Professor Charles Evans
Office hours (room 308): By appointment
Office phone: 703.450.2520
Division phone: 703.450.2505
Division fax: 703.404.7368
Phone mailbox at NOVA Online: 703.323.3713#0846
NOVA Online fax: 703.323.3392
E-mail: cevans@nvcc.edu
Home page: novaonline.nv.cc.va.us/eli/evans/default.htm
OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVES: These courses
are both taught as independent study courses. Prerequisites are the successful
completion of HIS 101 for HIS 225 and HIS 102 for HIS 226. Each course
will focus on the completion of a research paper of at least twenty-pages
(word-processed). Students will also submit a number of assignments throughout
the semester. The intention of these courses is to provide students with
the opportunity to undertake intensive research of their own historical
interests under an instructor's guidance. Papers can be on any historical
topic or person, with the approval of the instructor, drawn from Western
history before 1600 (HIS 225) or after 1600 (HIS 226). Students will be
encouraged to use primary sources in their work and to develop a critical
perspective on history. Grading in the course is based primarily on the
research paper. The course, which supports the general educational goals
of historians and the college, will help students to develop an ability
to do historical research and complete a major writing assignment. In the
process of working with sources and criticizing the work of other students,
students will be able to improve their critical-thinking skills.
REQUIRED BOOK: Turabian, A Manual for
Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations (any edition).
ACCOMMODATION: If there is any student
in this class who has the need for some form of classroom accommodation, please feel free to
discuss this with me or one of the college's counselors.
PLAGIARISM: Any student caught plagiarizing
or cheating in this course will be subject to appropriate disciplinary
action.
GRADING:
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70% research paper
-
10% class work (bibliographies, outlines, drafts)
-
5% topic abstract
-
5% article abstract
-
10% book abstract
NOTE THAT PROPER GRAMMAR, SPELLING AND
STYLE ARE AN INHERENT, AND NECESSARY, PART OF EACH ASSIGNMENT IN THIS COURSE.
NOTE THAT ANY ASSIGNMENT NOT HANDED IN
ON TIME WILL BE REDUCED BY FIVE POINTS PER CALENDAR DAY.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:
-
Week 1, 19 January: Introduction
-
Week 2, 26 January: Visit Library and Writing
Center. Contact Jennifer Egan, reference librarian, for a brief library
tour at Loudoun campus during the week (if you are not already familiar
with library resources). The tour's purpose is to identify resources for
use in conducting research. Also, visit the campus Writing Center to check
available services. Please read Sara Tucker's guide to writing a research paper.
-
Week 3, 2 February: Topic approval by instructor.
Submit a list of possible resources, including encyclopedia articles, found
in the Loudoun campus library. Please review the
History Paper Style Rules, which
outlines some general principles of historical writing. You may wish to review the examples of common
Stylistic and English Usage
Mistakes in the Study Aids section.
-
Week 4, 9 February: Term paper prospectus.
Visit George Mason library. Submit a one-page topic abstract of your proposed
topic using the attached guide. Visit the library at George Mason University
to locate additional sources, especially periodicals.
-
Week 5, 16 February: Consultation. Submit
a list of articles found in the library at George Mason University.
-
Week 6, 23 February: Article abstract due
-
Week 7, 1 March: Preliminary Bibliography
due
-
Week 8, 8 March: Book abstract due
-
Week 9, 15 March: Outline and paper introduction
due
-
Week 10, 22 March: Revised bibliography
due
-
Week 11, 29 March: Consultation. Submit
a Revised term paper prospectus.
-
Week 12, 5 April: First paper draft due
-
Week 13, 12 April: Consultation
-
Week 14, 19 April: Revised paper draft
due
-
Week 15, 26 April: Consultation
-
Week 16, 3 May: FINAL PAPER DUE AT
NOON, 10 DECEMBER
SELECTED ONLINE RESOURCES:
NVCC Library page.
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