Students research and write an original and substantial thesis
under faculty mentorship. Students formulate their own research
questions, identify and analyze primary sources, synthesize
historiography, present and discuss their work as part of the
research process, and explain the significance of their findings
for understanding the past and present.
Athena Title
Senior Thesis in History
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in HIST 4990R
Non-Traditional Format
This is a faculty-mentored, independent research course in which
students gain the experience of a practicing historian by
producing an original and in-depth thesis in the framework of a
specific time period or theme about which department faculty
members hold recognized expertise (e.g., Race in the Twentieth-
Century U.S., The Early Middle Ages, or Nuclear Culture).
Prerequisite
One 3000- or 4000-level HIST course
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall and spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will be able to arrive at conclusions about a specific historic subject by gathering and weighing evidence, logical argument, and listening to counter argument.
By the end of this course, students will be able to write stylistically appropriate historical research essays. Students will be able to analyze ideas and evidence, organize their thoughts, and revise and edit their finished essays.
By the end of this course, students will be able to identify how the history of a specific historical topic -- which will vary according to instructor -- shaped diverse social and cultural attitudes toward categories like race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, and religion and culture, encouraging them to understand diverse worldviews and experiences.
By the end of this course, students will be able to apply appropriate methodological approaches to their analysis of primary sources, using such sources to support their own original analysis of a particular historical topic and organizing their evidence to show historical continuities and discontinuities.
By the end of this course, students will be able to generate their own research question or topic, locate suitable primary and secondary sources, and synthesize their ideas in novel ways.
By the end of this course, students will be able to initiate, manage, complete, and evaluate their independent research projects in stages and to give and receive constructive feedback through the peer review process.
Topical Outline
Introduction and Course Mechanics
Conceptualizing History and Research
Historical Mindedness
What Is Military History?
Themes in Military History
A Brief Survey of Military History
Using the Library
Finding a Topic and Finding Sources
Reading History
Historical Analysis
The Mechanics of Research and Writing
Individual Work on Bibliographies and Prospectuses
