Peer Review Drafts of Final Paper
Peer-Review of First Drafts
Everyone will read the drafts of two others. You MUST send your draft to each of the two readers (with a copy to me!) by noon on Tuesday, Dec. 9.
Claire: Cyrus, Neal
Cyrus: Katie H, Katie T
Katie H: Claire, Jameson
Taylor: Emily, Claire
Neal: Katie T, Katie H
Emily: Taylor, Ethan
Ethan: Jameson, Emily
Katie T: Neal, Cyrus
Jameson: Ethan, Taylor
The reading due on Dec. 10 will now be optional.
As a guide for reading and commenting on the drafts, I’d like each of you to write your answers to the following questions for each of the two papers you will be reading. Bring these comments to class on Wednesday, Dec. 10:
· In just one or two sentences, state what position you think the writer is taking. Place stars around, underline, or highlight the sentence that you think presents the thesis.
· On a sheet of paper, make an outline of the paper.
· List the kinds of evidence used to support the writer’s argument
· Which pieces of evidence do you think are the strongest? Which are the weakest?
· Highlight or underline any passages that you had to read more than once to understand what the writer was saying.
· After reading the paper, do you agree or disagree with the writer’s position? Why or why not?
· Add any commentary that you think would be helpful to the writer in working further on the paper.
In class on the 10th, you will get a chance to hear from the two people who read your drafts. You should be prepared to talk about the 2-3 things you think are the strongest parts of the drafts you have read and the 2-3 things you think are currently weak, problematic, or ineffective. Make 2-3 directive statements recommending the most important changes that the writer should make in the next draft.
HIST 461 (Fall 2014): Final Paper
Explore any aspect of the Mexican Revolution. Your paper will need a theme and a thesis, i.e. you need to argue some point, not just describe something. Your theme can be taken from anything that we have studied in the course (individuals, the role of women and gender, monuments, art, religion, students, etc.) or beyond. If you are interested in a particular theme we haven’t covered it, check with me. 1. The paper must engage either the historiography of the topic (e.g., how our examination of Zapata has changed over time), or how more contemporary topics (e.g. the Zapatistas of Chiapas) are related to a specific history that you trace out (e.g., in this case, Zapata and his movement). Thus, for example, an examination of NAFTA that didn’t at the same time explore the roots of U.S.-Mexican relations, would not work.
2. The paper needs to involve research beyond the materials we have read or otherwise explored in class. I don’t have a precise number of outside sources I want you to consult, but your outside research should be roughly half of your total research. In other words (and more importantly), I want to see you ability to successfully bring new materials into the study, to deepen its historiography, as it were.
3. Your paper needs a clearly defined introduction, in which you set out your thesis, a substantial central section in which you provide the evidence to support your thesis, and a conclusion in which you move beyond a simple restating of the introduction and use it to introduce a new perspective or point to where further research would take you. You can separate different segments of the paper with subheadings.
4. Your paper will be due in the following segments:
* Nov. 5: Topic and one paragraph description
* Nov. 19: Annotated bibliography of main sources, particularly new sources
* Dec. 10 (still to be determined): First draft due for workshop in class (we will be paying particular attention to the introduction and, if available, the conclusion)
* Dec. 21: Final paper due no later than 11:00 AM.
5. Some nuts & bolts:
Length: 15-20 pages: double spaced
Formatting: 12 pt. font, 1” margins
6. Citations: You may use either footnotes or endnotes, but citation of evidence used is mandatory. No bibliography is required. The footnotes or endnotes MUST use the format that you will find linked to the on-line syllabus (http://www.oberlin.edu/faculty/svolk/citation.htm).
Please note that these citations are broadly following the practice of historians and are based on the Chicago Manual of Style. You can only use one supra-number at a time (not multiple numbers: 1, 2, 3 as in the sciences); if you use more than one source per number, they are all put into the same footnote. All citations are via supra-numbers, not parenthetical materials. Almost all our sources use footnotes in the proper way. See, e.g., how Joseph and Buchenau use their endnotes pp.217-225.
Ask if you have questions.
7. Turning your papers in: Send your papers to me by email in either Word or as PDFs. They have to be “postmarked” as sent by 11:00 AM on Dec. 21 at the latest.
8. Late papers: Absolutely NO late papers will be accepted unless you have an official incomplete. This is not negotiable. I will grant you an educational incomplete if you request one – make sure you do this on time if you need one.
Have I said: Ask if you have questions?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Mexican Revolution: First Paper/Project:
Topic:
In your first paper, you will investigate and expand on any topic that we have covered in class so far or will have covered up to the fall break. The topic you select can span some weeks if needed (e.g., if you wanted to carry out a comparison of Zapata and Villa; explore the notion of the creation of the hero in Mexican history; examine theories of what the Mexican Revolution was about; etc.). Or, if you prefer, the paper can just expand/expound on a theme that you found interesting or stimulating from a single week (e.g. Womack’s populist history; ideas suggested in Bruck about how Zapata rises to hero status).
