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Director: Lori Northrup
Secretary: Eric Allen
ighr@samford.edu
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Birmingham, Alabama 35229

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 		Course 4 Schedule

Alabama Circuit Court Bill of Cost, Fall Term 1852 Course 4:
Advanced Methodology and Evidence Analysis

This course concentrates on problem solving techniques and advanced correlation of evidence for various types of records.

Faculty:


Textbooks: Students should bring with them (or obtain onsite) copies of two reference works for use in class exercises and assignments:
  1. Citation Manual
    • Mills, Elizabeth Shown. Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2007. An electronic downloadable version is available from Footnote.com.

      Note: Mills' QuickSheet: Citing Online Historical Resources Evidence Style does not fill the need.

  2. NARA Finding Aid
    • Pendell, Lucille H. and Elizabeth Bethel. Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, PI no. 17. Washington: National Archives, 1949. [If currently in print at the National Archives, the publication is free. If not, a copy can be purchased from Heritage Books, item P3632.

Should I Take Course 4?

Students at the Course 4 level should have hands-on experience with a wide range of record types, including but not limited to deeds and mortgages, land-grant records, survey systems (rectangular & metes and bounds), tax rolls, intestate probates, military records, and court files, as well as the more-common vital records, immigration rolls, and censuses.

If you are not yet familiar with this range of records, you may wish to consider the offerings of Courses 1 and 2.


Prerequisites (your choice): completion of IGHR Course 2, Intermediate Genealogy and Historical Studies; completion of the 16-lesson NGS home-study course, American Genealogy ("graded" option, only); completion of the PLCGS program (Professional Learning Certificate in Genealogical Studies) from the National Institute for Genealogical Studies, University of Toronto; certification by BCG; or accreditation from ICAPGen.

If you do not meet one of these prerequisites but feel you are ready for the advanced course, please submit a research paper demonstrating your skill in using, documenting, and evaluating a variety of the records discussed under "Should I take Course 4?" Your submission may be a case study, a genealogical narrative, or a biographical sketch -- but not a client report. The submission should be addressed to:
ighr@samford.edu
Attn: Course 4
If you choose to submit a work sample for evaluation, in lieu of meeting the class prerequisites, your registration is conditional. Your proposed paper will be promptly evaluated to determine readiness for the class. If the proposed paper has not been received by 1 March, your slot will be released to another qualified applicant. No papers can be accepted for review after 1 March.


Course Schedule:

Pre-Class Assignment: Read first two chapters of Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace (digital or print version) before arriving on campus. This material will serve as a foundation for classwork.

Monday
  • 8:00 a.m. - 8:20 a.m.: Course Introduction (Mills)
  • 8:20 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.: Mini-Break
  • 8:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.: Mindset and the Principles of Scholarship (Mills)
  • 9:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.: Morning Break
  • 10:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.: Documentation and Evidence Analysis (Mills)
  • 11:15 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.: Lunch
  • 12:45 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.: Tax Roll Strategies: Analysis, Interpretation and Correlation (Mills)
  • 2:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.: Afternoon Break
  • 2:45 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.: Census Strategies: Analysis, Interpretation and Correlation (Mills)
  • 4:10 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.: Class Exercise and Evaluation of Methodological Principles (Mills)
  • ASSIGNMENT: Source Citation Project -- Due Tuesday, 8:00 a.m.
Tuesday
  • 8:00 a.m. - 8:20 a.m.: Discussion: Introduction to Federal Resources (Mills)
  • 8:20 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.: Mini-Break
  • 8:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.: Federal Research: Finding Aids (Mills)
  • 9:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.: Morning Break
  • 10:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.: Federal Research: Government Documents (Mills)
  • 11:15 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.: Lunch
  • 12:45 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.: Immigration Records: Advanced Strategies & Underused Resources (TBD)
  • 2:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.: Afternoon Break
  • 2:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.: Naturalization Records: Advanced Strategies & Underused Resources (TBD)
  • 4:15 p.m. - 4:25 p.m.: Mini-Break
  • 4:25 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.: Class Exercise: Preliminary Inventories as a Problem-Solving Tool (Mills)
  • ASSIGNMENT: Government Documents Project -- Due Wednesday, 8:00 a.m.
Wednesday
  • 8:00 a.m. - 8:20 a.m.: Discussion: Source Citation Projects (Mills)
  • 8:20 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.: Mini-Break
  • 8:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.: Federal Military Records: Research Strategies (Scott)
  • 9:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.: Morning Break
  • 10:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.: Federal Pension Records: Research Strategies (Scott)
  • 11:15 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.: Lunch
  • 12:45 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.: Local Land Records: Analysis, Interpretation & Correlation (Mills)
  • 2:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.: Afternoon Break
  • 2:45 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.: State Land Records: Analysis, Interpretation & Correlation (Mills)
  • 4:00 p.m. - 4:10 p.m.: Mini-Break
  • ASSIGNMENT: Land Records Project -- Due Thursday, 8:00 a.m.
Thursday
  • 8:00 a.m. - 8:20 a.m.: Discussion: Government Documents & Land Records Projects (Mills)
  • 8:20 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.: Mini-Break
  • 8:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.: Federal Land Records: Analysis, Interpretation & Correlation (Neill)
  • 9:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.: Morning Break
  • 10:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.: Probate Research Strategies: Analysis, Interpretation & Correlation (Jones)
  • 11:15 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.: Lunch
  • 12:45 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.: Rural Strategies: Correlation of Land & Church Records, Plats, Legal Issues (Mills)
  • 2:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.: Afternoon Break
  • 2:45 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.: Urban Strategies: Correlation of Deeds, Maps, Directories (Sayre)
  • ASSIGNMENT: Analysis Exercise -- Read Assigned Material for Discussion Friday Morning
Friday
  • 8:00 a.m. - 8:20 a.m.: Discussion: Projects & Issues (Mills)
  • 8:20 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.: Mini-Break
  • 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.: Dissection of Problems & Creation of Research Plan (Mills)
  • 9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.: Morning Break
  • 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.: Evidence Analysis Workshop (Mills)
  • 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.: Review, Completion of Critiques, Certificates, & Farewells (Mills)


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