HIST 49963

Required for majors in the Department of History, this course focuses on research and writing as the culmination of historical study. Students will conduct research using primary and secondary sources related to a topic in United States history and will write a substantial research paper similar to one which would be published in a professional historical journal. Each student will complete assignments and drafts of the paper at various stages of the semester, participate in class discussion and in a peer review process, and make a formal presentation of his or her research.

The American Historical Association defines membership in the historical profession as people “who are collectively engaged in and interpreting the past as a matter of disciplined learned practice.” As they leave TCU with degrees in history, the students in this class will be able to join the community of scholars who study the past. Two of the primary skills in interpreting the past are the ability to conduct in-depth research and to present that research in clear, well-documented prose. Therefore, at the conclusion of this course, the student will be able to:

6. Develop and demonstrate in-depth knowledge of a specific topic in United States history.

Kate Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations. 7^th edition, 2007.

Richard Marius and Melvin Page, A Short Guide to Writing About History. 6^th edition, 2006.

William K. Zinsser, On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction, 2006.

We are a community of learners together, and it is important that we spend time together. In a class as small as this one, regular attendance by each person is absolutely crucial. Unexcused absences will have a negative effect not only on your grade but upon the overall conduct of the class. I expect you to be in class every time unless you are ill or have an emergency.

Late work will be penalized ten points per calendar day (weekends included) unless extenuating circumstances have been discussed with me before the due date.

Please keep your attention focused inside the classroom during class time. Use of cell phones (including text messages), BlackBerries, wireless Internet, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, including devices of which the professor has not yet heard, is expressly and vehemently forbidden.

Texas Christian University complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 regarding students with disabilities. Eligible students seeking accommodations should contact the Coordinator for Students with Disabilities in the Center for Academic Services located in Sadler Hall, 11. Accommodations are not retroactive, therefore, students should contact the Coordinator as soon as possible in the term for which they are seeking accommodations. Further information can be obtained from the Center for Academic Services, TCU Box 297710, Fort Worth, TX 76129, or at (817) 257-7486.

Any act that violates the academic integrity of the institution is considered academic misconduct. The procedures used to resolve suspected acts of academic misconduct are available in the offices of Academic Deans and the Office of Campus Life. Specific examples include, but are not limited to:

Cheating: Copying from another student’s test paper, laboratory report, other report, or computer files and listings; using, during any academic exercise, material and/or devices not authorized by the person in charge of the test; collaborating with or seeking aid from another student during a test or laboratory without permission; knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing, transporting, or soliciting in its entirety or in part, the contents of a test or other assignment unauthorized for release; substituting for another student or permitting another student to substitute for oneself;

Plagiarism: The appropriation, theft, purchase or obtaining by any means another’s work, and the unacknowledged submission or incorporation of that work as one’s own offered for credit. Appropriation includes the quoting or paraphrasing of another’s work without giving credit therefore.

Collusion: The unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing work offered for credit.

Date	Reading Assignment	Assignment Due
August 22	Introduction
August 29	Marius and Page, chap. 1-3	Your Personal Experiences with U.S. History
September 5	Marius and Page, chap. 4-6	Primary Source Document Interpretation Part I
September 12	Research methods & library visit: 219 Burnett Library	Primary Source Document Interpretation Part II
September 19	Marius and Page, chap. 7-8	Book review
September 26	One-on-one meetings with Dr. Sharpless	Library Resources Assignment
October 3	No meeting – Individual work	Annotated bibliography due
October 10	No meeting – Individual work	Thesis proposal due
October 17	No meeting – Individual work
October 24	No meeting – Individual work
October 31	No meeting – Individual work	First draft due
November 7	One-on-one meetings with Dr. Sharpless
November 14	No meeting – Individual work
November 21 Thanksgiving holiday
November 28		Second draft due
December 5	One-on-one meetings with Dr. Sharpless
December 13		Final paper due

Your Personal Experiences with U.S. History

Marius and Page, chap. 4-6

Primary Source Document Interpretation Part I

One-on-one meetings with Dr. Sharpless

Final paper due