INTRODUCTION

    As a Senior History major you are expected to have a general knowledge and comprehension of the more significant events in American and world history. You are expected to have a general knowledge of the significant resource materials available to increase your knowledge of history. And you are expected to have a general knowledge of the major interpretations and scholars of the more significant events as well as the skills by which to develop your own sound judgments and interpretations of these events.

    This course is designed to provide you with the opportunity to integrate discipline-specific knowledge into a culminating senior experience. You will be required to analyze and discuss all facets of history and historical presentations, including scholarly works and public history. You will make an in-depth public presentation, demonstrating some aspect of historical research, study, or professional involvement. This course offers senior history majors an opportunity to both sum up their undergraduate historical study and prepare for life beyond graduation.

A.  Objectives:

1.  To identify the major events, persons and ideas of history.

2.  To develop concepts and methods which give an understanding of what influenced attitudes and behavior of peoples in the past and present.

3.  To practice critical and analytical skills in examining historical problems.

4.  To identify and analyze significant problems and situations as they relate to continuing issues and the investigation of the past.

5.  To become aware of options for careers and activities after graduation.

B.  GOALS: 

1.  To improve understanding of the major events which have influenced the modern world.

2.  To understand the influence of the past on contemporary events and problems, or, in other words, to develop Historical Mindedness.

3.  To be an intelligent consumer and evaluator of information about events in the world.

4.  To develop a global perspective which recognizes the political, social, economic, cultural and technological interdependence of all nations.

5.  To prepare for professional and personal life as an intelligent and active citizen in our contemporary society.

C.  General Learning Outcomes:

In addition to the more content-related objectives described above, this course promotes some general liberal learning goals of developing academic skills.  It is expected that successful completion of this course will help you improve your ability:

1.  To manage information, which involves sorting data, ranking data for significance, synthesizing facts, concepts and principles.

2.  To understand and use organizing principles or key concepts against which miscellaneous data can be evaluated.

3.  To differentiate among facts, opinions and inferences.

4.  To frame questions so as to clarify a problem, topic or issue

5.  To compare and to contrast the relative merits of opposing arguments and interpretations, moving between the main points of each position.

6.  To organize your thoughts and communicate them clearly and concisely in written and oral form.

7.  To obtain practice in selecting and presenting information and arguments within a restricted environment, including examinations, timed presentations, word limited essays or articles.

D.  COURSE REQUIREMENTS

TEXTS (required)

      Stearns, Peter . Thinking History. Washington , D.C. : American Historical Association, 2004.  (Copies will be provided by instructors)

This reading is intended to provide you with important background information on the study of history as well as career opportunities in the field.                                                            

You are also expected to use American and World History textbooks as reference works.

TEXTS (online - recommended; not required)

Gustafson, Melanie S. Becoming a Historian: A Survival Manual. Washington , D.C. : American Historical Association, 2003. http://www.historians.org/pubs/professional.cfm#gustafson

Schulz, Constance, Page Putnam Miller, Aaron Marrs, and Kevin Allen. Careers for Students of History.  http://www.historians.org/pubs/careers/index.htm

2. Class Participation & Attendance:

 Participation and attendance are necessary because lecture and discussion provide the essentials for achieving class goals and objectives.  Thus a portion of your grade will depend on your in-class performance.  You are required to attend each class, arrive on time, remain attentive, maintain proper classroom decorum, respond to questions, ask questions and participate in projects and/or discussions.  For class discussions you should be aware of historical eras, actors, and scholars of the periods.  For class discussions you may be asked to lead a discussion or part of a discussion without prior notice.

Absences due to College activities, emergency or extended illness may be excused by the appropriate College official.  Other absences are unexcused and will substantially lower the class participation portion of your grade.  After any absence, you are responsible for making up missed work, requesting hand-outs and already returned assignments, or borrowing notes from other students. Remember – one class missed is equal to three 50 minute day schedule classes (one week!)!

All students who have a learning disability, physical handicap and/or any other possible impediment to class participation and requirements should schedule an appointment with the instructor within the first two weeks of classes to discuss available accommodations.

If at some point during the semester you must discontinue the course due to poor performance, illness or some other cause, be sure to follow proper procedures for withdrawal. A short leave of absence should be communicated directly to me.  

3. Academic Honesty: 

Be aware of academic honesty policy concerning cheating and plagiarism, and your moral, ethical and legal obligation only to submit work completed by you yourself.

For more information see Dr. Pavlac’s Web Page http://departments.kings.edu/history/honesty.html

4. DUE DATES / Deadlines:

 Meeting due dates is an essential aspect of written assignments.  You must make Oral Presentations on the assigned date or receive zero points for that assignment. Written assignments must be handed in, in person, to your Reader/Reviewer or your Professor on the dates assigned.  Late papers/projects will receive at least five (5) points up to twenty-five (25) points off for that assignment.  

5. Written Assignments

Minor Writing Assignments:     Throughout the semester you will participate in various projects in class (to be assigned) and have brief written assignments due as assigned, each worth 10 points.