As you can see from the examples I used, the topics can include both the subject of our investigation (the Mexican Revolution) or those who have written about it (any of the authors and their approaches).
Approach:
Whether you choose to do a (standard) paper or some other project (see below), you need to develop and argue a thesis which you should present in the first sentence or, at the very least, the first paragraph: “In this paper, I will argue that Villa and Zapata were…”), or at the start of your presentation (“In this podcast, you will see why Rivera’s vision of Zapata is…”). Your thesis must be argued on the basis of evidence, and your paper/project must come to a logical conclusion.
Alternative Media:
You also have the choice of presenting your topic in a form other than the standard paper. If you choose to do this, make sure that you have picked a media/presentation form that makes sense of the kind of material you are presenting. For example, if your project will largely be based on visual imagery, it would make sense to develop your project using PowerPoint, Prezi, or some other form of presentation software. If you want to think about how Zapata appears in the hands of two very well known Mexican artists (Rivera and Siqueiros) using the images which are up in the Allen, you might think about it as a 3-5 minute podcast. If you are intrigued by the idea of presenting Villa to an 8th grade class (in the US or Mexico), you can prepare a radio script and recorded podcast. The key here is to always make sure that you are picking the medium of the presentation to enhance the inherent possibilities of the subject you have chosen, not just because you’re interested in doing a podcast. Secondly, you’d be best advised not to select a medium with which you have no experience – it might take you longer than you have to get up to speed. That said, there are resources on campus that can help.
These are basic formats (and themes). If you are going to do a project, and it’s not broadly indicated in which I’ve written, it’s probably best to pass it by me first to make sure it’s OK.
Length and Format:
Papers: 5-pages; 1” margins; 12-point font.
Projects: It’s harder to determine, but your project will always have to have a written text (whether the text for your slides; the script for your podcast; etc.), and it should be around 5-pages in length. I’m guessing that this would be a podcast of about 3-5 minutes, but you can determine that on your own. The basic point on length is that it shouldn’t be too short (which is almost never a problem with Oberlin students), but it also shouldn’t be too long. Plan accordingly.
If you do a podcast, turn in both the audio file and the script. If you do a PowerPoint or other presentation, you can leave the script in the “Notes” portion that accompanies each slide. Other media? See me.
Documentation and Citation Format:
My expectation is that you will develop your evidence largely from the materials we have covered in the class (as well as the class discussions). I would like you to expand on these slightly – adding an additional 2-3 sources that have not been assigned.
Furthermore, for this assignment, you can use as documentation anything from the current
exhibitions up at the Allen Memorial Art Museum (particularly the section of the show devoted to Mexico – straight ahead of you as you walk into the Ellen Johnson Gallery) or the photography of Hugo Brehme on the 2nd floor in the Ripin Print Gallery, or other imagery that you find on the web (I’m thinking particularly if you want to go into the photographic record of the Revolution, although you could also use corridos or other primary sources). If you have any questions about sources, ask me.
Citation Format: For papers, podcasts, or anything that has a script: Use standard (Chicago-style) history footnotes (for papers) or endnotes (for scripts). For a simple and useful style manual, see the following: http://www.oberlin.edu/faculty/svolk/citation.htm (also available as a page on the on-line syllabus). If you are worried about how to cite your sources within your medium of presentation, simply put in an endnote number if at all possible and then present your documentation in an attached endnote page. Other questions, see me.
Turning Your Papers/Projects In:
Unless it is impossible because of the nature of your project, send your completed papers/projects to me as an email attachment. If you are using some software that I am not likely to have, either think again about using that software or see me. Make sure you keep copies of your files and that you back up frequently to a safe storage place. The computer ate my file or I lost my thumb-drive are not valid excuses.
Due date:
Your papers must be delivered to me by 4:30 PM on Friday, October 17.
Honor Code: Required
Peer-Review of First Drafts
Everyone will read the drafts of two others. You MUST send your draft to each of the two readers (with a copy to me!) by noon on Tuesday, Dec. 9.
Claire: Cyrus, Neal
Cyrus: Katie H, Katie T
Katie H: Claire, Jameson
Taylor: Emily, Claire
Neal: Katie T, Katie H
Emily: Taylor, Ethan
Ethan: Jameson, Emily
Katie T: Neal, Cyrus
Jameson: Ethan, Taylor
The reading due on Dec. 10 will now be optional.
As a guide for reading and commenting on the drafts, I’d like each of you to write your answers to the following questions for each of the two papers you will be reading. Bring these comments to class on Wednesday, Dec. 10:
· In just one or two sentences, state what position you think the writer is taking. Place stars around, underline, or highlight the sentence that you think presents the thesis.
