Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10267/3369
Title: HIST 485-02, Senior Seminar, Fall 2008
Authors: Jackson, Jeffrey H.
Keywords: History, Department of;Syllabus;Curriculum;Academic departments;Text;2008 Fall
Issue Date: 25-Aug-2008
Publisher: Memphis, Tenn. : Rhodes College
Series/Report no.: Syllabi CRN
19358
Abstract: The Senior Seminar is an examination of important themes and issues in the study and writ-ing of history, as seen through selected representative works drawn from diverse fields of historical investigation. Emphasis will be on reading and discussion, with both written ana-lyses and oral presentations required.This class will function as a seminar, which means that each student is responsible for doing all the reading and coming to class prepared to engage critically with that reading. The suc-cessful functioning of this class depends on the willingness of each student to participate in the ongoing conversation. Listening is not enough; each student is expected to make a rea-sonable contribution to the discussion so that others may benefit from their insight. I define “participation” as active engagement with the ideas, readings, and conversations that are an integral part of this course. Class attendance is necessary for class participation, since you cannot participate if you are not here. However, you do not earn your participa-tion grade simply by showing up to class. Rather, you must actually participate by joining in the class discussion, posing questions, sharing ideas, and interpreting the readings with your classmates in a thoughtful and reflective way. To accomplish that goal, will be called on to class discussion. I will choose discussion leaders at the beginning of each class session. Therefore, you should be prepared to lead discussion at a moment’s notice. To do so, you should arrive in class having done the reading and pre-pared a list of questions or issues for students to discuss. Discussion leadership also entails giving a brief (10 minute maximum) presentation to your colleagues about the main ideas and issues raised by the reading. This activity counts as a portion of your class participation grade. In addition, at the end of class, I will ask one student to write a summary of our class discus-sion and e-mail it to me. I will then post the summary to a blog I have created for this class, http://historyseniorsem.blogspot.com/. You should subscribe to this blog and read the dis-cussion summaries that I post; this will be especially useful if you must miss class. If you have any comments to add, please respond to the blog entry online so that everyone can 2 read your further thoughts. This is a particularly good way for those of you who do not feel particularly comfortable speaking in class can get your ideas on the table and earn your par-ticipation grade. I hope that the blog will allow all of us to continue our classroom discus-sion. This activity counts as a portion of your class participation grade. In addition, I may occasionally post blog comments relating to further issues in the reading that I want to bring to your attention.
Description: This syllabus was submitted to the Office of Academic Affairs by the course instructor
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10267/3369
Appears in Collections:Course Syllabi

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