Welcome, Spring 2016 Seniors!
by Dr. H - December 31st, 2015
Welcome to the History department capstone for Spring 2016!
Our capstone course is designed to help you synthesize and integrate learning in the major and your college education, demonstrate mastery of historical thinking and the student learning outcomes of the history major; and facilitate your transition from WSU to your chosen post-graduate plans. It is meant to be the culminating learning experience of your history degree. We’ve designed it to be a senior-level research seminar focused on a deep, narrow topic in which you produce
- a semester-long inquiry resulting in a substantive original research paper adhering to the scholarly conventions of the discipline of history
- a polished portfolio of your work in the History major as an example of professional self-presentation
This class will lead students through the process of formulating an effective research question, developing a research strategy, understanding and interpreting primary sources, situating oneself within existing historical scholarship, and creating a polished research paper. Students will develop an electronic portfolio of their work in the History major and present themselves professionally as they prepare for their chosen post-graduate pursuits.
My version of HI 460 in Spring 2016 invites you to explore the variety of American religious history, an enduring but ever-changing and vibrant part of our collective past. In addition you will discover that religious history is a methodologically and theoretically rich discipline in its own right (and one which, perhaps, you haven’t explored much in your other classes).
The course will meet MW 12:20 – 1:45 pm in Sullivan 318. Bringing your laptop each day is highly recommended. Course books are posted under the “Readings” tab so you can get started finding them through your favorite bookseller if you want. If you have questions or concerns before our first meeting on January 20, please feel free to contact me at thangen (at) worcester.edu.
PS: Previous versions of this course used my same website, and their information is left up as an archive. You can safely ignore any post not tagged “Spr16.”