HISTORY 680 - SEMINAR IN INTERNATIONAL HISTORY
DR. JAY LOCKENOUR
SPRING 1997
Tuesday 5:15pm-7:15pm  TUCC 
This seminar will allow students to explore topics of their own choosing which fit under the general heading of "International History." The focus of the course will be on primary research especially in the fields of diplomatic or military history, though other projects are certainly welcome, after consultation with the instructor. Geographic specialization is open. Students will develop their grant- and proposal-writing skills during the early part of the semester, as they define their individual projects in detail, and constructive evaluation of each other's projects will help them hone their critical faculties as well.

Assignments

  1. Grant Proposal - Due February 4. We're going to pretend that you are seeking grant money to research this topic, so you will write a full-fledged research proposal, based on the guidelines outlined in the SSRC pamphlet provided. Include a C.V.
  2. Bibliographic essay - Due February 25. Any good research paper situates itself within a larger historiography, and therefore you are required to write a bibliographic essay of no more than 10 pages, which outlines the existing literature in the field you have chosen to research. Make sure to include the most recent as well as some of the "classic" work on your subject. This essay will be incorporated into your final paper, with the important addition of a section on how your research fits in to the historiography you outline. (Your topic may already be well-enough developed that you can include that section in the essay due in February, but it is not necessary or required). As part of this assignment, and to prepare the other members of the class to critique your work, you need to bring in copies of an article or a short chapter which will introduce them to some of the issues you are dealing with in your research paper.
  3. Draft paper, for review by class - Due Friday, April 18. On April 18, first drafts of your paper must be available for the other members of the class/group and for me to read. "Draft paper" means just that. The draft must be recognizable as a paper and must be readable. Obviously, no one expects perfection, and certain gaps or pointers to further work are acceptable, but a bare outline is not acceptable. You will read other people's papers and provide written comments for them, critiquing not only content (based on your knowledge of the subject and on the article(s) they provide you for context), but also style (especially those issues arising out of the discussions of Strunk and White).
  4. Final Paper - Due May 6. Length and scope of the paper will depend on the topic chosen, but keep in mind that there are probably very few appropriate subjects which you can do any justice to in less than 30 pages or so.
Readings:

There is only one book to buy for this course, Strunk and White's Elements of Style, which is something any writer should have (and many of you may have already). It is available at any bookstore, very inexpensive. Any edition is fine, though the newer, the better, obviously. Look at the Temple Bookstore under the English classes, and you'll probably find a copy.

I will also hand out a pamphlet prepared by the Social Science Research Council called The Art of Proposal Writing, and you should all be on your merry ways. The only other required reading will be the papers written by your fellow classmates, as well as a brief article or two they will provide which they believe will help you understand their own research.

Grading -

Grades will be based on the final papers produced, with the following exception. Since class meetings are relatively infrequent, YOU MUST ATTEND ALL SCHEDULED CLASS MEETINGS. If you know already that you can't make a certain meeting, please make arrangements with me now. It is very important to attend class because you will be helping each other along during the writing process, and otherwise this is just a collection of independent studies. You will be reading and commenting on each other's papers, in small groups, so missing a class means that everyone else misses out on a chance to improve their own work, and you don't get the benefit of anyone else's comments. You get the picture.

History 680 - Schedule of Class Meetings

January 21 - Introduction

January 28 - Discuss SSRC pamphlet and proposals

February 4 - Grant proposals due, discuss Strunk and White (Identify your 3 biggest writing problems)

February 11 - No Class

February 18 - No Class

February 25 - Bibliographic essays due, Copied articles for rest of class to read

March 4 - No Class

March 11 - No Class, Spring Break

March 18 - No Class

March 25 - No Class

April 1 - Discussions of readings. Progress Check

April 8 - No Class

April 15 - No Class

April 18 (Friday!) - Drafts Due, Distribute copies to your group (and to me)

April 22 - Discuss Drafts

April 29 - No Class

May 6 - Final Papers Due