Syllabus
Seminar
"Traveling to Jerusalem"
History 493
Fall, 2008--Call No. 3285
Instructor: Beatrice Spade
Office: Psych 123
Phone: 549-2417
Office Hours: Tuesday 11:-00-2:00, Wednesday and Friday 1:00-2:00, and by appointment
Classroom: Psych 154 (Computer Lab)
e-mail address: beatrice.spade@colostate-pueblo.edu
Seminar web site: http://chass.uscolo.edu/history/seminar/seminar97.html
History 493, the senior seminar, includes as its goals the following:
- prepare students to engage in independent research
- prepare students to communicate their work to others orally, in writing, and via the internet, and
- prepare students to work analytically with primary and secondary material.
Textbook:
There will be no textbook, but if you do not have a copy of Turabian buy one.
Turabian, Kate. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. Chicago: University of Chicago, 2007.
Additional Requirements: You need to bring a thumb drive to each
class session to save your work. You can theoretically access your
student web account by Secureftp (file transfer protocol) from home,
but not everyone has been able to do so. (Secure ftp can only be used
with the Internet Explorer browser.) Normally you will save your work
to the student N: drive which you can access from any computer on
campus, but not from home. Do not save work to your C: drive in the
lab; the drives in the lab are cleared daily.
Outcome Expected:
- A thoroughly researched paper using primary and secondary
sources. The paper should show your ability to organize material, your
skills with the written language, your familiarity with proper citation
methods, and your ability to analyze and think through ideas. ("How
many sources should appear in my bibliography," you ask. Well as many
as it takes to cover your topic. The more primary sources you use for
your paper, the more likely it is that your paper will be innovative
and path breaking and publishable. THINK "PUBLISH".)
- Evidence
that you can convey your research to others orally in an effective
manner. (Class presentations using PowerPoint, graphics designed in
Microsoft Draw, etc.)
- Evidence that you are comfortable
using the Internet for research, communication, and publication.
(Searches in Google and other search engines; using World Catalogue, JSTOR, and
other data bases; introduction to RefWorks for citations and
bibliographies--may change during the semester; sending and receiving email; basic html, and web
design, etc.)
- Evidence that you are familiar with traditional library research techniques.
Work Schedule:
Aug. 25
- Discuss course objectives and expectations
- Basic introduction to Internet research techniques
- Using OneNote in Office 2007 and other imponderables such as saving data.
- Make sure you campus email is working if you have not designated a contact address.
Sept. 1
- Ref Works or not (Karen Pardue-Library)
- Discuss basic theories of pilgrimage and travel diaries
- Discussion of reading assignment below
Reading assignment: Turabian, Part I, entire.
Sept. 8
- Focus diary in hand
- Report on progress in obtaining supporting materials--the whys, whats, and darns
- Hands on with Photodraw for map of itinerary
- Discussion and practice of citation and bibliographic entries based on Turabian, Part II./LI>
Reading assignment: Review Turabian, Part II.
Sept.15
Sept 22
- Oral report on the history of your text using Powerpoint
- Oral report on the secondary material you have received
- Introduction to html script and editors
- Introducing Secure ftp and web site development
Sept. 27
- Oral report on the biography of your traveler using PowerPoint
- Put a short version of the biography, itinerary, and history of your text in html script
- Review of the web server, ftp, and your home page
Oct. 6
- Oral report of your exegesis or focus topic of your research paper
- Comments
and discussion by class on the feasibility and usefulness of each of
the topics (This is a critical exercise meant for the improvement of
all papers.)
Oct. 13
- If you have not already done so, turn in a clear and clean xerox copy of the primary text with which you are working
- Continue discussion on section of your text for research
- Continue work on homepage
Oct. 20
- Discuss historical environment in which your traveler lived and worked
- Discuss how this will be linked to your exegesis or focus topic
- Continue homepage work
Oct. 27
Nov. 3
- Work independently to finish first draft
Nov. 10
- Presentation of first draft of complete paper. (An
incomplete draft is useless; don't submit anything other than a
completed first draft.)
- Critique of presentations
- First draft of your paper due
Nov. 17
- Continuation of classroom presentations and critiques
- Update the basic web page for your traveler -- Use template at http://chass.colostate-pueblo.edu/history/seminar/template.html
- Return
of your first draft for revision
Vacation: Nov. 24-28
Dec. 1
- Turn in your basic web page template for the seminar site
(on a CD-ROM disk or thumb drive), plus the address to your own web site
- Present your web site design to the class
Dec. 4
No late papers are accepted; don't even think it. Final draft: one
hard paper copy; one read-write CD-Rom disk or thumb drive containing
fully formatted text in Word (place file name and document type on disk
label), and a copy of your text in HTML format (place filename and
document type on disk label and make sure you have not lost your
footnotes in this version).
Paper to include following sections:
- General introduction to your paper (Should constitute no more than 15-20% of the total paper)
- Begin with your topic thesis and explain why your analysis of this topic is significant
- Biography of the author of your focus text as it relates to your thesis
- Itinerary as it relates to your thesis
- History of the text as it relates to your thesis
- Introduction to the diary and the historical context as it relates to your thesis
- Your exegesis (focus topic) involving research of a
section of the diary (Should constitute at least 70% or more of the
total paper)
- Conclusion (Should constitute about 5-10% of the total paper)
- Bibliography (annotated)
- Map or maps of itinerary
You will, of course, follow the guidelines recommended in Turabian. Answers to questions not found there can often be found in The Chicago Manual of Style.
Recommended length of paper is around twenty pages, but again remember
that paper length is determined by your ability to present clearly the
results of thorough research.
Bibliography should contain both primary and secondary reference materials.
Also remember that I will not pass students who have either failed
to thoroughly research their topic or have failed to present a paper at
a level expected of a graduating senior in history. Make sure you have
done your very best with this paper as it will be posted to the web
site and be reviewed by assessment committee members if I accept the
paper.
Grades determined by:
- Attendance 5%
- Class presentations 20%
- Class activities 10%
- Internet skills 5%
- Final paper 60% (You must receive at least a C on your paper to pass the course.)
|
0-59
|
F
|
|
60-69
|
D
|
|
70-75
|
C
|
|
76-79
|
C+
|
|
80-83
|
B-
|
|
84-86
|
B
|
|
87-89
|
B+
|
|
90-91
|
A-
|
|
91-100
|
A
|
Attendance policies: Be in class or have a doctor's written statement unless prior arrangements have been agreed upon.
Should you have ADA requirements please bring those to my attention by the end of the first week of class.
Useful links:
Final Examination date: Thursday, Dec. 11th, 1:00-3:20.