What's in this course?
In this three credit, senior level class, we will learn the historian's craft.  This is the "capstone" course for the history major, in which you will be expected to apply all of the knowledge and skills that your history professors have taught you in your introductory and advanced classes toward a well-defined but comprehensive research and writing project.  The class will be structured as a research and writing seminar. There will be a textbook that will contain a number of exercises designed to help you to engage in the art of historical inquiry.  We will read the text, perform the assignments, and discuss them in class.  In addition, you will select a research topic, compile an extensive bibliography, perform secondary and primary research, and write a number of essays that will comprise your project.  You have already received your first assignments in the mail, click here to access them on the web.  They are due on the first day of the term, Tuesday, August 27.

Field Trip * Field Trip * Field Trip * Field Trip * Field Trip * Field Trip * Field Trip
Phi Alpha Theta and History Club will be sponsoring a field trip to Gettysburg, PA and the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg on the weekend of October 4, 5, and 6.  We will leave for Harrisburg on Friday morning at 8am, and visit the Civil War Musem from 11-5.  We will then head for our hotel accommodations at Gettysburg.  On Saturday, we'll start at the visitor's center and then tour the battlefields.  On Saturday night we'll take a Haunted Gettysburg walking tour.  Then on Sunday, we'll leave Gettysburg by 9am and head for Frederick, MD, and visit the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.  We'll return to UPJ by 6pm Sunday evening.  Total Cost: $75!!!  Click Here for Details.
 
 

Required Reading

• Peter Charles Hoffer and William W. Stueck, Reading and Writing American History: An Introduction to the Historian's Craft, Volume 1.
• William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White, The Elements of Style.

Reading
There is very little reading for the classroom assignments, only one text, and only on ocassion will I provide handouts.  However, I do expect that you perform ALL of the reading assignments and ALL of the exercises in the Text.  I will remove you from class if I sense that you have arrived unprepared.  It will be unpleasant.  You WILL be doing a tremendous amount of reading for your research project, but that will be self-directed.

Participation
This class will live or die with your level of participation, therefore I am requiring you to contribute to our conversations and to each others' research projects by according 20% of your grade (100 points) to participation.

I will accord 20 of those points to class discussion.  I will make a seating chart and I will record each relevant contribution you make to our class discussion.  At term's end, the highest 10% will receive an A, the second 20% will receive a B, the middle 40% a C, the next 20% a D, and the lowest 10% an F for the participation grade.  If the class as a whole does well, then the scale will slide from A to D, or A to C, but that depends on all of you.  I know what you're all thinking now: "1. But it's not fair!  2. I'll feel stupid!  3. I don't like to speak in front of people!  4. You're mean old S.O.B.!"  Well, in response to those statements, I would say: "1. Life isn't fair, get over it.  2. If you were stupid you would not be in college, and I care about your intellectual development, not your  "feelings."  3. You may not like speaking in front of people but honing your oral communication abilities is one of the most important skills that you can take out of college and into the real world.  Things that are good for you are not always pleasant.  4.  I am a mean old S.O.B., refer back to response number 1."

The remaining 80 points will be allotted to the peer review process discussed in Writing All Papers below.

Exercises
Each chapter of Hoffer & Stueck contains a number of exercises.  You are to perform them in type-written form by the date listed on the Class Calendar below.  Each exercise will be worth 10 points, for a total of 100 points (20%).

Writing All Papers
I will subdivide you into groups of three.  In these small groups, you will meet outside of class to read and critique each other's papers.   You may use the plastic box labeled "Senior Seminar" outside of my office door as a drop-off/pick-up bin.  Read and mark your teammates' papers with a red pen.  Place your name on the top right corner of your teammate's paper so that I can evaluate your critique.

You will turn in your team members' critiques of your work with your revised clean copies.   If and when I ask you to revise further, you must submit the original draft that I graded along with the revision.  At term's end, you will submit a one page typed essay evaluating your team and each member's participation and your own participation.  From these evaluations and my own scrutiny of your critiques I will compute 80% of your total participation grade for the class (80 points).  From that 80 points, 50 will be attributed to your written comments, and 30 to your oral report on November 18 at the Haven (keep reading).

All written assignments--analytical essays and term papers--will be graded on the "Total Package," that is grammar, organization, style and composition in addition to content– summary, thematic analysis, and analytic comparison.

Bibliographic Essay
By Septermber 24, you will write a bibliographic essay of 3-5 pages, detailing your primary and secondary sources for your research project.  It will be in the form of a narrative that describes the sources you plan to utilize, details the questions you plan to ask of the sources, and which discusses the methodology you plan to employ.  It will also include a full bibliography at the end, which must include by this time at least 20 secondary sources (10 books and 10 journal articles) and 3 primary sources.  It will be worth 50 points (10%).

Historiographic Essay
Together, you and I will select three books and three articles from your bibliography for you to write a 4-6 page historiographic essay. The essay will be worth 100 points (20%).  The essay will evaluate each of the works in analytic comparison to one another, and place the works within their broader historiographical context.  You will be assigned several historiographical essays to read in the month of September which will provide you with examples of their form and function.

