History 641 Graduate Student Guidelines

You may choose to write a research paper or produce a website. The guidelines for each are explained below:

Each graduate student will read the equivalent of approximately 1500 pages and find a collection of appropriate primary sources for a 15-20 page formal research paper or a website project (10 page essay and 10-15 primary sources with head notes). Your paper/project is worth 200 points and should focus on a single general topic - eg., a major event, aspect, or phenomenon significant to the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. I have included below a list of possible GAPE topics for your paper/project, but you are not limited to these suggestions. Just keep in mind that you need to identify primary sources as well as monographs and journal articles (scholarly books and articles) on your chosen topic. There are many primary sources available in archives located in the Baltimore-Washington area. There is also a growing pool of on-line primary sources produced by commercial publishers, academics, libraries, and archives. For example, the National Archives has extensive on-line collections covering race, women's suffrage, popular entertainment (vaudeville), and other topics. I encourage you to schedule an appointment with me ASAP to discuss your proposed topic.

Submit your prospective bibliography by October 5th.  Final papers/projects are due by the start of class on December 6th. (Note revised due date). Late submissions will suffer a 20 point per day deduction. Be sure to follow the Department of History Style Sheet for your bibliography and final paper.

Research Paper (200 points), include:

1) A title page including the paper title, your name, and the date.
2) Your paper should be double spaced and use "New Times Roman" or a comparable 12 pt. font. Footnotes or Endnotes should follow the format listed on the Department of History Style Sheet. Page numbers should appear on each page after the title page.
3) Be sure to cite your sources (both primary and secondary) and properly format footnotes/endnotes. You may use either footnotes or endnotes. Use Chicago Manual of Style format. Historians do not use MLA style format; see the Department of History Style Sheet.
4) Also include photocopies of your primary source documents.
5) Your paper should include a thesis statement included in the first paragraph.
6) Bibliography.
7) Do NOT use covers or binders for your paper. Simply staple your paper at the upper left-hand corner.
8) Also turn in a digital version of your paper as an attachment to a posting on your assigned Group Discussion Board Forum on the Blackboard Course website.
9) Final Papers are due by the start of class on December 5th. Late submissions will suffer a 20 point per day deduction.

or

Website Project (200 points), include:
1) Begin with a research question on your chosen topic. For example, if you have chosen to write about the presidential election of 1896, you might begin with the question, "Did the Democrat Party Platform express the interests of urban workers as well as farmers?"
1) 10 page narrative essay that includes a thesis statement answering your research question. You narrative should also provide historical context and historiographical information about your topic.
2) The narrative essay must include endnotes following the Chicago Manual of Style format (also included in Kate Turabian's handbook). Historians do not use MLA style format; see the Department of History Style Sheet.
3) The narrative essay must also refer to the primary documents used as evidence for the thesis statement.
4) Also include photocopies of your primary source documents.
5) Bibliography.
6) List of related web links.
7) Transcriptions and images (when appropriate) of 10-15 primary source documents. Be sure to include full citations for each document and a head note describing the historical context of each document.
8) Burn your entire project on to a RW-CD.
9) The computers and scanners in Admin. 719A are there for your use. I am also available to help you with your project. There are also computer labs on campus that are free for your use. A list of the facilities is available on the UMBC Office of Information Technology website.
10) Well produced projects may be published on the World Wide Web, so this is an opportunity to make a permanent contribution to the history of the GAPE.
11) Final Projects are due by the start of class on December 12th. Late submissions will suffer a 20 point per day deduction.

The Women and Social Movements Website has good models for this type of project. If you choose a topic that emphasis the role of women, we can consider submitting it to the Women and Social Movements Website. Other topics may be published by H-SHGAPE or other appropriate web networks.

 I recommend using Microsoft's FrontPage for creating web pages. There is a list of tips for using FrontPage linked to my homepage. I will also provide digital templates for the web pages you will use in your project, but you are free to make your own.

Possible Paper/Project Topics
Anti-Imperialism
Bossism
Business and Industry (you could pick a specific industry such as railroads, banking, department stores, etc.)
Capitalism's Critics
Consumerism in Modernizing America
Education
Environment (preservation, planned use, water)
Entertainment (film, sports, vaudeville, etc.)
Girlhood/Boyhood
Global Expansion
Immigration (you will need pick an aspect of this story: policy, law, the experience of a particular ethnic group)
Medicine
Manhood
Native Americans (you will need to pick a specific issue to focus on)
Nursing
Party Politics
Presidential Elections
Politics of Reform
Popular Culture
Populism
Prohibition
Presidential Politics (a specific election, president, party, etc.)
Public Health
Race and Civil Rights
Socialism
Sexuality
Spanish American War
Trade Unions and Labor
Urbanization
Woman Suffrage
Women and Politics in the Progressive Era

These topics can also be effectively addressed from a local perspective. For students in Baltimore, I suggest visiting a local history museum (in person and online) for ideas.