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The Forum
The study of history is often misrepresented as consisting merely of the memorization of dates and names. While dates and names may be of significance in history, such a characterization of the discipline could not be farther from the truth. The job of a historian is much more complex than the chronological recording of information. Writing history involves a dynamic endeavor to understand the significance of events, peoples, and cultures. The sources available to a historian may be fragmented, biased, and, at times, contradictory.
What's more, the available sources may only be a small portion of a complete history, as many resources may have disappeared with the passage of time, and textual sources may only represent the perspectives of literate peoples and cultures that chose to record their history in writing. Thus, a historian must always struggle to transcend the limitations of sources in constructing an analysis.
Finally, and most importantly, history is an argument. Given the aforementioned limitations and potential ambiguities of available sources, historians must always argue for the validity of their interpretations. In connecting various pieces of historical evidence, the historian must often employ some overarching theory to justify their conclusions. Because of this, there is no uniform construction of history - the number of arguments to be made is limited only by the imaginative capacity of individuals. It is with this context in mind that Cal Poly's chapter of Phi Alpha Theta has established its first historical journal, The Forum.
The very name of our journal stems from our recognition that history is a field of continual discourse and debate. Thus, The Forum seeks to provide a place to host the varying interpretations that inevitably arise from historical analysis. Through the publication of The Forum, the members of the Alpha Gamma Nu chapter of Phi Alpha Theta hope to highlight the significant contribution of the history department to Cal Poly's university environment.
However, we also recognize that history is not a discipline exclusive in and of itself. Rather, history is a multidisciplinary study encompassing aspects of political science, philosophy, psychology, and literature, in addition to many other fields. As such, The Forum welcomes submissions from students in other disciplines that may nonetheless have a significant historical aspect to them.
Furthermore, in keeping with the goals of Phi Alpha Theta mission statement to "promote the study of history through the encouragement of research, good teaching, publication, and the exchange of learning and ideas," The Forum also welcomes submissions from students outside of Cal Poly. We firmly believe that the best means to further knowledge and foster the diffusion of ideas is to embrace an interuniversity approach.
To say our project is ambitious may be an understatement, but nevertheless it is a challenge that we are willing to pursue. We hope to be an effective out for historical scholarship and openly welcome you to The Forum.
Keith Goodwin
Co-Editor
Submission Form (PDF) | Requirements (PDF) | Guidelines (PDF)
Want to Get Published? Follow these simple steps!
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Make sure your paper has minimal grammatical and structural errors.
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Ensure your paper is historical in nature!
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Carefully read the Requirements (PDF) and Guidelines (PDF) section of our website and ensure that your paper is formatted appropriately. These policies MUST be followed to be considered for publication in The Forum.
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Have your professor complete the Submission Recommendation Form (PDF). Papers completed independent of a class still require the Submission Recommendation Form to be completed by a qualified professor.
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E-mail your manuscript as a Word document (.doc) to CalPolyforum@gmail.com following the format listed in the "Submission Guidelines and Procedures" section. Make sure your file is compatible with Word 2003!
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If you are a Cal Poly student: you or your recommending professor may submit the completed recommendation form (PDF) to the History Department front office (Faculty Office Building 47, Room 27).
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If you do not go to Cal Poly: scan your completed recommendation form and have the professor e-mail it as a JPEG or PDF to CalPolyforum@gmail.com. The subject line of the professor's e-mail should follow the format listed in the Submission Guidelines (PDF).
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If requested, please revise and resubmit your paper in accordance with the deadline selected by the editors. Revisions should be e-mail to CalPolyforum@gmail.com with the subject line following the format listed in the Submission Guidelines and Procedures (PDF).
