History 101
America to World War I
Spring 2013
Class Time: Tues/Thurs, 11-12:30, Dwinelle 3104
Office: Dwinelle 3219
Office Hours: Mon, 9-10; Tues, 10-11; or by appt.
Professor Brian DeLay
delay@berkeley.edu
*Theses due in front office by 4pm Friday May 3*
This research seminar is for students writing theses on any aspect of American
history from the early colonial period through World War I. Topics involving some
transnational/international component are very welcome, so long as the United
States figures importantly. Early sessions will emphasize skills: defining topics,
designing research programs, organizing and writing successful essays,
consideration of exemplary work. The bulk of the semester will be devoted to the
production, critique, and refinement of student theses.
Class Requirements:
 Seminar Participation: The first requirement for the course is prepared,
thoughtful, and active participation in seminar the few times we meet as a
group. I will be making notes throughout the semester on your participation in
class. Please keep the following in mind:
 Attendance: We will meet as a class irregularly, but attendance on these
occasions and at scheduled individual meetings is mandatory. Fifteen points
will be subtracted from your overall participation grade for every class or
meeting you miss. Exceptions will be made only in case of illness (with a
doctor’s note), or a verifiable emergency.
 Preparation and Participation: You will be expected to complete all of the
assignments before class, and come prepared to thoughtfully discuss your
peer’s work when scheduled to do so.
 Thoughtful, constructive criticism: On occasion you’ll be asked to respond
to other student’s draft work in writing. These responses will be important
for them, and for the group as a whole.
 Final papers. The culminating assignment for this class is a 30-50 page senior
thesis based on original research. In preparation for this major assignment, you
will submit:
 A prospectus
 An outline
 The paper itself (two drafts)
Grading:
Participation (ongoing)
Prospectus (1/28 or 1/30: see below)
Outline (3/8)
Thesis Draft (4/14 OR 4/16: see below)
Final thesis Revision (5/3)
15%
10%
10%
20%
45%
Late Work: All assignments must be submitted in class on the due date. I will deduct 10%
(a full letter grade) from all assignment once the deadline has passed and another 10%
every 12 hours thereafter. Exceptions will be made only in cases of verifiable emergency
(routine illnesses and last-minute computer problems won’t count).
Students with Religious Obligations: If after familiarizing yourself with the schedule you
foresee a conflict between requirements for this course and your religious obligations,
please inform me within the first two weeks of the semester and we’ll try to find a
compromise arrangement.
Academic Dishonesty: I urge you to read the Student Guide to Academic Integrity at Cal,
available on the Undergraduate Program dropdown menu on the Cal history department’s
website. The guide notes: “Academic dishonesty is any action or attempted action that may
result in creating an unfair academic advantage for oneself or an unfair academic advantage
or disadvantage for any other member or members of the academic community.” On
plagiarism specifically: “Plagiarism is defined as use of intellectual material produced by
another person without acknowledging its source, for example:
 Wholesale copying of passages from works of others into your work without
acknowledgment.
 Use of the views, opinions, or insights of another without acknowledgment.
 Paraphrasing of another person’s characteristic or original phraseology, metaphor,
or other literary device without acknowledgment.”
In this class academic dishonesty will be penalized through all institutional means.
Groups: On two occasions we will be meeting to critique peer work that will have been
distributed in advance. There are fourteen of us: too many for this kind of exercise. So for
these sessions only, I’ll be splitting the class in half in the following way:
1. GROUP ONE: Anderson, Des Jardins, Galvan, Lincoln, Meyer, Ramirez
2. GROUP TWO: Davis, Dullea, Evenson, Hanson, Lively, O’Hearn, Zeolla
Tips: While not formal assignments, I urge you to do the following two things:
 Read a thesis or three, to get a sense of what students before you have done. You
can search the thesis database here:
http://history.berkeley.edu/resources/history_101_papers Theses are available for
reading in the history department library in Dwinelle: click link below for hours, etc.
http://history.berkeley.edu/content/department-history-library
 Read the 101 Manual: http://history.berkeley.edu/content/resources
Meeting & Assignment Schedule
Tues, 1/22:
Introductions; project presentations; Discussion of writing prospecti;
Discussion of Christine DeLucia, “The Memory Frontier: Uncommon Pursuits
of Past and Place in the Northeast After King Philip’s War.” Journal of
American History 98, no. 4 (March 1, 2012): 975–997.
Thurs, 1/24:
Library workshop with librarian Jennifer Dorner, Moffitt 350C – NOTE
LOCATION. After class, review the Prospectus Instructions doc, under
the resources tab on bspace.
Tues, 1/29:
GROUP ONE ONLY: Upload prospecti to the assignments section of
Bspace by 8am on 1/28 Come to class prepared to discuss all of group
one’s prospecti; AND come prepared to discuss Sarah Keyes, “‘Like a Roaring
Lion’: The Overland Trail as a Sonic Conquest.” The Journal of American
History 96, no. 1 (June 1, 2009): 19–43.
Thurs, 1/31:
GROUP TWO ONLY: Upload prospecti to the assignments section of
Bspace by 8am on 1/30 Come to class prepared to discuss all of group
two’s prospecti; AND come prepared to discuss Sarah Keyes, “‘Like a Roaring
Lion’: The Overland Trail as a Sonic Conquest.” The Journal of American
History 96, no. 1 (June 1, 2009): 19–43.
Tues, 2/5:
Come ready to update everyone on the status of your projects; discussion of
outlining; discussion of Wendy Anne Warren, “‘The Cause of Her Grief’: The
Rape of a Slave in Early New England.” The Journal of American History 93,
no. 4 (March 1, 2007): 1031–1049.
Feb 7-April 15: No regular classes – this is your time to work intensely on your theses. BUT, I
urge you to see me regularly to talk about your progress. Come to my office
hours as often as you can. If those times are bad, email me and we’ll find
another time to meet. Note also the outline deadline, below:
Fri, 3/8:
Email outlines to me by 5pm. I will post a sign-up sheet for individual
meetings about outlines.
Tues, 3/12
No class, but carefully read the excerpts from Strunk & White, The Elements
of Style, under resources in B-Space. Print it up, mark it up, internalize
their writing advice.
Tues, 4/16:
Drafts! GROUP ONE ONLY: Upload complete thesis drafts to assignments
section of Bspace by 8am, Sunday, 4/14. In advance of today’s meeting
you should have read all of your groups’ draft theses carefully and produced
a page or so of comments for each author. *Goes without saying that this is a
lot of work. Be sure to clear out the necessary time in advance. Last half an
hour of class will be devoted to the craft of revision
Thurs, 4/18:
Drafts! GROUP TWO ONLY: Upload complete thesis drafts to assignments
section of Bspace by 8am, Tuesday, 4/16. In advance of today’s meeting
you should have read all of your groups’ draft theses carefully and produced
a page or so of comments for each author. *Goes without saying that this is a
lot of work. Be sure to clear out the necessary time in advance. Last half an
hour of class will be devoted to the craft of revision
April 23-May 2: Independent work on final revisions
Fri, 5/3:
Final theses due in front office by 4p.m.