HIST 415:
Senior Seminar
The Question of Communism
Scarboro
|
Class Meetings: |
Tuesdays 5:30 (H-M
213) |
|
|
|
Office: |
H-M 306 |
|
|
|
Office Hours: |
M/W
12:00-2:00; T/Th 10:00-12:00 |
||
|
E-mail: |
|
||
|
Phone: |
(570) 208-5900 ext.
5637 |
|
|
|
Moodle Site: |
|
||
I. Course Description
This course is intended as a capstone for the history major
and asks the student to investigate the art and science of the discipline as a
producer and consumer of historical sources and texts. Students will be
asked to evaluate and integrate primary and secondary sources into a coherent
and persuasive piece of historical writing, placing it within a larger
historiographical debate, and present their findings in conversation with other
historians.
Objectives for the student:
1)
To
demonstrate a facility in researching and integrating secondary sources within
the structure of a historiographical essay.
2) To
demonstrate a facility in using primary sources in formulating a historical
argument.
3) To
demonstrate a facility in integrating historical sources into a well written,
thoughtful and coherent research paper.
4) To
demonstrate a facility in presenting their research to an audience.
III. General
Course Requirements:
Fitzpatrick, Sheila, The Russian Revolution, 3rd ed., Oxford
University Press, 2008
Steven Kotkin, Armageddon Averted: The Soviet Collapse 1970-2000, Oxford
University Press, 2008
Other readings will be
available on the course moodle site.
B. Class
Participation and Class Attendance:
As well as
providing you with the methodological and analytical tools for engaging in
historical thinking, this class will ask you to actively take part in a larger
conversation of historical issues within the class. I expect this class to
allow us to delve deeply into the historical topics of each week’s readings.
To that end you need to make sure that you arrive to class on time ready to
discuss the weekly readings, having carefully read and thought over the
material. You must take an active role in the class discussions.
Thus a portion of your grade will depend on your in-class performance and
presence.
In a class of this nature it goes without saying that a
classroom environment in which everyone feels comfortable is essential.
You should treat your fellow classmates with respect, listen carefully to their
comments and respond to them in a polite manner.
C.
Written Assignments:
The primary written assignment in this class is a18-20 page
paper on the topic of communism that incorporates and synthesizes both primary
and secondary sources. Much of this
work will be done collaboratively within a group.
On the first day of class you will chose three other people with whom you
will be working closely together both in researching your paper and in preparing
and presenting your final group project. Each of your individual papers
will be on the same general topic linked to one of the four “Problem of
Communism” topics that we will be discussing closely in class.
This will allow you to collaborate
closely on developing bibliographies, in critiquing one another’s historiography
and methodology and in approaching primary sources.
The schedule for steps of the paper writing process are as follows:
1) On the
first day of class you will be chose which of the four groups you will be
working with.
2) On October 5th you will turn in a group
bibliography of secondary sources.
This will consist of a minimum of 50 sources and be the basis of your first
draft of the paper your historiographical essay.
3) The historiographical essay is due on October 19th.
This essay (which will be incorporated into your final paper) will
synthesize the historical scholarship on your topic against which you will
situate your own readings of your primary sources.
This essay will need to be a minimum of 7 pages.
Besides a copy for me, you will need to e-mail a copy to each member of
your group.
4) On October, 26th your group will
critique one another’s historiographical essays in an in-class workshop.
5) Also on October 26th your group will
turn in a group bibliography of primary sources.
This will consist of a minimum of 20 sources and be the basis of the
second draft of the paper.
6) On Friday, November 5th you will turn
in your second rough draft of your paper which will focus on interpreting and
integrating primary sources within the framework of your historiographical
understanding. This draft should be
unique (that is not include sections from your historiographical essay) and a
minimum of 7 pages. Besides a copy
for me, you will need to e-mail a copy
to each member of your group.
7) On November 9th your group will
critique one another’s second drafts in an in-class workshop.
8) On November
16th your group will workshop one another’s theses.
