English 415.001: Honors Thesis Writing Seminar
Professor Tamara Harvey
Spring 2010, TTh 1:30-2:45 p.m., Innovation Hall 139
Office hours: T 3-4 p.m., Th 6-7 p.m., and by appointment
Email: tharvey2@gmu.edu
Phone: 703-993-2769
Office: Robinson A 479
In this class we will explore methods for researching and writing a longer piece of literary
scholarship or related non-fiction writing as you work on your own honors thesis. We will
combine an introduction to methods, standards, and strategies involved in this kind of research
and writing with more workshop-oriented discussion of your specific projects. Come to class
each day prepared to share your own work and discuss the work of others.
Your thesis should be approximately 25 pages long. I recommend that you explore in greater
depth a subject you have treated in another English department course. If you plan to link the
thesis to a course you are currently taking, please see me. I will be one of the readers for your
thesis; you also need to find a specialist reader who can advise you on particular approaches and
criticism relevant to your project and who has the expertise to comment on your finished project.
This semester we will also use Kyle Baker’s graphic novel Nat Turner as a research case study in
association with Text and Community activities.
Learning goals:
Students who successfully complete this course should be able to:
 Formulate a research problem
 Conduct research in libraries, archives, and using online databases
 Formulate a specific, substantial, and contestable claim that is clearly distinct from the
claims of sources discovered through research
 Clearly explain their methods or approach to a chosen topic and situate that methodology
within a field of study
 Complete a longer research project in which the originality and significance of the project
is clearly demonstrated as well as a thorough and systematic coverage of the topic
 Understand the process of research and revision for a longer research project
 Write a clearly argued, well-supported, and error-free research paper using MLA format
Texts:
Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic
Writing. New York: Norton, 2006. (ISBN: 0393924092)
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed. New York: MLA,
2009. (ISBN: 978-1603290241)
Baker, Kyle. Nat Turner. New York: Abrams, 2008. (ISBN: 0810972271)
McCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. New York: Harper Collins, 1993.
(ISBN: 978-0060976255)
English 415.001, Spring 2010, Harvey 2
Edwards, Paul N. “How to Give an Academic Talk, v3.1” Web. 26 August 2009.
http://www.si.umich.edu/~pne/PDF/howtotalk.pdf
Mann, Thomas. “The Peloponnesian War and the Future of Reference, Cataloging, and
Scholarship in Research Libraries.” Washington, D.C.: AFSCME 2910 The Library of
Congress Professional Guild, 2007. Web. 25 August 2009.
http://www.guild2910.org/Pelopponesian%20War%20June%2013%202007.pdf.
Schedule of assignments:
Week 1: Developing a Topic into a Thesis
T 1/19: Discussion of preliminary assignment and your previous experience with research.
Preliminary assignment due.
Th 1/21: MLA, 3-7; They Say, 1-14, 88-97. Read the introductory and supplementary material
for Nat Turner (6-7, 202-207) and at least skim the rest. Writer-Researcher autobiography
due.
Week 2: Finding Sources
T 1/26: MLA 8-33. Mann, Thomas. “The Peloponnesian War and the Future of Reference,
Cataloging, and Scholarship in Research Libraries.” Searching Academic Databases: A
Tutorial due.
Th 1/28: Meet with Jen Stevens in the Fenwick Library Instruction Room (room A214, just up
the stairs from the Circulation Desk). Three annotations due by email attachment.
Week 3: Notes and “Writing in the Middle”
T 2/2: MLA 38-50. Finish reading Nat Turner. Three more annotations and research
question due.
(Last day to drop with no tuition penalty. Last day to add classes (all individualized sections forms due.)
Th 2/4: They Say 15-47. MLA: Familiarize yourself with chapters 5 and 6. Research question
and first versions of annotations returned.
African & African American Studies DuBois Lecture, February 4
Week 4
T 2/9: NO CLASS: Individual conferences. Research proposal due on Blackboard by 10
a.m. and a short section of an article due at our conference.
Th 2/11: NO CLASS: Individual conferences.
Week 5: Workshop on sources
T 2/16: Workshop using segments of articles that are central to your thinking. Library of
Congress research plan due.
Th 2/18: NO CLASS: We meet tomorrow instead at the Library of Congress.
