Instructions for Two-Page Paper for Your Final Paper Proposal
Think of your two-page final paper proposal as if it was a grant proposal. Your paper will identify
the source you will analyze, explain the focus of your analysis of the source, indicate what
methodology or theory you might employ, demonstrate that the research you intend to
undertake can be completed according to the schedule laid out in our HST 201 syllabus, and
articulate why your paper will be significant and original. Obviously, this is the start of the
process, and your ideas may change or evolve as you research your source more fully and
familiarize yourself with related secondary literature, but it is good to begin your project already
thinking about these issues and finding the words to help you articulate your goals. Why is this
source appropriate for the type of focus you intend to undertake in your paper? Remember your
audience (do not imagine it is only me but someone who may not be familiar with your source,
its author, or its context. Give a little bit of information to your reader about the source. Who
wrote it? When was it published? What was the author’s intended audience? How might these
factors have influenced the author’s depictions of the environments, cultures, and individuals
they depict? In terms of audience, a diary and travel literature can be quite different from one
another. One is intended to be a commodity for public consumption, whereas the author of a
diary may have never wanted anyone other than her or himself to read it. Some travel literature,
however, is based on diaries traveler’s kept, so they remain related to one another. Also,
indicate potential secondary sources you have identified that will allow you to contextualize your
source. If you have chosen to research travel literature, you might want to reference Pratt, for
instance, though it is not a requirement. You are free to argue against Pratt’s arguments;
indeed, I encourage you to be critically minded with all the secondary sources you employ. You
may find points where you agree and others where you disagree with other scholars’
interpretations. Please include a brief bibliography at the end of your paper. The bibliography
will not count as part of the two-pages designated for this assignment.
HST 201 section 001 Spring 2017 Professor Peter M. Beattie
Seminar Room: 145 Natural Sciences Bldg. Office: 340 Old Hort
Seminar Hours: T-TH 2:40-4:00 Office Hours: Wed. 1:00-3:00
Historical Methods and Skills
This seminar is intended to introduce students of history to the ways in which historians work
and think: how they conceptualize the problems they investigate, how they identify the sources
on which to base their investigations, how they go about examining the evidence in those
sources, how they come to their conclusions on the basis of that evidence, and how they present
the results to their readers. Students will not only look at how other historians do these things
but also do them themselves through individual research projects.
As we are reading these works, we will explore various types of sources used to study the lives
of ordinary and extraordinary individuals in Latin America history (the region about which your
professor does his own research and writing). Each student in the class will choose a topic based
on primary sources. Some of you may have the ability to read sources in Spanish, Portuguese, or
French, but those of you who do not will have to find appropriate sources in English. For this
reason, the seminar will focus on travel literature as a primary historical source (either in translation
or originally written in English, e.g., Sir Richard Francis Burton’s Travels through the Highlands
of Brazil or his Letters from the Battlefields of Paraguay). The second half of the term will
be devoted primarily to students’ individual research projects: Students will discuss the progress
of their research in class and will make formal oral and written presentations of the results.
Class meetings will be devoted to student-centered discussions of reading materials and individual
projects.
By the end of the term, students should be able to
• identify the principal types of historical analysis
• use the principal parts of a scholarly book to navigate the author’s argument
• identify the principal thesis of a historical argument and its subordinate contentions
• identify the evidence on which a historical argument is based
• evaluate how well evidence is used to support an argument
• identify the sorts of information which different sources can give the historian
• use information from sources to construct an argument about the past
• make a formal, oral scholarly presentation
• write a clear, well argued and persuasive presentation of the results of original research
Because writing clearly and persuasively is an important set of skills, we will also spend considerable
time polishing these skills in class and in written work. By the end of the term, students
should have improved the following skills:
• to write in a formally correct and tonally appropriate style
• to use correct grammar
• to use correct punctuation
• to avoid wordiness and awkwardness
• to employ language with precision
How to get in touch with me:
Office: 340 Old Hort
Office hours: Wednesday 1:00-3:00
E-mail: [email protected]
Office telephone: Please do not phone my office. I do not use the voice mail on our
phone system. Rather send a polite email and allow adequate time
for me to respond 24 to 48 hours.
Books to buy for this course:
John Lewis Gaddis, The Landscape of History: How Historians Map the World. New York: Oxford
University Press, 2002.
Mary Louise Pratt, Imperial Eyes: Travel Writing and Transculturation. 2nd edition. New York:
Routledge, 2008.
