with short papers summarizing key points of instruction and move on to more detailed analyses of academic articles, films, and memoirs.*

Beyer, B. (1980). Using writing to learn in history. The History Teacher, 23 (2), 167-179.

If students write in a history course they learn to think like historians. As students write for history courses their writing becomes more sophisticated, along with their understanding. The fact that writing is aprocess, that it is thinking, and that students learn as they write all encourage the development of more sophisticated historical thinkers. Beyer also discusses how to use and teach writing in a history course: assign specific assertions, not general theories; require multiple drafts and revision; assign several short papers rather than a term paper; require students to write for different audiences and points of view; and use writing to advance study of content.**

Holsinger, D. (1991). Writing to learn history. Social Studies Review, 59-64. Argues for incorporating writing into history courses.

Holsinger suggests that professors use writing to engage students in the subject matter; use simple writing exercises as preparation for in-class discussions; have students write in response to specific statements and questions rather than vague topics; have students write frequently and freely; have students keep course journals; assign writing in developmental steps; have students revise and resubmit; and have students write to different audiences and from different perspectives.**

Masker, J. (1996). Teaching the iran-contra affair. PS: Political Science and Politics, 29 (4), 701-03. ERIC EJ540185.

Abstract: Describes a six-week study unit that requires students to examine specific aspects of the Iran-Contra affair in light of models such as presidential leadership style. The combination of a case study, student-centered cooperative learning, and writing across the curriculum proved popular with both the students and teacher.*

Morrissey, T. (1995). Writing and learning across the curriculum in the "looking for america" freshman semester. Composition Chronicle, 8 (2), 6-7. ERIC ED379681.

Abstract: In the fall of 1993, six faculty at SUNY Plattsburgh launched what they called the "Looking for America Freshman Semester," a program or course cluster of 16 credit hours in American studies, including anthropology, history, literature, philosophy, composition, and library skills. The core assumption underlying this effort was that writing is learning. Students in the program wrote about 30 papers of varying length during the semester, about 4 or 5 times what the average freshman writes. Curious to learn what students thought they had gained from their writing in the course cluster, one instructor asked his literature students to include in their portfolios the best essay they had written that semester--one not written for his class. Six of the students selected essays written in freshman composition; four of these were on personal topics having nothing to do with American studies. Three of the four expressed gratitude for the opportunity to write about personal topics. The two composition assignments that did relate to the American studies topic did so in surprising ways. One asked students to write about a personal experience with prejudice; the other asked for a short story which helped the student to understand writerly choices. This metacognitive experiment helped the instructor to appreciate the newness of cultural relativity from the perspective of a freshman, and to appreciate anew the importance of English 101.*

Rosenberg, V. (1984). Writing instruction: A view from across the curriculum. Journal of General Education, 36 (1), 50-66. ERIC EJ314215.

Abstract: Shares the experiences of a History of Ideas instructor in teaching freshman writing classes. Discusses personal perceptions of writing instructors held prior to teaching Freshman Comp, the new composition paradigm employed, reading and writing assignments, and the potential and limitations of Freshman Comp for improving writing.*

Sensenbaugh, R. (1990). Process writing in the classroom. Journal of Reading, 33 (5), 382-83.Thompson, M. (1989). The effect of a writing across the curriculum program on students in an american history class: Report on an empirical study. Master's Thesis. ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading and Communications Skills ED310399.

Abstract: A study investigated the effects of Writing Across The Curriculum (WAC) on 23 freshman students concurrently enrolled in composition and history classes at the University of Oklahoma to determine whether the treatment affected student scores on essay exams, student achievement in the courses overall, and student attitudes about the influence of their university courses on one another. These students received regular instruction (i.e., lectures) in the history class but, in the composition class, did various writing exercises and one formal paper related to the history course. A control group was drawn from the same history section but received standard instruction in their composition courses. Essay exam responses and a survey were the data. The essays were scored by a history grader and by scorers using the Core Scoring method, a system developed for scoring police sergeant exams. The course grades given by the history instructor were also analyzed. The test scores were analyzed using a t-test procedure; the survey by chi-square. The treatment group members fared significantly better on the midterm exam and in the course overall. They also felt more strongly that their courses had an impact on one another. Findings suggest that a WAC program may heighten student comprehension and retention in history courses and may also affect student attitudes about the interdisciplinary nature of coursework. (Five tables of data are included; appendixes containing a questionnaire, syllabi, course schedules, exams, scoresheets, and student midterm and final essays and compositions are attached.)*

Steffens, H. (1989). Designing history writing assignments for student success. Social Studies, 80 (2), 59-63. ERIC EJ392888.

Abstract: Urges history teachers to be more cognizant of the methods involved in the writing-across-the-curriculum movement. Suggests that these methods could provide students with the opportunity to learn history independently. Outlines the steps taken to implement these methods.*

Walvoord, B. (1990). Thinking and writing in college: a naturalistic study of Students in four disciplines. Urbana, IL: NCTE. ERIC ED334591.

Abstract: Offering insights into the effective use of writing to teach students to think like professionals in various fields, this book is the result of a 7-year naturalistic study. The book documents how a writing specialist paired with an experienced professor in another discipline (business, history, psychology, and biology) to study: (1) teachers' expectations about "good" writing and thinking in each discipline; (2) the kinds of difficulties students encountered in trying to meet those expectations; and (3) how teachers' methods and students' strategies helped or hindered progress. Chapters in the book are: "Preview of the Book" (Barbara E. Walvoord and Lucille Parkinson McCarthy); "Research Theory and Methods" (Lucille Parkinson McCarthy and Barbara E. Walvoord); "Managerial Decision Making: Sherman's Business Course" (Barbara E. Walvoord and A. Kimbrough Sherman); "Arguing and Debating: Breihan's History Course" (Barbara E. Walvoord and John R. Breihan); "Using Social Science to Help Oneself and Others: Robison's Human Sexuality Course" (Barbara E. Walvoord and Susan Miller Robison); "Conducting and Reporting Original Scientific Research: Anderson's Biology Class" (Virginia Johnson Anderson and Barbara E. Walvoord); and "Conclusion" (Barbara E. Walvoord and Lucille Parkinson McCarthy). A primary trait analysis for Anderson's biology class, 1 table of data, and a list of 154 references are attached.*

Additional Resources

Bean, J. C., Drenk, D., & Lee, F. D. (1982). Microtheme strategies for developing cognitive skills. In Teaching Writing in All Disciplines. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Beyer, B. (February 1980). Using writing to learn history. History Teacher 167-178.

Greene, S. The role of task in the development of academic thinking through reading and writing in a college history course. Research in the Teaching of English 27 (1993): 37-48.

Holsinger, D. C. (1983). Writing to learn history. In C. Thaiss (Ed.), Writing to Learn (pp. 49-55). Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt, Publisher.

McClymer, J. F., & Moynihan, K. J. (1982). The essay assignment: A teaching device. History Teacher, 359-371.

Steffens, H. Helping students improve their own writing: The self-conference sheet. History Teacher, 24, 239-41.

_____ (1987). Journals in the teaching of history. In Toby Fulwiler (Ed.), The Journal Book (pp. 219-226). Portsmouth, NH:Heinemann.