2/19: Last day to drop
Friday, February 19: Orientation and research day at the Library of Congress. For those
interested in traveling together from GMU, we will meet at the Sandy Creek Shuttle stop to take
the 9 a.m. Mason-to-Metro Shuttle. If you would like to meet us at the Library of Congress, we
will gather in the visitor’s center of the Thomas Jefferson building (entrance of 1st street) at
around 10:15 a.m. for a 10:30 a.m. orientation [times to be reconfirmed before visit]. To get to
English 415.001, Spring 2010, Harvey 3
the Library of Congress, take the Orange line to Capitol South and upon exiting, walk up First
Street toward the capitol. Once you cross Independence Ave., the Jefferson building is on your
right. Enter in the covered area underneath the grand staircase outside. If you already have a
reader’s card, you can skip to the front of the line.
Week 6: Evaluating Sources.
T 2/23: Review MLA 33-38. Websites, audience, voice. 1-2 page website evaluation due.
Th 2/25: Reports on your findings in scholarly journals and on your sense of the kind of journal
in which you might want your work published. Journal Review due.
Week 7: Responding to Sources and Shaping Your Claim
T 3/2: They Say 50-73. Come to class with a draft of your claim.
Th 3/4: They Say 74-97. Understanding Comics (1-117).
Spring break, March 8-14
Week 8: Pulling It All Together
T 3/16: They Say 101-132. Bring in 5 copies of your revised claim.
Th 3/18: Pre-draft due: 5-7 pages of your thesis.
Week 9
T 3/23: NO CLASS: Individual conferences.
Th 3/25: Review Nat Turner and finish Understanding Comics. Come prepared to present on a
related critical essay of your choosing (check with me to make sure no one else has selected the
same essay).
Sojourner Truth Lecture, March 25, Research I, Room 163
3/26: Last day of elective withdrawal period
Week 10
T 3/30: NO CLASS: Individual conferences.
Th 4/1: Continue discussing Nat Turner.
Week 11: Presenting and submitting your work
T 4/6: Workshop (in preparation for drafts). Nat Turner essay due on Blackboard by 11 p.m.
Th 4/8: They Say 133-135. Edwards, Paul N. “How to Give an Academic Talk, v3.1.”
Discussion: reading others’ works in progress and giving effective presentations of your work.
Three copies of full drafts of thesis due.
Week 12:
T 4/13: Presentations
Th 4/15: Presentations
Week 13
T 4/20: NO CLASS: Individual conferences.
Th 4/22: NO CLASS: Individual conferences.
English 415.001, Spring 2010, Harvey 4
Week 14
T 4/27: Drafting cover letters
Th 4/29: Conclusion. Honors Thesis due to me and to your other reader. Please also send
me an electronic copy for inclusion in the English Honors Thesis Archive (optional).
Assignments and Expectations:
Participation and Peer Response (20%): Completing assignments fully and in a timely
fashion and participating actively in our discussions of works in progress (yours and others) are
crucial to the success of this class. Research takes time, so be sure to start early and give
yourself time to figure out what has been said and what you want to add to the conversations you
are entering. This portion of your grade includes your active, respectful participation in class
discussions and activities as well as your completion of several shorter writing assignments,
including:
Writer-Researcher autobiography: (2 typed pages—due 1/21) Briefly describe and
discuss an experience that had a significant role in shaping your identity as a
reader, researcher, and writer. What kind of impact did this experience have on
you as a reader, researcher, and writer and why?
Searching Academic Databases: A Tutorial. (1-2 typed pages, due 1/26) Complete
the tutorial at http://mason.gmu.edu/%7Erjann/TEC/TACIndex, including the
practice lesson. Experiment with keywords and subject headings for your own
project. Bring the results to class. What keywords were most productive? What
subject headings? Include a list of the sources you plan to investigate. (Some
databases and interfaces have changed since this assignment was created, so you
will need to improvise in places.)
Library of Congress Research Plan: (1-2 typed pages, due 2/16) Consulting the
Library of Congress website (http://www.loc.gov/index.html), come up with a list
of books, locations, and other resources you want to consult during our time in
Washington.
Website evaluation: (1-2 typed pages, due 2/23) Specific guidelines will be provided
in class.
Assigned exercises
Responses to others’ drafts
Presentations
Working annotations and research question (10%--three due 1/28, three due 2/2 along with
research question): Unlike formal annotations designed to help other people, these annotations
are meant to document and assist your own research in progress. They should reflect welldeveloped familiarity with the sources—you will need to read the articles closely and “digest”
them in a way that helps you explore and develop your research question. Aim to cover a
balanced array of critical, historical, and theoretical sources relevant to your topic. Each
annotation should begin with the complete citation in correct MLA style (consult your MLA
Handbook as necessary); in addition, include the call number, a note about the location where
you actually found the source, and a note about what led you to the source (e.g., what database or
English 415.001, Spring 2010, Harvey 5
bibliography you used, what keywords, etc.) Each annotation should be about half a page long.