· On a sheet of paper, make an outline of the paper.
· List the kinds of evidence used to support the writer’s argument
· Which pieces of evidence do you think are the strongest? Which are the weakest?
· Highlight or underline any passages that you had to read more than once to understand what the writer was saying.
· After reading the paper, do you agree or disagree with the writer’s position? Why or why not?
· Add any commentary that you think would be helpful to the writer in working further on the paper.
In class on the 10th, you will get a chance to hear from the two people who read your drafts. You should be prepared to talk about the 2-3 things you think are the strongest parts of the drafts you have read and the 2-3 things you think are currently weak, problematic, or ineffective. Make 2-3 directive statements recommending the most important changes that the writer should make in the next draft.
HIST 461 (Fall 2014): Final Paper
Explore any aspect of the Mexican Revolution. Your paper will need a theme and a thesis, i.e. you need to argue some point, not just describe something. Your theme can be taken from anything that we have studied in the course (individuals, the role of women and gender, monuments, art, religion, students, etc.) or beyond. If you are interested in a particular theme we haven’t covered it, check with me. 1. The paper must engage either the historiography of the topic (e.g., how our examination of Zapata has changed over time), or how more contemporary topics (e.g. the Zapatistas of Chiapas) are related to a specific history that you trace out (e.g., in this case, Zapata and his movement). Thus, for example, an examination of NAFTA that didn’t at the same time explore the roots of U.S.-Mexican relations, would not work.
2. The paper needs to involve research beyond the materials we have read or otherwise explored in class. I don’t have a precise number of outside sources I want you to consult, but your outside research should be roughly half of your total research. In other words (and more importantly), I want to see you ability to successfully bring new materials into the study, to deepen its historiography, as it were.
3. Your paper needs a clearly defined introduction, in which you set out your thesis, a substantial central section in which you provide the evidence to support your thesis, and a conclusion in which you move beyond a simple restating of the introduction and use it to introduce a new perspective or point to where further research would take you. You can separate different segments of the paper with subheadings.
4. Your paper will be due in the following segments:
* Nov. 5: Topic and one paragraph description
* Nov. 19: Annotated bibliography of main sources, particularly new sources
* Dec. 10 (still to be determined): First draft due for workshop in class (we will be paying particular attention to the introduction and, if available, the conclusion)
* Dec. 21: Final paper due no later than 11:00 AM.
5. Some nuts & bolts:
Length: 15-20 pages: double spaced
Formatting: 12 pt. font, 1” margins
6. Citations: You may use either footnotes or endnotes, but citation of evidence used is mandatory. No bibliography is required. The footnotes or endnotes MUST use the format that you will find linked to the on-line syllabus (http://www.oberlin.edu/faculty/svolk/citation.htm).
Please note that these citations are broadly following the practice of historians and are based on the Chicago Manual of Style. You can only use one supra-number at a time (not multiple numbers: 1, 2, 3 as in the sciences); if you use more than one source per number, they are all put into the same footnote. All citations are via supra-numbers, not parenthetical materials. Almost all our sources use footnotes in the proper way. See, e.g., how Joseph and Buchenau use their endnotes pp.217-225.
Ask if you have questions.
7. Turning your papers in: Send your papers to me by email in either Word or as PDFs. They have to be “postmarked” as sent by 11:00 AM on Dec. 21 at the latest.
8. Late papers: Absolutely NO late papers will be accepted unless you have an official incomplete. This is not negotiable. I will grant you an educational incomplete if you request one – make sure you do this on time if you need one.
Have I said: Ask if you have questions?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Mexican Revolution: First Paper/Project:
Topic:
In your first paper, you will investigate and expand on any topic that we have covered in class so far or will have covered up to the fall break. The topic you select can span some weeks if needed (e.g., if you wanted to carry out a comparison of Zapata and Villa; explore the notion of the creation of the hero in Mexican history; examine theories of what the Mexican Revolution was about; etc.). Or, if you prefer, the paper can just expand/expound on a theme that you found interesting or stimulating from a single week (e.g. Womack’s populist history; ideas suggested in Bruck about how Zapata rises to hero status).
As you can see from the examples I used, the topics can include both the subject of our investigation (the Mexican Revolution) or those who have written about it (any of the authors and their approaches).
Approach:
Whether you choose to do a (standard) paper or some other project (see below), you need to develop and argue a thesis which you should present in the first sentence or, at the very least, the first paragraph: “In this paper, I will argue that Villa and Zapata were…”), or at the start of your presentation (“In this podcast, you will see why Rivera’s vision of Zapata is…”). Your thesis must be argued on the basis of evidence, and your paper/project must come to a logical conclusion.
