Recommended Practices for Faculty
The Research requirement for the major is as follows:
The major includes a historical research requirement. This requirement asks all majors to conduct significant research with primary sources and to write a substantial paper that interprets and analyzes the material uncovered in this research. The requirement ensures that all majors have become acquainted with the methodology of research, and that they can evaluate source material, interpret evidence, and construct a historical argument.
Majors will typically fulfill this requirement by completing a 20-25 page final paper in one of their required seminar courses, though specifics will vary from course to course. Majors may also opt to fulfill the requirement in an independent study or through other coursework with the permission of faculty. Majors completing the honors program will have fulfilled the requirement by researching and writing their thesis.
In undergraduate research courses in the Department of History, students learn both about the subject matter of the course topic, and about how to conduct historical research; they produce a paper that demonstrates those skills. Presentation of the historical subject matter may vary greatly from course to course given the range of regions and periods we cover. The basics of historical research vary less.
Break the stages of a research project into component parts; discuss each part in turn, allowing adequate class time; follow up with a practical exercise.
Components include most or all of the following:
- Critical reading of sources
- Searching for primary and secondary sources
- Writing a proposal, including a thesis statement
- Production of a working bibliography (plain or annotated)
- Production of a draft
- Critiques by fellow students in working groups
- Oral presentation to class
- Production of final draft
Identify these steps clearly on your syllabus, with clear and firm due dates for each.
You may wish to assign one of the many student guides to historical research.
For example: I.W. Mabbett, Writing History Essays: A Student's Guide (Palgrave, 2007).