Provide a brief summary and evaluation of the source and then consider the following questions.
You do not need to answer all of them, but be sure to include information that will help you
assess the source and focus your own argument if you return to it later in the semester.
In general: (1) What does the source tell you about the author’s affiliation, expertise,
inclinations? (2) What other important sources does this source lead you to (bibliography and
notes)? (3) What question does the writer of this source seem to be trying to answer? In other
words, what is their research question? (4) How does this question connect to your emerging
research question/thesis? (5) How does the writer answer his/her question? What is his/her
claim? (6) Does the writer use appropriate evidence? (7) How useful is this source for your
project? How and where can you use it? Be as specific as possible.
For literary criticism in particular: (1) What else is the critic arguing by way of his or her
treatment of your text(s)? (2) Does the critic’s reading of your text account for the things you
would notice in a close-reading of the text? How or how not? (3) How well does it account for
the historical and cultural context(s) in which the text has been disseminated? (4) What does the
criticism tell you about the critic’s historical and political situation and the context in which
she/he is making an argument? (5) How does the critic’s argument relate to your argument? (6)
How do your goals as a critic relate to or differ from her/his goals?
Research proposal (10%--due 2/9 by 10 a.m. on Blackboard along with a short section of an
article you find particularly relevant or challenging due at our conference): 3 pages plus a
working bibliography of at least 15 sources with 9 annotated as described above. (Revise the 6
annotations you’ve turned in previously as well as your preliminary research question.) Include:
a description of your topic, including the main question, a preliminary answer to that question (a
preliminary thesis) and its significance, the scope of your study, your research strategies, a work
plan, and identification of the mentor who has agreed to serve as a reader.
Research proposals are important working documents. A finished project will usually depart in
significant ways from the initial proposal, for scholarly research is a dynamic process and as you
develop your project, you will almost inevitably change your plan of research as you learn more
and your ideas and interests shift. Nevertheless, the research proposal is also a kind of contract
between us, so if you end up departing from what you propose here, make sure to discuss it with
me.
Your research proposal should reflect your familiarity with what is meant by a specific,
substantial, contestable claim.
Journal Review (5%--due 2/25): 2-3 pages. Select a periodical or journal that has published
essays that will be of use in your current research project. (It may even be a periodical in which
you would like your work to be published.) It should be scholarly rather than popular. Survey
two recent issues and include the following in your review: 1) describe its subject, format, and
intended audience, 2) evaluate its editorial practices, including its selection and presentation of
articles and other written materials, 3) assess its uses and value.
English 415.001, Spring 2010, Harvey 6
Pre-draft (5 %--due 3/18): 5-7 pages of your thesis along with a brief explanation of how this
material fits into your thesis as a whole.
Nat Turner assignment (5%--due 4/6 on Blackboard by 11 p.m.): A 3-page paper evaluating
Nat Turner as a research text or you may enter a Text & Community writing contest.
Full draft of thesis (10%--due 4/8): Minimum 20 pages along with a bibliography of at least
15 sources in correct MLA format.
Thesis (35%--due 4/29): Minimum 20 pages, using an appropriate number of sources as agreed
upon by the instructor and student. Honor theses have two readers. I’m one; the other is your
specialist reader. In assessing your thesis, I will be looking for:
(1) a specific, substantial, and contestable claim that is clearly distinct from the claims of
your sources;
(2) the demonstrated originality and significance of the project. Originality is shown
through a review of the research on which your project is based and an explanation of
how the project is situated in relation to it. Significance is shown through a persuasive
discussion of what the project contributes to existing knowledge;
(3) clear explanation of your method or approach to the topic;
(4) demonstration of thorough and systematic coverage of the topic (have you discovered
and explored an appropriate and relevant range of sources?);
(5) correct use of MLA citation format.
Grading:
Letter grades have the numerical equivalents listed below:
A = 4.0
C=2
A- = 3.66
C- = 1.67
B+ = 3.33
D+ = 1.33
B=3
D=1
B- = 2.66
D- = .67
C+ = 2.33
F=0
Final grades are calculated according to the following ranges:
A = 3.8-4.0
C = 1.8-2.13
A- = 3.5-3.8
C- = 1.5-1.8
B+ = 3.13-3.5
D+ = 1.13-1.5
B = 2.8-3.13
D = .8-1.13
B- = 2.5-2.8
D- = .5-.8
C+ = 2.13-2.5
F = 0-.5
Note: You must complete all graded work in order to receive a grade for the course. All work is
due at the beginning of class on the specified due date unless otherwise noted. Late papers will
be downgraded one half-grade for each day they are late. Please do not leave assignments in my
mailbox except by prior arrangement; I will assume they are late and will grade them
accordingly. No fax or e-mail submissions will be accepted except by special arrangement. If
you anticipate problems or conflicts, let me know as soon as possible. I reserve the right to
make exceptions to these policies, at my discretion, for students facing serious difficulties.
