Senior Seminar in History
Dr. J.M. Lindman
Ofc Hrs: M, 3:00-4:45 p.m.
Phone: 256-4500, ext. 3995
Email: lindman@rowan.edu
Mondays, 4:45-7:15 p.m.
Robinson 210
Fall Semester 2008
SENIOR SEMINAR IN HISTORY
Course Description:
The Seminar in History course is the capstone of your undergraduate career as a history major. It
represents an opportunity for you to demonstrate the skills you have acquired in historical research,
writing, and reading over the past several years. You will reveal these skills and acumen by designing
and implementing a major research project. This will include gathering primary and secondary source
materials, compiling an annotated bibliography, critically evaluating and analyzing primary sources,
integrating data into an extensively researched and well documented seminar paper, and presenting the
results in effective oral and written communication.
This seminar has no particular theme beyond being focused on American history. I would prefer students
pick a topic in which I have expertise (U.S. colonial history; early American Republic; women’s history;
gender history; religious history). I have left the course open to accommodate the pursuit of research
topics in which students possess background or interest. While all students will choose their own
research topics, they will do so upon discussion with and approval by the professor. Students must do a
research project that can be completed in a semester and in which they are primary and secondary
source materials available. All work on this project will be evaluated and approved at each step of
development: topic selection, proposal, outline, annotated bibliography, first draft, oral presentation, and
final paper.
Course Goals for Students:
1.
2.
3.
4.
To
To
To
To
apply acquired educational knowledge and skills to historical study in an academic setting;
collect and analyze historical materials and apply historical methods;
research and write a coherent, cogent, and original seminar paper;
complete the required history major portfolio.
Required Books:
Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History (Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007).
Norman Wilson, History in Crisis?: Recent Directions in Historiography 2nd Edition (Prentice Hall, 2005).
University of Chicago Style: Citing Internet Sources
http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite7.html
Exhaustive documentation on citing internet sources using Chicago style
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/cmosfaq/cmosfaq.html
The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, Q and A
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Course Requirements:
1. Participation. Students must attend all class meetings, meet with the professor in individual
meetings, submit e-mail progress reports in a timely manner, and meet all deadlines. Students
will not receive credit for work submitted late for any reason. No incomplete grades
will be given in this course except in extreme cases.
2. Research Proposal and Preliminary Bibliography. The research proposal must be typed,
double-spaced, and at least two pages in length. This proposal must include 1) a specific
description of your paper topic in historical context, including the social, cultural, economic,
and/or political aspects of the study; 2) detailed discussion of the approach you will take in your
paper, i.e., a broad discussion of a topic over time; an intensive focus of one particular issue over
a brief time span, or the study of an individual, etc.; 3) statement of your hypothesis, meaning
what you hope to demonstrate in your paper; and 4) a list of the primary and secondary sources
you have identified that are available to undertake this study. Students will not receive
credit for proposals handed in late for any reason. Two copies of the paper proposal and
preliminary bibliography will be due on October 13th.
3. Paper Outline and Annotated Bibliography. Each student will submit a typed, doublespaced, 3-4 page outline of their research paper, accompanied by an annotated bibliography.
The paper outline must include 1) a title for the project; 2) a detailed overview of what the paper
will argue; 3) a specific plan of how the paper will be organized; and 4) what conclusions the
paper will make. The annotated bibliography will include a list of all sources consulted at this
point in your research and should include at least six books and six scholarly articles. The
bibliography should be divided into subsections of primary sources and secondary sources.
Within the subsection for secondary sources, you should divide the material into two separate
groups: books and articles. For the subsection on primary sources, the material should be
placed into groups of similar sources; for example, all newspapers listed together, all government
documents listed together, all diaries together, etc. For more information on annotated
bibliographies, see the Rampolla book. 5) Also required for this assignment are photocopies of
the first page of the books and articles you cite in your bibliography. Students will not receive
credit for outlines and bibliographies handed in late for any reason. Two copies of the
paper outline and annotated bibliography will be due on November 3rd.
4. Oral Presentation. Each student will give a short oral presentation on his or her research
paper at the end of the semester. The presentation should be 5 minutes in length and cover
major components of the paper: the thesis, sources, argument, and conclusion. These major
components must be typed out in an outline that will be handed in to the professor. Students
may use handouts or overheads to demonstrate specific parts of their presentation to the class.
The oral presentations will take place in class on December 8th.
5. Research Log. Each student will keep a log of his/her research activities during the course of
the semester. This log (which may be handwritten) should represent a record of your research—
a document of your intellectual work in developing a research project and writing a research
paper. Every time you do research, i.e., library searches, read an article or book, or analyze
primary documents, note down the date, time, what you did, and the results of your work. Make
comments of your findings and any breakthroughs or difficulties you encounter in your research.
You should also include any printouts of library searches done, notations of interlibrary loan
requests made, research trips to other libraries, etc. As you make decisions about your paper—
the topic, thesis, primary and secondary sources, approach, analysis, etc—keep a record of how
you decided to develop your thesis and why. Notes taken from the required readings and class
discussions may also be included in the research log. The log must be brought to every
class and individual meeting with the professor. The log will be due on December 8th.
