History 4001
History Honors Research Seminar
Fall, 2009
Professor M.B. Norton
Uris Hall G28
Monday 12:20-2:15
Office: 325 McGraw Hall
Hours: Wed. 9-10:30 or by appt
Office phone: 255-7542
Email: mbn1@cornell.edu
This course is designed to help students successfully complete an honors thesis in the Department of History. It focuses on developing the following skills:
•Asking and answering appropriate historical questions
•Defining a workable thesis topic
•Locating and evaluating primary and secondary sources
•Preparing an annotated bibliography
•Learning to take notes efficiently
•Organizing materials for a 60-page thesis
Class will meet weekly for most of the semester, occasionally in small groups. Group meetings will allow students to learn from each other as they progress through but also encounter problems in the research phase of their honors thesis projects.
Historical research and writing
is often portrayed as a solitary endeavor, but all
researchers and writers benefit
from frequently sharing their work with others.
Discussing your research with
classmates will help to clarify your thoughts, stimulate
new ideas, and refine your
logic. Accordingly, a critical element
of this course will
involve sharing with and
supporting one another by means of constructive criticism as
you all engage in your own research and writing.
Grading system:
The grade for History 4001 will
be determined by the instructor in consultation with the
student’s thesis advisor. Grades will be based on the following criteria:
•
Attendance at class and group meetings
• Informed and active participation in class
discussions
• Completion of high-quality written assignments on time
Please purchase the two books assigned for the class (and available at the Cornell Store):
Jenny L. Presnell, The Information-Literate Historian
William Kelleher Storey, Writing History: A Guide for Students (3rd edition)
You may also find it useful to
purchase or consult a guide to standard citation practice, such as Kate L.
Turabian, A Guide for Writers of Research
Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (7th ed., Univ. of Chicago
Press, 2007). For basic information,
you may rely on pp 44-51 of Storey, Writing
History.
Note: this class is being taught in the electronic classroom, Uris G28. We will frequently use the capacity of this room to collectively examine assignments submitted by individual students. Accordingly, each student should purchase a thumb (flash) drive to bring e-copies of assignments to class, or else develop some other means of doing so (such as e-mailing oneself an attached document that can be accessed and shared in class).
This course follows University
policies pertaining to racial or ethnic discrimination,
sexual harassment, assistance
available to handicapped, visually and/or hearing impaired
students, the observance of
religious holidays, and plagiarism. All students are advised to
become familiar with the
respective University regulations and are encouraged to bring
any questions or concerns to my attention. I have zero tolerance for plagiarism. All work submitted in this course is expected to be the student’s own.
A copy of the code of academic
integrity is available on the Cornell website at
http://cuinfo.cornell.edu/Academic/AIC.html.
CLASS SCHEDULE (Note: this may be altered, especially later in the
semester):
August 31: Introduction to the course and to each other
•First discussion:
asking and answering historical questions
Sept. 7: Getting started! Read Storey, chapter 1; Presnell, chapters
1-5
•Come to class with
several questions (in electronic and printed format) you intend to ask in your
thesis. Be prepared to answer the crucial “so what?” question about your topic:
why is it important? Why should anyone care about this subject?
•Begin to identify the
major sources you will use to answer your questions.
Sept. 14: Library information session with Ms. Virginia Cole. Meet
in Uris Electronic Classroom at regular class time.
•Continue to work on
identifying sources for your thesis; begin to prepare an annotated
bibliography, distinguishing primary and secondary sources
Sept. 21: What does it take to complete a successful history honors
thesis?
•Due in class: an
annotated bibliography, identifying your most important primary and secondary
sources
•Prof.
Raymond Craib, Director of Undergraduate Studies and Chair of the Honors
Program, will attend to explain how theses are assessed and degrees of honors
awarded.
•Two recent summa history graduates, Molly Warsh and
Seth LeJacq, will return to Cornell to share their insights into the process of
writing excellent history honors theses.
Sept. 28: Primary source analysis
•Read: Storey, Writing History, chapters 3-4; Presnell,
Information-Literate Historian, chapters
6-7
•Bring to class 15
copies of a short (1-page) primary source, along with a printed copy (for the
prof to retain) and an e-copy (for the class to discuss) of a paragraph you
have written in which you analyze the key elements of that primary source. Be
prepared to explain your analysis briefly to the class.
Oct. 5: General discussion: note-taking, outlining, how to avoid
plagiarism
•Discussion of
readings assigned for Sept. 28 (continues)
•Due in class: a
5-page analysis of a substantial primary source you have identified for your
thesis. Attach a copy of at least part of the source to your paper.
Oct. 12: no class (fall break)
Oct. 19: Note-taking, continued
•Bring to class (in
electronic format with one print copy for the prof to retain) examples of your
notes on 1 primary source and 1 secondary source, for the class to discuss.
Oct. 26: Outlining the thesis
•Bring to class (in
electronic format with one print copy for the prof to retain) a draft outline
for your thesis, for the class to discuss. Note: the easiest way to think about
a 60-page thesis is to plan 3 chapters of 15 pp each, along with an
introduction and a conclusion that together total 15 pp. The outline should
identify the subjects and sources of each chapter, and state clearly the
questions that each chapter will address and attempt to answer.
Nov. 2: Chapter outline
•Read: Storey, Writing History, chapter 5
•Bring to class (in
electronic format with one print copy for the prof to retain) a draft outline
of the chapter you plan to complete by the end of the semester.
Nov. 9: General discussion of writing and revision
•Read: Storey, Writing History, chapters 6-10
Nov. 16: No class
•Professor will be
available in classroom for drop-in consulting. Space also available for small
group meetings for discussion of chapter drafts.
Nov. 23: No class
•Professor will be
available in classroom for drop-in consulting. Space also available for small
group meetings for discussion of chapter drafts.
WED, Nov. 25: Draft chapter due in Prof. Norton’s
mailbox on the 4th floor of McGraw. Also submit this chapter to your
advisor and possibly to your first reader, if prearranged.
Nov. 30: Planning for more research and writing.
•Due in class: your
plan for work over winter break and writing during the second semester (bring
both print and e-copies).