English 415.001, Spring 2010, Harvey 7
Email, Blackboard, and Pbworks: Be sure to sign up for GMU email if you have not done so
already—I will be using your GMU account to contact you throughout the semester. Also
familiarize yourself with Blackboard (http://courses.gmu.edu) if you are not already familiar
with this resource—you will be turning in a few of your assignments using Blackboard. Most
importantly, familiarize yourself with our class wiki at http://engl415sp10.pbworks.com. You
should have already received an invitation to this password protected site. Throughout the
semester I will be posting handouts, including the syllabus, links, announcements, and other
useful information to our wiki. You may also use this site for presentations and other individual
and group projects. Feel free to post links and announcements here that will be of interest to the
class. Note also the link to the English Honors Thesis Archive at
http://gmuenglishhonors.pbworks.com/.
Academic integrity: GMU is an Honor Code university; please see the University Catalog for a
full description of the code and the honor committee process. The principle of academic
integrity is taken very seriously and violations are treated gravely. What does academic integrity
mean in this course? Essentially this: when you are responsible for a task, you will perform that
task. When you rely on someone else’s work in an aspect of the performance of that task, you
will give full credit in the proper, accepted form.
Plagiarism means using words, opinions, or factual information from another source
without giving that source credit. You must cite, using a standard citation format, all the articles,
books, and other sources that your own writing draws on, either directly or indirectly. In
addition to listing sources in a bibliography, you must also correctly quote and/or attribute
passages and ideas from your sources that you use in the body of your text. Paraphrases and
summaries of others’ ideas must also be properly attributed. This is a matter of academic
honesty, but proper citations and attributions also improve your writing. As the English
Department’s statement about plagiarism explains, “it is helpful to keep the reader in mind and to
think of citations as being ‘reader friendly.’ In other words, writers provide a citation for any
piece of information that they think their readers might want to investigate further”
(http://composition.gmu.edu/faculty/plagiarism.php).
Also note that un-cited sources will constitute plagiarism even if they ended up in your
work without your conscious knowledge (e.g. you forgot you read the material or you confused
your own notes with notes on a source), since part of the scholarly responsibility that comes with
using secondary sources is keeping track of which words or ideas were yours and which came
from another source.
Like you, I am bound by the Honor Code to report suspected plagiarism to the Honor
Committee. For a description of the code and the committee, go to: http://honorcode.gmu.edu/.
Another aspect of academic integrity is the free play of ideas. Vigorous discussion and
debate are encouraged in this course, with the firm expectation that all aspects of the class will be
conducted with civility and respect for differing ideas, perspectives, and traditions. When in
doubt, please ask for guidance and clarification.
Office of Disability Services: If you are a student with a disability and you need academic
accommodations, please see me and contact the Office of Disability Resources at 703.993.2474.
All academic accommodations must be arranged through that office.
English 415.001, Spring 2010, Harvey 8
Mason Alert: I have set up my Mason Alert account so that I will receive text alerts during
class if anything is amiss in our building or at the university generally. If you want to set up
your own alerts, you may do so at http://alert.gmu.edu. Please take a moment to notice the
emergency instructions posted in this room; more information about emergency procedures is
available at http://www.gmu.edu/service/cert/.
Other Useful Campus Resources:
Writing Center: A114 Robinson Hall; (703) 993-1200; http://writingcenter.gmu.edu
University Libraries “Ask a Librarian” http://library.gmu.edu/mudge/IM/IMRef.html
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS): (703) 993-2380; http://caps.gmu.edu
Enrollment:
 Students are responsible for verifying their enrollment in this class.
 Schedule adjustments should be made by the deadlines published in the Schedule of
Classes:
Last Day to Add/Last Day to Drop with No Tuition Penalty
February 2, 2010
Last Day to Drop
February 19, 2010
Selective Withdrawal Period
February 22 – March 26, 2010
 After the last day to drop a class, withdrawing from this class requires the approval of the
dean and is only allowed for nonacademic reasons.
 Undergraduate students may choose to exercise a selective withdrawal. See the Schedule
of Classes for selective withdrawal procedures.
University Policies: The University Catalog, http://catalog.gmu.edu, is the central resource for
university policies affecting student, faculty, and staff conduct in university affairs.