Frida Kahlo, Self-Portrait, 1937
Frida Kahlo,
Self-Portrait, 1937
Thesis
Seminar in Women's
and Gender History
Class meets Monday evenings, 7:00-9:00 p.m. in
Science 101
Click here for the schedule of classes and assignments.
Reading
All of our texts are on reserve at the library or accessible through one of
its electronic databases. The items listed below are also on sale at the bookstore.
ASSIGNED TO THE WHOLE SEMINAR:
Pierre Bayard, How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read
Alison Light, Mrs. Woolf and the Servants: The Hidden Heart of Domestic Service
Martha Howell and Walter Prevenier, From Reliable Sources: An Introduction
to Historical Methods
Vicki Ruiz with Ellen DuBois, eds., Unequal Sisters: An Inclusive Reader
in U.S. Women's History (4th ed., 2008)
ASSIGNED TO SMALL GROUPS (for November
10):
Dorothy Ko, Cinderella's Sisters: A Revisionist History of Footbinding
Emma Perez, The Decolonial Imaginary: Writing Chicanas into History
Barbara Ransby, Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democratic
Vision
Laura Wexler, Tender Violence: Domestic Visions in an Age of U.S. Imperialism
Thesis work
In this seminar, both class work and conference work revolve around the thesis.
Below are the due dates for various writing assignments. Some will be discussed
in seminar meetings, others only in conference. For details, see the class schedule
below, the web page on writng assignments (click here),
and the page on conferences (click
here).
September 8 (in class) - preliminary
prospectus and bibliography
September 22 (in class) - core questions
October 6 (in class) - annotated bibliography of secondary sources
October 10 (email to PM) - historiographical portion of your introduction
to the thesis
October 27 (in class and email to the whole seminar) - final draft of
your prospectus and bibliography
October 31 (email to PM) - introduction to the thesis
November 14 (email to PM) - analysis of primary document distributed
to the class on November 10
December 8 - preliminary outline of the thesis
January 23 (email to whole seminar) - detailed outline
When we reconvene after the winter break, the whole seminar will read each student's
detailed outline, first draft (or parts thereof), and final draft.
9/8 Introduction to the Course
Lyde Sizer, "What is a Thesis?" (click here)
To be distributed in class:
Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History (5th ed., 2006)
Kate Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations
(7th ed., 2007)
HAND IN YOUR PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS AND BIBLIOGRAPHY (your conference paper for Visions/Revisions in spring 2008 or a suitable substitute).
Vicki Ruiz with Ellen DuBois, eds., Unequal Sisters (4th ed.)
Peruse this anthology and pick out the essay that best exemplifies the kind of thesis you wish to write. Be ready to explain to the class why you see this essay as a model and how you aim to follow its example.
HAND IN A SUMMARY (NO LONGER THAN ONE DOUBLE-SPACED PAGE) OF THE CORE QUESTION(S) YOUR THESIS WILL SEEK TO ANSWER.
Be ready to present these questions to the class and explain their importance.
Bayard, How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read
HAND IN AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF YOUR SECONDARY SOURCES.
Be ready to present a short description of the "collective library" relevant to your project.
10/13 Originality and Documentation
Rampolla, "Plagiarism: What
It Is and How to Avoid It," Pocket Guide, pp. 88-95
American Historical Association, "Statement
on Standards of Professional Conduct" (click for link)
Peter Hoffer, "Reflections
on Plagiarism, Part 1 - A Guide for the Perplexed" (click for link)
Anthony Grafton, "The
Footnote from De Thou to Ranke," History and Theory 33:4 (December
1994): 53-76 - accessible via JSTOR on the library's website
Robert Collins, "The Originality Trap: Richard Hofstadter on Populism,"
Journal of American History 76:1 (June 1989): 150-167 - accessible via
JSTOR on the library's website
10/20 October Study Days - no seminar meeting, no conferences
HAND IN THE FINAL DRAFT OF YOUR PROSPECTUS AND BIBLIOGRAPHY (WITHOUT ANNOTATIONS) OF BOTH PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES. EMAIL A COPY TO THE WHOLE CLASS.
Be ready to explain to the class what your work will add to the relevant "collective library."
Reading: Howell and Prevenier, From Reliable Sources
Ko, Cinderella's Sisters
Perez, The Decolonial Imaginary
Ransby, Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement
Wexler, Tender Violence
GROUP PRESENTATIONS ON THE READINGS: What can we learn from the ways in which these historians select and interpret sources?
DISTRIBUTE COPIES OF THE PRIMARY DOCUMENT YOU WISH TO DISCUSS IN CLASS ON NOVEMBER 17 OR 24. (Maximum length: five pages.)
11/17 Primary
Source Analysis I
Be ready to discuss the primary documents distributed by Patria Alvelo, Jessica Blakemore, Erin Burrows, Lauren Clark, Lindsey Dayton, and Christa D'Angelica. We'll begin each discussion with a very brief presentation from the student who selected the document.
CLASS WILL MEET UNTIL 9:30.
11/24 Primary Source Analysis II
Be ready to discuss the primary documents distributed by Christine Dilkes, Maggie Girouard, Diana Jimenez, Mary Klann, Pablo Rodriguez, Natty Seidenverg, and Alexis Taines. As before, we'll begin each discussion with a very brief presentation from the student who selected the document.
CLASS WILL MEET UNTIL 9:30.
Light, Mrs. Woolf and the Servants
Class will meet at the Faculty House for a dinner and discussion with Alison Light.
HAND IN THE PRELIMINARY OUTLINE OF YOUR THESIS.
Be ready to discuss the most challenging organizational issues that you confront.
Informal discussion (with refreshments);
return of preliminary outlines; and distribution
of an example of a detailed outline of the sort due on January 23.