6. Research Paper. Research papers will be graded on their clarity, organization, breadth and
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depth of research, use and analysis of primary sources, accurate documentation, and writing
style. The majority of the paper will be based on primary source documents (keep this in mind
when choosing a topic). The paper should be 25-35 pages in length, typewritten, and doublespaced. Its content and format should be in compliance with the Chicago Manual of Style
guidelines outlined in the Rampolla book. The first draft of the research paper will be due on
November 24th along with the notes you used to write your paper. No research papers will
be accepted from students who do not turn in a first draft! The final version of the
research paper is due by 7:00 p.m. on December 15th.
7. Portfolio. All history majors are required to submit a portfolio of their undergraduate work in
the History Department during their senior year. The portfolio should include six different items,
two of which should be your Historical Methods paper and Senior Seminar paper. The
requirements for the portfolio are listed on the History Department webpage. Please submit your
portfolio in CD-ROM format only. This is due in class on December 8th.
Other Important Information:
Plagiarism. All direct quotations, factual information, and material that are not common knowledge
should be cited in notes, i.e., all citations should be listed as footnotes or endnotes and not as
parenthetical references. Please follow the format listed in the Rampolla book. All students will sign a
pledge (located on the History Department webpage) stating that they understand what plagiarism is and
that they will not plagiarize any part of their research paper. Students will also submit their papers to
Turnitin.com to safeguard against plagiarism. Students who plagiarize any part of their research
paper will receive an “F” for the course and their academic misconduct will be reported to the
Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and to the Provost of the university.
As part of this course, each student will submit in the final version of their senior paper to Turnitin.com.
Turnitin.com is an online service to help prevent student plagiarism. I am using this service at my
discretion to determine the originality of your work. If your work is submitted to Turnitin.com it will be
stored in their database. You have the right to refuse either to submit your work to Turnitin.com or have
the university do so; availing yourself of this will not negatively impact your success in the course. If you
do not wish to use Turnitin.com you must notify me by e-mail within two weeks of today’s date. If you
object to the use of Turnitin.com, I will devise other procedures to assess originality.
Disability Statement from the Faculty/Staff Handbook:
“Your academic success is important. If you have a documented disability that may have an impact on
your work in this class, please contact me. Students must provide documentation of their disability to the
Academic Success Center in order to receive official University services and accommodations. The
Academic Success Center can be reached at 856-256-4234. The Center is located on the 3rd floor of
Savitz Hall. The staff is available to answer questions regarding accommodations or assist you in your
pursuit of accommodations. We look forward to working with you to meet your learning goals.”
Breakdown of Credit for Course Requirements:
50%
15%
10%
10%
5%
5%
5%
- Research Paper (includes first draft and final version)
- Research Log
- Paper Outline and Annotated Bibliography
- Participation in Class and Individual Meetings
- Research Proposal and Preliminary Bibliography
- Oral Presentation
- Portfolio (submit in CD format only)
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Course Outline and Deadlines:
9/8
Class Meeting
Getting Started: Picking a Topic
Students should come to class with specific ideas for their research projects.
9/15
Class Meeting
What is Historiography?
Read Wilson
9/22
Progress Reports by e-mail
Students will email a progress report to the professor on the status of their research
over the past week. All students will report on their use of Rowan’s electronic databases to
locate books and articles on their subject. Students will also report on specific results from their
use the online catalog of at least one academic library, such as the University of Pennsylvania,
the University of Delaware, or Princeton University, etc.
9/29
Class Meeting – Deadline for Paper Topic
Historical Research and Writing
Read Rampolla
Students should have started reading secondary books and articles located at the library
and begin developing a thesis for their paper. Remember to record this work in your
log.
10/6
Individual Meetings
10/13
Paper Proposal and Preliminary Bibliography Due (submit two copies)
The paper proposal and bibliography must be put in my mailbox in the History Department by
5:00 p.m. Email proposals will not be accepted.
10/20
Individual Meetings
10/27
Progress Reports by e-mail
Keeping reading, concentrating on primary sources. Begin writing if possible. This progress
report should list the new sources you have identified, what books and articles you have read,
and a discussion or any problems. Also include any questions you have about
your outline and annotated bibliography. Remember to record this work in your log.
11/3
11/10
Students will meet individually with the professor by appointment and report on the
reading they have been doing and the primary source material they have located on their topic.
Students will finalize their paper topics and bring their logs to this meeting.
Keep reading primary and secondary sources. Students will discuss the progress of and
problems with their research. Remember to bring your research log to this meeting.
Individual Meetings
Paper Outline and Annotated Bibliography Due (submit two copies)
Bring completed outline, annotated bibliography and log to the meeting. Students will
discuss their outline and their overall progress with the professor.
Progress Reports by e-mail
You should start writing! This progress report will discuss what further research you
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have done (secondary and primary sources located and read) and what and how much
you have written over the last week. Remember to record this work in your log.
11/17
Individual Meetings
Continue writing and start revising the draft of your paper. Students will report on the
status of their research and writing over the past week. Remember to bring your log
to the meeting.
11/24
First Draft of Research Paper Due
Finish your revisions and submit one copy of the first draft via email. You will also submit your
research notes; place them in a folder or notebook and place them in my History Department
mailbox.
4/21
Individual Meetings
12/1
Progress reports by e-mail
Students will report on their progress in revising and rewriting their paper and any question that
have arisen in regard to writing, citation, bibliography, etc.
12/8
Class Meeting: Oral Presentations; Research Logs and Portfolios Due
The class will meet and each student will give a 5 minute presentation on their research
paper and field questions from the class. Students will also hand in their research logs
and portfolios.
12/15
Final Research Paper Due by 7:00 p.m.
Students will discuss the first draft of their paper with the professor at this meeting.
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