Total -  three minor written assignments per student.

For presentation guidelines of the assignments and the Major Project, Citations/Bibliography should be in Turabian Manual of Style format.

Career Planning Activity (25 points).                                                                 

You are required to submit a Résumé appropriate for a potential future job application. Also, you are required to submit a Cover Letter of application for a position in your appropriate career. (Prospective employer may be a "fiction"). 

RESUME AND COVER LETTER - Due September 15, 2009                                                                                                            

History Career Study Guide (Print and Oral)

You will also produce a Study Guide on one History Career. The instructor will assign you a choice from the text, Top Careers.  You are then to prepare a Study Guide for Undergraduate Students (first and second year), with a brief description of the basic activities and necessary preparation for the field and three  referral references in print format (NOT online).  Make and distribute enough copies of your Guide for the class and the instructor.  

Your Oral Presentation (5 – 10 minutes) should not just go over the basics, but convey key concepts and opportunities worth knowing about in the field.  Your study and promotion guide will be evaluated on its clarity, usefulness for review, precision, comprehensiveness, and thoroughness. You should be prepared to teach and to promote the field to your colleagues.

Due Tuesday, September 29, 2009.

Major Project: 

Your Topic and Goals/Objectives must be explicitly confirmed by your Professor in writing after an individual discussion in his office before September 15.  The instructor will provide you individually with more detailed requirements and evaluation criteria. 

Your main assignment will be to prepare a research paper on a relevant historical subject or a current public policy problem with historical antecedents and to develop and to argue a thesis on the subject. This paper will combine elements of description, explanation, and demonstration as applicable to the subject area as well as the ethos and logos expected of a sound rhetorical statement.

6. PROJECT Status Reports:

On the scheduled day of Status Reports you must give an exactly five (5) minute (no more than 10) presentation of the current progress of your research.  On that date you are also required to turn in an

Annotated Bibliography.  This Bibliography must meet the minimum requirements for your study track. You will be evaluated on the clarity of your presentation, the apparent amount of work achieved, and

the indications of thought about further progress.  You must be able to answer questions about your project.  You should, if possible, offer help to other students with their projects.  The text and oral reports

will be worth 25 points of your Major Project grade.

Due: October 20, 2009

7. Exams and Quizzes:

There will be NO exams or quizzes in this course. There will, however, be a Final Essay Assignment due on or before the last class evening in addition to all other assignments herein noted. 

E.  Grades

You earn your grade.  It is your responsibility to read and to follow this syllabus, to understand what steps you can and should take to maintain or improve your grade. You are encouraged to consult with

your professor during regular office hours or by appointment about all assignments and progress toward your grade objective.  For your protection, in case of errors of recording, you should keep copies of

all assignments until you have received official notice of your final grade.

Your final grade will be based on a percentage of the sum of the following points:

10 for each Written Assignment;

25 for Career Planning Resume and Letter

25 for Status Report and Bibliography  (included in Major Project) 

25 for the History Career Guide and Review

25 for the Final Essay Assignment;

200 for your Major Project; 50+ for Project Oral Presentation

50 for your Class Attendance & Participation.

The general grading scale to be used is as follows:
 

Schedule

Assignments on the schedule are tentative; instructors may change them at their discretion.

Sept.  1    Class - Orientation:  History, You, and The Senior Seminar 

                Sept.  2– Sept. 14  Individual Meetings - Professor Fedrick or Scarboro (required)

Sept.  8    Class – 5:30 to 7:00    Assignment #1 Due 

                Career Planning and Placement Center Presentation  - Guest Speaker

Sept   15      NO CLASS       Assignment #2 Due    

                   Career Planning and Placement: RESUME and COVER LETTER (required)

Sept   22   Class – 5:30 to 7:00    What is an Historian?  Read THINKING HISTORY                                               

Sept   29    Class –   History Career Study Guide Due

                                Major Project Topic and Thesis Statement (in print) DUE  

Oct.  6     HISTORY DEPARTMENT CAREER NIGHT (attendance required)

Oct   13      HISTORIANS and HISTORIOGRAPHY  - Guest Lecturer        

                                                Assignment #3 Due

Oct   20    Project Status Reports and Tentative Annotated Bibliography   DUE

Oct   27    NO CLASS

                 Individual Meetings with Professor Fedrick or Scarboro October 22 to October 31                                                                                                                  

Nov. 3      Major Research Project.................................... Major Project Due  (“Clean Rough Draft”)

Nov.   10 NO CLASS: 

                Individual Meetings with Professor Fedrick or Scarboro Nov. 10-17 (required)

Nov. 17    ORAL PRESENTATION Discussion: Guidelines and Demonstrations 

Nov. 24     NO CLASS – Thanksgiving Break

Dec. 1     ORAL PRESENTATIONS      

Dec  8      ORAL PRESENTATIONS  

Dec  15    ORAL PRESENTATIONS