History 297W is a writing-intensive senior seminar. Our topical focus is "Daily Life in American Cities, 1800-1930", but the course is not really about the history of American cities -- it is about the process of conducting historical research. It is designed to give students further experience in developing and defending a position as an historian does.

Class meetings will be discussions in which students debate historical evidence, research methods, and different historians' interpretations. It is essential that reading be done on time and that everyone come to class ready to raise their own questions and participate actively in each week's discussions. At the beginning of some sessions students will be required to respond in writing to questions based upon the assigned reading for that day. These responses will not receive formal grades, but will be taken into account in your final participation grade.

The major writing assignment is a 25 page research paper. Your topic should be developed in consultation with the instructor and the project will be completed in stages. This is not the kind of paper that one can write quickly over two or three days. The various deadlines are designed to assist you in the process, but your project will require significant independent work over the course of the semester.

Each student will work with a peer partner through the stages of developing their research project. Time will be set aside in most class sessions for the partners to meet; partners are also expected to arrange additional meetings outside of class at points throughout the semester. Partners should exchange the proposals due on Feb. 23, March 15, and March 29; they should meet to discuss these proposals and to exchange ideas. Each student should write at least one paragraph of constructive advice in response to these assignments within a week, giving one copy to your peer partner and one copy to the instructor at the time of the following class session. 

Required Reading:

Four books are available for purchase, two studies by historians and two reference books. Additional short reading assignments will be distributed in class most weeks.

• Borchert, Alley Life in Washington
• Cohen, The Murder of Helen Jewett
  
• Marius and Page, A Short Guide to Writing About History, 4th ed.
• McCutcheon, Everyday Life in the 1800s

Grading:
The following table shows how your grade will be calculated:

1) All students are required to submit their written work on time. Students who encounter an emergency that prevents them from submitting a paper or weekly worksheet on time are required to discuss the matter with me in advance, if at all possible, or to notify me by voice mail (486-3854). Students who submit late work without advance permission will be penalized. For each weekday that a paper is late, the grade will be reduced by a third of a grade (for instance from an A- to a B+). No papers will be accepted more than a week late without prior arrangement. 

2) All papers and worksheets must be submitted to me in person (not by e-mail or in my mailbox), except by special arrangement.

3) Daily attendance is very strongly encouraged. Participation counts for 30% of your final grade. You cannot participate effectively if you are not present.

4) In class discussions, students are expected to express informed judgments, pose questions, and respond to other students' comments. They are also expected to comment constructively on other students work. Students who rarely speak, are disrespectful to other students, or who show a lack of familiarity with the material, will receive poor grades. 

5) Punctuality is important and expected. By arriving late, you cause a distraction for everybody. By doing so repeatedly, or by leaving before the end of class without notifying me in advance, you are likely to annoy me. 

6) We will take a break every class. Please don't wander out for your own additional breaks during class. It's distracting. 

7) Drinks are OK, but no eating in class. 

8) Students are expected to behave themselves in a way that shows courtesy to the instructors and to fellow students. They are expected to be attentive and respectful. Language or behavior that demeans or harasses other students will not be tolerated; this includes sexual harassment.

9) Plagiarism will not be tolerated. By this point, you all know what plagiarism is. If you are caught plagiarizing, you will fail the course.