Term Research Report
You will write a 25-35 page research report on an approved topic for a total of 20% of your grade (150 points (30%). These reports will employ no less than 30 approved secondary sources and 5 approved primary sources.  The subject of your report may be any historical topic, subject to approval by the instructor (Dr. Newman) and your Project Advisor (Drs. Matson, Reist, Sedlar, or Newman).  Depending on your topic, you will be appointed a Project Advisor to assist you in your topic proposal, bibliography, historiography, and organization.  You will be required to meet with your PA at least three times during the term.  You must take your Project Advisor Sheet with you to each meeting for them to sign and date.  Click Here for Project Advisor Sheet. (Sedlar-European; Reist-Asia, military; Matson-U.S. 1850-present, world religion; Newman U.S. to 1850)

As stated above, the paper will be 25-35 pages in TEXT.  The title page, endnotes, and bibliography page will not count toward the 25-35.  The paper will have a title page with the title, your name, and the draft date.  The paper will be documented with endnotes.  Illustrations may be placed within the text, but will not count toward your 25 page requirement.  All other extraneous materials will be included as appendices.  A complete bibliography will also accompany each draft of the essay.

• August 27–Submit a brief (one page) type-written research proposal (a topic and your ideas for a paper) and your first bibliography.  I will remove 10 points from your final grade for every day that you are late.
• August 30--You should have visited either Dr. Matson, Reist, Sedlar, or myself for your individual topic proposal/bibliographic consultation. 10 point deduction for every day you are late.
• September 6--By now you should have visited Dr, Matson, Reist, Sedlar, or myself in order to identify relevant primary source materials.  10 point deduction for every day you are late.
• September 10–Submit a 2-3 page formal research proposal and a revised bibliography with at least 20 secondary sources and 3 primary sources to your team.  This should thoroughly describe the project, provide a brief historiography, and state the questions you hope to answer.  10 point deduction for every day you are late.
• September 17– Submit formal proposal to me. 10 point deduction for each day late.
• September 17--Submit Bibliographic Essay to your team.
• September 24--Submit Bibliographic Essay to me. 10 point deduction for each day late.
• October 1--Submit Historiographic Essay to your team.
• October 8--Submit Historiographic Essay to me.  10 point deduction for each day late.
• November 1--By this date you should have met with Dr. Matson, Reist, Sedlar, or myself to discuss your research findings, your thesis development, and the general outline of your essay.  10 point deduction for every day you are late.
• November 5–Submit to me a detailed outline of your project, with thesis statements that will serve as topic sentences.  10 point deduction for each day late.
• November 11– First draft due to your team a mutually agreed upon time and place.  It should be complete with Title page, endnotes, illustrations (if applicable), appendices (if applicable), and your now complete bibliography of 30 secondary and 5 primary sources.  10 point deduction for every day you are late.
• November 18--(Monday night)We'll meet at the Haven at 6:30 for "Beer and Commentary."  Each member of the class will make a 5-10 minute presentation on their teammates' papers.  There will also be a written report, describing the author's thesis, methodology, evidence, writing style, and overall effectiveness.
• November 26--First draft and Revision due to Newman for 100 points.  10 point deduction for every day you are late.

December 11-- by supper–Final Revision and all drafts due for 50 points.

Attendance
Since we will have only 12 official class meetings, attendance is MANDATORY.  Don't even ask to be excused unless it's for a funeral (even your own!).  So, don't get sick, don't let anyone in your family get sick, find someone else to take the cat to the vet, quit your job, get your car fixed, get a bus schedule...do whatever it takes...just don't miss class.  I'll remove 25 points from your final grade for each of your first 3 absences.  If you miss more than 3, you fail.

Late Work
Late work is absolutely unacceptable.  10 points will be deducted from your final grade for every day that you are late submitting each assignment.  All assignments must be turned in, no matter how late, in order to pass the course.  Anyone with uncompleted assignments at term's end will fail the course.

Incompletes
Only students with severe cases of hardship will be permitted a grade of "I" or "G" at term's end with the permission to finish the coursework at a later date.  I reserve the right to determine what is a "severe case of hardship."

Cheating
Any attempt to offer anyone else's work as your own will merit a zero for that assignment, a G grade for the course, and will automatically begin the proceedings for an F in the course and for your expulsion from this university in accordance with the Academic Integrity Guidelines found in your student handbook.  DO NOT PLAGIARIZE...I WILL FIND OUT!

Disabilities
Anyone in need of special accommodations due to a disability of any kind must seek guidance from the Disability Resources and Services Director in Biddle 133, 269-7109 immediately in order to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.  Do so now.

Professorial Prerogative
I reserve the right to make any reasonable changes to this syllabus that I deem necessary at any time for any reason of my choosing.  Failure to comply with any revisions to the syllabus will not be excusable due to absence on the day the changes were announced.  You are responsible for everything that transpires in the classroom every class meeting.