If you do not yet own a stapler, you should buy one. Written work which is more than one page
long should be stapled. All work for this class shall be handed in on paper, no electronic submissions
please.
Grades will be based on the following:
1. Short papers and class exercises: In the reading and assignment schedule below, you will
see there are a series of short two page papers. Some will ask you to analyze a source.
This exercise will ask you to think like a historian and to evaluate what a source can reveal
about the past. Others will ask you to write a critical evaluation of a scholarly article
(I will share sources and articles on our Angel account at the appropriate time). The purpose
of the latter assignment is to get you to examine a historical argument and evaluate
whether it hangs together and holds up to your scrutiny. (20% of your final grade). So-
metimes I will ask you to do an in class exercise that you turn in at the end of class that
will also contribute to this portion of your grade
2. The preliminary prospectus for your research paper, due at the beginning of the class on
February 9, 2017. This assignment is worth 10% of your final grade. You should prepare
a two-page proposal that states what sources you will research, how you intend to analyze
the sources (methodology), and what you intend to argue on the basis of this research.
3. Reading quizzes and peer reviews: 10% of your grade. I will give pop reading quizzes on
required readings for the course administered in the first five minutes of class. Students
will also be required to evaluate and edit one of their peer’s final papers. I will evaluate
the thoughtfulness and precision of the student’s editorial work and suggestions for improvement.
4. Initial five pages (double-spaced) of analysis of your source(s) due on March 23, 2017.
Then on March 30, 2017 extend your first five pages to ten double spaced pages. These
assignments are each worth 5% of your final grade each.
5. Class participation, worth 20% of your final grade. Class participation consists of coming
to class, being prepared for class, and contributing to class discussion. Attendance
will be taken. Also, your final paper presentation in April will account for half of your
participation grade.
NOTE: Because this is a discussion class, attendance is mandatory: you cannot participate if
you are not present. Each student is allowed two unexcused absences. After that, each unexcused
absence will lower your class participation grade by five percent, which means that a total of
ten unexcused absences will render this portion of the final grade a 0.0, no matter how good your
participation is when you are present. If you are absent (unexcused) for an eleventh time, you
will fail the course.
6. A research paper (10-15 double spaced pages), worth 30% of the final grade.
• Each student will meet with me to discuss his or her individual progress. (You are, of course,
welcome to discuss your projects with me much more often than that, but there are required
conferences too.)
• You will hand in a polished, carefully edited paper on the day when you are assigned to
present the results of your research to the class.
• The order in which students will present on the days reserved for this activity will be determined
by lot.
• I will read these papers carefully, comment on them extensively and return them to you in a
timely fashion. If I am satisfied with your paper you will not be required to rewrite, but this
is rare. Most students will be asked to respond to their peers and their professor’s comments
to rewrite and resubmit the paper for the final grade. How seriously you have worked with
comments to improve your paper will be taken into account in assigning the grade for the final
paper. In other words, if you resubmit an unchanged paper or one revised in a perfunctory
manner, your grade on the paper will go down.
• Resubmitted drafts may be handed in at any time up to the scheduled final exam date: May 2,
2017.
7. Note the following:
• Improvement will be taken into account. If your attendance has been satisfactory and you
have participated adequately in discussion, then it is likely that, no matter what your grades
on prior written work may have been, if you get a 4.0 (or a much improved mark) on the resubmitted
final paper I will give that extra weight in the determination of your final grade.
• If your contributions to class discussion have been consistently excellent and I evaluate them
as better than your written work, I may count this aspect of your performance as more than
20% of the final grade.
• Extra credit: From time to time, I may announce events outside of class for which you can
earn extra credit. The likely example is a scholarly lecture on a historical topic. To receive
extra credit, you will need to attend the lecture, write a one-page evaluation of it, and report
to the class on the event.
Academic dishonesty: Be advised that academic dishonesty includes not only such obvious violations
of the norms of academic behavior as copying examination answers from someone else’s
exam or handing in as your own work material actually written by someone else, but also plagiarism,
that is, presenting the words and/or the ideas of others as your own work. When the words
are someone else’s you must use quotation marks and cite your source.
For more information on the general subject of academic dishonesty, including links to various
sites which, among other things, provide exercises on what is and is not plagiarism, I suggest you
see the web site of the MSU ombudsman.