9) Your final paper of 18-20 pages is due the last
day of class December 10th
D. Workshops
Writing workshops are designed to give you opportunities to
develop and refine your final paper throughout the semester, and provide a forum
for peer review. You will be asked to bring in some component of your
final paper on each of these dates:
|
Source Workshop |
September 7th |
|
Historiography Workshop |
October 26th |
|
Primary Source and Synthesis Workshop |
November 9th |
|
Thesis Workshop |
November 16th |
Your participation in each of these workshops is factored
into your final paper grade.
E.
Poster Sessions
F. Grading:
Your final grade will be based on the following percentages
|
100-95 |
A |
|
94-92 |
A- |
|
91-85 |
B+ |
|
88-85 |
B |
|
84-83 |
B- |
|
82-80 |
C+ |
|
79-77 |
C |
|
78-75 |
C- |
|
74-70 |
D |
|
69< |
F |
Your grade distribution for assignments is as follows:
|
Final Paper |
40% |
|
Rough Draft: Historiography |
10% |
|
Rough Draft: Synthesis |
10% |
|
Poster Session |
20% |
|
Class Participation |
20% |
G. Academic Integrity:
The Department of History adheres to guidelines on academic
integrity outlined in the Student Conduct Code in the Student Handbook:
http://www.kings.edu/student_handbook/studentregulations_rights/conductcode.htm
Cheating and plagiarism will be penalized in accord with
the penalties and procedures indicated in that source. All students are
responsible for familiarizing themselves with the definition of these
infractions of academic honesty.
H. Disabilities:
King’s College and this instructor will make every effort
to accommodate students with a bona-fide disability that impacts on their
ability to learn the course material. Please meet with me privately so
that appropriate arrangements can be made to help in the learning process.
I. Course Schedule:
Introduction
Tuesday, August 31st
Source Workshop
Tuesday, September 7th
Historical Overview
of Communism
Tuesday, September 14th
**Readings:
1) Sheila Fitzpatrick,
The Russian Revolution
**Primary Sources:
Film: D. Vertov, Soviet Toys, 1924
Problems of
Communism One: Stalinism
Tuesday, September 21st
1)
2) Ronald Grigor Suny, "The Stalin Revolution" from The
Structure of Soviet History <<Course Moodle Site>>
3) Vera Dunham, "The Big Deal," from The Structure of
Soviet History <<Course Moodle Site>>
4) Robert Conquest, "The Roots of Terror" from The
Great Terror: A Reassessment <<Course Moodle Site>>
**Primary Sources:
1) Vasily Lebedev-Kumach and Isaac Dunevsky, March of
the Happy-Go-Lucky Guys, 1934
2) Vasily Lebedev-Kumach and Isaac Dunevsky,
Sportsman's March, 1936
3) Vasily Lebedev-Kumach and Isaac Dunevsky, Life's
Getting Better, 1936
4) Mikhail Doroshin,Pavlik Morozov, 1933
5) Stalin, Dizzy with Success, 1930
6) Nikolai Bukharin's Letter to Stalin, 1937
7) Film: Results of the XII Party Congress of
Cooperation, 1925
Problems of
Communism Two: Nation
Tuesday, September 28th
2) Lenin on the Uneven Prospects of Revolution; Bukharin on
the Imperialist State and Lenin on National Self-Determination
No Class:
Career Night
Tuesday, October 5th
***Group
Bibliography of Secondary Sources Due***
Problems of
Communism Three: Socialism in Time and Space
Tuesday, October 12th
1) Richard Stites, "We: The Community of the Future"
<<Course Moodle Site>>
2) Katernia Clark, "The Sacraliztion of Everyday Life"
<<Course Moodle Site>>
3) Steven Kotkin, "Living Space and the Stranger's Gaze"
<<Course Moodle Site>>
**Primary Sources:
1) Film: V. Kotonochkin, Prophets and Lessons,
1967
No Class
Tuesday, October 19th
***Historiographical
Essay Due***
Historiography
Workshop
Tuesday, October 26th
***Group
Bibliography of Primary Sources Due***
1
Primary Source and
Synthesis Workshop
Tuesday, November 9th
Thesis Workshop
Tuesday, November 16th
No Class
Tuesday, November 23rd
Presentation
Tuesday, November 30th
Presentation
Tuesday, December 7th