Course Description:
Nearly all the work students undertake in the History Honors Program is done individually. Though students cooperate with an advisor who directs the project, writing an Honors Thesis is a task that demands substantial self-discipline and enterprise. The thesis is the most substantial piece of scholarly writing that an undergraduate can undertake in the history department at UF. Students who are considering applying to graduate school in history or other humanities disciplines are especially encouraged to write an Honors Thesis. But doing a thesis is also a valuable experience for students who love history but have chosen other career paths. A solid thesis can serve as a superb writing sample for future employers and graduate schools in all fields.

Most students who write an Honors Thesis complete the bulk of their research in the fall semester, though many begin this work in the summer, especially if they are relying on archival and other non-published sources.  Students normally use winter break to begin the formal writing process. Spring semester is traditionally spent completing and revising the thesis, filling holes in research and preparing an oral presentation for the Spring Honors Conference. Obviously, the specific schedule you design will be developed in consultation with your advisor(s).

The mandatory Spring Honors Conference will take place on Saturday, April 12, in Smathers Library East!

Alongside individual research and writing, students will take an Honors Seminar in the fall semester, the Thesis Workshop. The Thesis Workshop has been designed to help hone your research skills and organize the writing and formal presentation of your thesis. It gives honors students the opportunity to work alongside others who are engaged in the same enterprise. Here you will have the chance to discuss your project with colleagues, address general problems and develop strategies that will help you produce a more effective Honors Thesis. 

A helpful on-line tool: University of Wisconsin--Writing Handbook

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Seminar Schedule (subject to slight variation)

Week 1: (August 27 & 28)  [No meeting Aug. 20; first seminar meetings: Aug. 27 & 28!]
Introduction to the course; discussion of Honors Program and spring Honors Conference;
Student introductions and discussion of expectations
Library session details: Students, topics & research librarians

Arrange Entry Interview meetings for Week 2
Planning social event for two sections to meet
Assignment: Set up librarian meeting; consult with adviser; begin compiling annotated bibliography


Week 2 (September 3 & 4 )
Individual Entry Interviews: Tuesday-Thursday (Sept. 3-6)

Assignment: Individualized library sessions—mandatory meeting with research librarian by Sept. 10; Prepare brief report on library resources for your topic.

 

 

Week 3 (September 10 & 11)
Discussion: Effective oral presentations
Discussion: Identifying your thesis in a broader field

Review Prospectus Assignment (due Week 4) - guidelines posted on Sakai
Introduce Oral Presentation Assignments for Weeks 5-6

Assignment Due: Brief report on library meeting (1 paragraph or page is sufficient)
                             Annotated Bibliography (8-12 items; both primary and secondary) (see UW Writing Handbook)


Week 4 (September 17 & 18)

Prospectus presentations-Peer Exchange
Thesis prospectus due (Guidelines: Harvard Handbook, 57-8)
Assignment: Thesis Prospectus


Weeks 5-6 (September 24 & 25 - October 1 & 2)
Crafting effective oral presentations
Oral Presentation Schedule (coming)
Assignments:

            a. 7 minute PowerPoint presentation on research topic--Oral Presentation Rubric (Critique of partner's presentation)
            b. Paragraph statement identifying your thesis in a broader field (include a reference to 2-3 scholars with whom your work is in dialog)
            c. ***Mandatory meeting 1 with adviser: Reviewing and revising the prospectus; brief paragraph report on meeting with adviser

Week 7 (October 8 & 9)

Discussion:  Primary Sources
Short paper (2-3 pages) due on a major primary source you intend to you use in your research. Your paper should address the following topics: What is the format of the primary source (e.g. book, manuscript, private correspondence, etc.)? Who was the author? What was the source’s original purpose and how did it come to be preserved? What potential problems might you encounter using and interpreting the source? How do you expect to use it in your research? Most importantly, how does the source contribute to the overall argument of your thesis? Those of you who are working with unusual or non-traditional sources can modify the questions if need be. Please write your paper as a formal essay but with a target audience of fellow students who do not necessarily know anything about the source or its context. Come to class prepared to discuss your source and paper with the other students in the seminar.
Assignment: Primary source analysis


Week 8 (October 15 & 16)
Critiquing a thesis—select a thesis from department library
(Guidelines: Harvard Handbook, 59)
Assignment: Thesis critique and presentation


Week 9 (October 22 & 23)

Topic: Evaluating and Integrating Secondary Sources
Short paper (2-3 pages) due on a major secondary source (book or article) related to your thesis topic. Your paper should summarize the main argument of the work and discuss the primary sources the author used to construct the argument. Come to class prepared to discuss the work and its relationship to your thesis project with the other students in the seminar.
Assignment: Secondary source analysis; Research Contract


Weeks 10-11 (October 29 & 30 - November 5 & 6)
No formal class; devote these weeks to research and meeting with your adviser
Develop thesis outline that you will exchange along with your prospectus to a seminar partner for peer critique. You MUST meet with your thesis advisor to review the outline you develop.
Your outline should give a chapter-by-chapter synopsis of what you expect to write about and should also indicate clearly how the chapters are related to each other. Your structure may change at a later stage in the process, but the course is designed to conclude with some type of structure in place to assist you begin the first draft of the Honors Thesis.
Assignment: See assignments for Week 12
***Mandatory Meeting 2 with adviser, update on thesis outline; brief paragraph report on meeting with adviser


Week 12 (November 12 & 13)
Peer critique presentation and discussion - Details concerning this assignment will be sent to you by email during the two-week stretch of independent study
(Guidelines: Harvard Handbook, 67-70)
Assignment: Fulfill Research Contract
Outline and Adviser meeting
Peer critique report on Outline (details coming)
Introduction Exercise

Week 13 (November 19 & 20)

Semester reprise—general development of thesis from beginning of the semester; how has your vision for the thesis changed?
Writing Workshop—Introductions

Assignment: Revised outline and draft of introduction due

Week 14 (Nov. 19-25)

Thanksgiving Week (no class)!
Work on assignments for week 15

Week 15 (December 3 & 4)
Exit Interviews
Assignment: Revised Outline; Thesis Introduction (5-7 pages); 3-3-3 Exercise
Bring all items to your exit interview on either Tuesday or Wednesday, Dec. 3 or 4

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