Note that the penalty for academic dishonesty is at the discretion of the instructor. The least harsh
penalty is likely to be a grade of 0.0 for the assignment, but gross plagiarism may entail failing
the course. If an instructor in any course chooses to fail a student on any assignment on grounds
of plagiarism, he or she is required (yes, required) to write a letter to the dean of the student’s
college explaining the reasons for the failure. Such a letter may lead to further sanctions, up to
and including expulsion from the university.
Course Reading and Assignment Schedule: Note that assignments are due and readings must be
completed before the corresponding class meeting dates below. This is a discussion-based semi-
nar. It is your responsibility to come to seminar fully prepared to contribute to a thoughtful discussion
of readings and assignments. This is a responsibility you owe to your fellow seminar participants
and your efforts will directly affect the quality of this class. So, take pride in your preparation
and take time to think about your readings. Do not be afraid to discuss them before seminar
with your fellow students. I have worked to keep reading light, so I expect you to read
and take notes on your reading carefully.
Tuesday, 1/10 Introduction
Thursday, 1/12 Course Theme: Travel Literature
Read: Pratt, p. xi-36.
Tuesday, 1/17 Due: Two-page paper evaluating the scholarly article on D2L and in class.
Gaddis, p. ix-34. This article will be posted after class on this date.
Thursday, 1/19 Library Orientation and Quiz
Read Pratt, p. 37-83; Brief Reading Quiz followed by a trip to the library, get to class early so we
can get it all in.
Tuesday, 1/24 Due: Two page paper analyzing a source available on D2L and in class.
Gaddis, p. 34-70.
Thursday, 1/26 In Class Exercise
Read: Pratt, p. 84-140
Tuesday 1/31 In Class Exercise: Due Two Page paper analyzing a source
Read: Pratt, p. 141-194
Thursday, 2/2 In class exercise
Gaddis, p. 71-108
Tuesday, 2/7 Due: two page paper analyzing a source shared on D2L
Gaddis, p. 109-128
Thursday, 2/9 Gaddis, p. 129-151
Tuesday, 2/14 In Class Exercise: Due: Two-page double-spaced proposal for final research
paper
Read: Pratt, p. 197-243
Thursday, 2/16 No class: Individual conferences
Indentify a scholarly book related to your research to read and write a review
Tuesday, 2/21 No class: Individual conferences
Thursday, 2/23 Due: Two Page Review Essay of the Book you read related to your research
Come to class prepared to discuss with your peers the book you read and to explain how it fits or
has influenced ideas about your project.
Tuesday, 2/28 No class: Identify a second scholarly book related to your research project
and read it
Thursday, 3/2 No class: Individual consultations
Tuesday, 2/27 No class: Individual consultations
Monday, 3/6- Friday, 3/10 No class: Spring Break!
Prepare your preliminary oral presentation and your initial written work on your project
Tuesday, 3/14 No class. I will be available during class hours for individual consultation
Continue to take notes on your primary source and write your two-page paper
Thursday, 3/16 Turn your 2nd two-page paper on a secondary source related to your primary
source and take notes on your primary source(s)
Tuesday, 3/21 No Class: Start to develop your notes on your primary source and be
Thursday, 3/23 Due: Notes (separate document of notes you have take from specific passages
from your primary source) and in addition preliminary
analysis of passages from your primary source (five doublespaced
pages). Integrate information and arguments from secondary
sources into your analysis.
Tuesday, 3/28 No Class: Professor available for consultation
Thursday, 3/30 Due: Extend your analysis of your primary source to ten double-spaced
pages, integrate insights from secondary sources, explain how
your analysis is original and how it relates to existing debates
in secondary sources
Tuesday, 4/4 No Class: Continue to work on developing your final draft and your
fifteen minute power point presentations of your research: Professor
available for consultation
Thursday, 4/6 No Class Professor out of town for a conference.
Tuesday, 4/11 Class Presentations
(Polished draft of paper due for those who present this day)
Thursday, 4/13 Class Presentations
(Polished draft of paper due for those who present this day)
Tuesday, 4/18 Class Presentations
(Polished draft of paper due for those who present this day)
Thursday, 4/20 Class Presentations
(Polished draft of paper due for those who present this day)
Tuesday, 4/25 Class Presentations
(Polished draft of paper due for those who present this day)
Thursday, 4/27 No class: revise papers based on comments no class (Professor available for
consultation during class and office hours or by appointment)