Spring 2010 - Syllabus Dr. Cindy Ott
Time: Wednesday 2:30pm to 5pm
LOC: Kolmar Seminar Room office location: Humanities 110 Office hours: Tuesday 10-1
ASTD 410.01: Senior Seminar
This course is designed to guide you through researching and writing a senior thesis and, in the process, teach you how to be a good critic. The senior thesis is embodiment of the knowledge and training you garnered in your undergraduate education in American Studies. And, when completed, it should be a strong expression of your analytical and writing skills, which will be useful for whatever career you pursue.
In the class, we will focus on the step-by-step process of producing this 30- to 40-page research paper. We will read and discuss practical guides to research and writing and we will use the classroom as a forum to critique your individual projects. Each of you will play vital roles in the development of each other’s work.
At the end of the course, you will have honed your research and writing skills, developed strong techniques for critiquing your peers’ work, and produced a research paper that you can use as a writing sample as you pursue your future endeavors.
Week 1 (Jan 13): Introduction: What is an American Studies Research Paper?
Readings:
Strunk and White, The Elements of Style (begin reading)
Week 2 (Jan 20): Developing a Topic and Focusing a Research Question & Problem
Readings:
Booth, et al, The Craft of Research, chapters 2-4 (& prologue, pp. 1-8)
“Asking Good Questions” section from William Cronon’s “Learning To Do Historical Research” website (see link below)
Week 3 (Jan 27): Written Sources
Readings:
Booth, et al, The Craft of Research, chapters 5 & 6
“Finding Documents” & “Searching for Information,” sections from Cronon website
Meeting with Research Librarian
FIRST PAPER PROPOSAL DUE
Week 4 (Feb 3): Visual and Material Sources
Readings:
-Martha A. Sandweiss, "Picture Stories: Photography and the Nineteenth-Century West," in Print the Legend: Photography and the American West (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2002), pp.1-14.
-Robyn Asleson, “Seduced by an Old Flame: Paradox and Illusion in a Late-Twentieth-Century Lucite Lighter,” in Jules Prown and Kenneth Haltman, editors, American Artifacts: Essays in Material Culture (Michigan State University Press, 2000), pp. 29-46.
Guest speaker: Rebecca Odom
Week 5 (Feb 10): Individual Meetings
Readings:
“Taking Notes” section from Cronon webstie
Week 6 (Feb 17): Critical Analysis: Making an Argument
Readings:
-Booth, et al, The Craft of Research, chapters 7-10 (& prologue, pp. 103-107)
-“Arguing and Telling Stories” section from Cronon website
Week 7 (Feb 24): Organization
Readings:
-Booth, et al, The Craft of Research, chapters 12 & 13 (& prologue, pp. 171-176)
-Jacques Barzun and Henry Graff, The Modern Researcher, chapter 11
SECOND PAPER PROPOSAL DUE
Week 8 (Mar 3): Student Presentations
RESEARCH PROSPECTUS DUE
Week 9: SPRING BREAK: NO CLASS
Week 10 (Mar 17): Writing Style
Readings:
Barzun & Graff, The Modern Researcher, chapter 12 & 13
Stephen King, On Writing, pp. 200-227 (optional)
Week 11 (Mar 24): Individual Meetings
Readings:
Week 12 (Mar 31): Revision Process
Readings:
Booth, et al, The Craft of Research, chapters 12 & 17
“Drafting, Editing and Revising” section from Cronon’s website
Barzun & Graff, The Modern Researcher, chapter 16
FULL DRAFTS DUE TO OTHER CLASSMATES
Week 13 (Apr 7): Peer Review Session
Week 14 (Apr 14): Citations & Bibliography
Barzun & Graff, The Modern Researcher, chapter 15
Week 15 (Apr 21): Grounding Your Work in the Scholarship
Readings:
“Positioning Yourself Relative to Others” section from Cronon website
SECOND DRAFT DUE TO CLASSMATES
Week 16 (Apr 28): Student Presentations & Critiques
FINAL PROJECTS DUE MAY 7
Sources on Research and Writing
Barzun, Jacques and Henry F. Graff. The Modern Reader: The Classic Manual on All Aspects of
Research and Writing. New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1977.
Bolker, Joan. Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising,
and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis. New York: Henry Holt & Company, 1998.
Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams. The Craft of Research.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2008.
Harman, Eleanor, et al, editors. The Thesis and the Book: A Guide for First-Time Academic Authors. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2003.
King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. New York: Scribner, 2000.
Luey, Beth. Revising Your Dissertation: Advice from Leading Editors. Berkeley: University of
California Press, 2004.
Rabiner, Susan and Alfred Fortunato, Thinking Like Your Editor: How to Write Great Serious
Nonfiction – And Get It Published. New York: Norton, 2002.
Strunk, William, Jr. and E.B. White. The Elements of Style. New York: Macmillian Publishing Company, Inc., 1959.
Zerubavel, Eviatar. The Clockwork Muse: A Practical Guide to Writing Theses, Dissertations,
and Books. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1999.
Website: www.williamcronon.net/researching/index.htm
Spring 2010 ASTD 410.01: Senior Seminar Cindy Ott
Course Requirements
Evaluation:
10% - First & Second Paper Proposal20% - Research Prospectus & Presentation
10% - First Draft of Paper
10% - Second Draft & Presentation
35% - Final Paper
15% - Peer Critiques & Class Participation
Evaluations:
Students will be evaluated on every step of the research and writing process, and on their peer critiques and class participation.
First Paper Proposal: The first assignment is due January 27. You must submit a 1 to 2-page paper proposal. You need to include the paper topic, the questions you are asking, why the topic is important, and the sources you will be using.
Second Paper Proposal: This first assignment is due February 24. You must submit a 3 to 4-page proposal that includes your topic, main questions, working argument or thesis, the sources to be used, and the topic’s relationship to other works in the field. Proposals are graded on creativity of topic, organization, variety of source material, and clarity of writing.
Research Prospectus & Presentation: Due March 3. The prospectus should be about 10 pages long. I have attached a handout written by Prof. William Cronon of the University of Wisconsin on how to write a research prospectus.
First Draft of Paper: Due March 31. The first draft should be a complete manuscript. It is important to write as you think, that is, to get something down of paper that can be revised. No one ever figures everything out the first time around. Drafts are a normal and desirable part of the writing process. I do not expect - and you should not expect – this to be a polished piece of writing, but it should contain the basis features of a good work research paper. Your thesis should be evident, but you might need work honing or re-defining it. You should have strong evidence, though in later drafts you might need less in some areas and more in others.
Second Draft of Paper: Due April 21. The second draft should reflect the changes discussed in the critiques and a more focused argument, better use of sources, and more polished writing.
Final Paper: Due May 7. Evaluation of the final paper is based on the level of analysis, extent of research, creativity, use of primary and secondary source material, organization, and clarity of writing.
Peer Critiques & Class Participation: Your critiques will be evaluated in terms of their thoroughness, insightfulness, and helpfulness. It is also very useful for your own writing. You will make comments on the thesis or argument, evidence, organization, clarity, and grammar. I will provide instructions on how to critique someone else’s writing.