Alternative Media:
You also have the choice of presenting your topic in a form other than the standard paper. If you choose to do this, make sure that you have picked a media/presentation form that makes sense of the kind of material you are presenting. For example, if your project will largely be based on visual imagery, it would make sense to develop your project using PowerPoint, Prezi, or some other form of presentation software. If you want to think about how Zapata appears in the hands of two very well known Mexican artists (Rivera and Siqueiros) using the images which are up in the Allen, you might think about it as a 3-5 minute podcast. If you are intrigued by the idea of presenting Villa to an 8th grade class (in the US or Mexico), you can prepare a radio script and recorded podcast. The key here is to always make sure that you are picking the medium of the presentation to enhance the inherent possibilities of the subject you have chosen, not just because you’re interested in doing a podcast. Secondly, you’d be best advised not to select a medium with which you have no experience – it might take you longer than you have to get up to speed. That said, there are resources on campus that can help.
These are basic formats (and themes). If you are going to do a project, and it’s not broadly indicated in which I’ve written, it’s probably best to pass it by me first to make sure it’s OK.
Length and Format:
Papers: 5-pages; 1” margins; 12-point font.
Projects: It’s harder to determine, but your project will always have to have a written text (whether the text for your slides; the script for your podcast; etc.), and it should be around 5-pages in length. I’m guessing that this would be a podcast of about 3-5 minutes, but you can determine that on your own. The basic point on length is that it shouldn’t be too short (which is almost never a problem with Oberlin students), but it also shouldn’t be too long. Plan accordingly.
If you do a podcast, turn in both the audio file and the script. If you do a PowerPoint or other presentation, you can leave the script in the “Notes” portion that accompanies each slide. Other media? See me.
Documentation and Citation Format:
My expectation is that you will develop your evidence largely from the materials we have covered in the class (as well as the class discussions). I would like you to expand on these slightly – adding an additional 2-3 sources that have not been assigned.
Furthermore, for this assignment, you can use as documentation anything from the current
exhibitions up at the Allen Memorial Art Museum (particularly the section of the show devoted to Mexico – straight ahead of you as you walk into the Ellen Johnson Gallery) or the photography of Hugo Brehme on the 2nd floor in the Ripin Print Gallery, or other imagery that you find on the web (I’m thinking particularly if you want to go into the photographic record of the Revolution, although you could also use corridos or other primary sources). If you have any questions about sources, ask me.
Citation Format: For papers, podcasts, or anything that has a script: Use standard (Chicago-style) history footnotes (for papers) or endnotes (for scripts). For a simple and useful style manual, see the following: http://www.oberlin.edu/faculty/svolk/citation.htm (also available as a page on the on-line syllabus). If you are worried about how to cite your sources within your medium of presentation, simply put in an endnote number if at all possible and then present your documentation in an attached endnote page. Other questions, see me.
Turning Your Papers/Projects In:
Unless it is impossible because of the nature of your project, send your completed papers/projects to me as an email attachment. If you are using some software that I am not likely to have, either think again about using that software or see me. Make sure you keep copies of your files and that you back up frequently to a safe storage place. The computer ate my file or I lost my thumb-drive are not valid excuses.
Due date:
Your papers must be delivered to me by 4:30 PM on Friday, October 17.
Honor Code: Required
1. Leading class discussions: Each student is responsible for leading (or co-leading) two class sessions. Each of these count 5% toward the final grade.
2. Those leading the classes will write a short 2-3 page précis of the readings for that week. These are to be circulated to the whole class via Blackboard by Wednesday, noon (or the appropriate time if the class meeting is changed). Each paper will count 10% toward the final grade.
3. A 5-page paper or its equivalent (to be discussed with the instructor) will be due at the start of class on October 15. It will count 20% toward the final grade.
4. A 15-20 page, final paper on some aspect of historiography of the Mexican Revolution will be due no later than 11:00 AM on Sunday, December 21. It will count 35% toward the final grade.
Summary:
Facilitation of class discussion: 10%
Short papers: 20%
Class participation: 15%
Mid-semester paper: 20%
Final paper: 35%
2. Those leading the classes will write a short 2-3 page précis of the readings for that week. These are to be circulated to the whole class via Blackboard by Wednesday, noon (or the appropriate time if the class meeting is changed). Each paper will count 10% toward the final grade.
3. A 5-page paper or its equivalent (to be discussed with the instructor) will be due at the start of class on October 15. It will count 20% toward the final grade.
4. A 15-20 page, final paper on some aspect of historiography of the Mexican Revolution will be due no later than 11:00 AM on Sunday, December 21. It will count 35% toward the final grade.
Summary:
Facilitation of class discussion: 10%
Short papers: 20%
Class participation: 15%
Mid-semester paper: 20%
Final paper: 35%