Welcome, Fall 2014 Students

by Dr. H - March 4th, 2014

Welcome to the History department capstone for Fall 2014. A 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 for Fall 2014 considers what it means (both methodologically and theoretically) to write history of the recent past. How much time needs to pass before something is “history”? What kinds of sources, problems, challenges, and opportunities do historians have, right now for telling stories of events not-so-long-ago?

The course will meet TR 10:00-11:15 in Sullivan 238. 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 in September, please feel free to contact me at thangen (at) worcester.edu.

PS: I taught the course in the Fall of 2013 as “The Fifties.” I will leave up the old material as an archive for previous students, but you can safely ignore any post below not tagged “Fall14.”

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