History 873
Seminar in U.S. Military History

This graduate research seminar is designed to provide M.A. and Ph.D. students at various stages of graduate work with an opportunity to conduct primary and secondary research on a topic in American military history (with the instructor's approval) and to write an article-length paper on that topic.  Students often use these projects as the basis for a journal publication or an M.A. or Ph.D. thesis. I strongly encourage everyone to think in terms of submitting their final paper for publication in a refereed journal.

In order to achieve conceptual coherence among the various papers, this edition of the course will focus on race and racism within the American military experience.  The required books for the seminar have been chosen with that focus in mind.  They are:

Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic, eds., Critical White Studies: Looking Behind the Mirror. paperback.  Temple University Press ISBN: 1566395321

Audrey Smedley, Race in North America: Origin and Evolution of a Worldview. paperback. Westview Press. Perseus Books; 2nd edition. ASIN: 0813334489

This is a two-quarter course.  Your grade in the course will be based on two factors:  1) general class participation, which includes, among other things, participation in discussion, turning in proposals, drafts, etc., on the assigned dates, and conscientious, effective critique of peer drafts; and 2) the final paper.  I will not accept papers after the final due date, except in documented cases of illness or emergency.

We will spend the early weeks of the course pursuing three goals:

the establishment of a good rapport among course participants, in order to foster an atmosphere in which students feel as free as possible to discuss any issues that arise in the research and creative process;

a firm grasp of the basic theories underpinning study of race and racism in the American experience;

selection of a historical problem on which to write the seminar paper.

At the end of this period, students will write, present, and revise a project prospectus. A successful prospectus does two things: It identifies an original and important subject, and it convinces the reader that there are sources available and of manageable size that will allow you to address the subject. To accomplish these goals, the prospectus may run anywhere from a couple to several pages. Topics should be conceptual, not descriptive. Each project needs a central question with broad relevance.  You should develop your prospectus in close consultation with your faculty advisor.

We will spend the final weeks of the quarter presenting and discussing each prospectus. Each student's prospective must be revised and approved by the instructor within one week of the day it is presented and discussed in class.

During the Christmas break and for much of the second quarter of the seminar, we will meet only occasionally, and then primarily in order to discuss any issues that may have arisen in the course of the creative process.  We will spend the last four weeks of the second quarter critiquing advanced drafts of the seminar paper.  Each student will not only present her or his own paper, she or he will also serve as the main commentator on a peer's paper as well.

Final papers should be of article-length; that is to say, about 10,000 words excluding reference notes.  They should conform to the criteria in the current Chicago Manual of Style.  (For most practical purposes, these criteria can be found in Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 6th edition).

IMPORTANT DATES

September 22 - Organizational, get acquainted

(We will meet each week between September 22 and November 10, but we will set the agenda as we go)

October 27 - Selected readings on race, culture, and combat

November 10 - Prospectuses due in class; come with enough copies for everyone and send me a copy as an email attachment.  Prospectuses will be placed online.

November 17 - Discussion of prospectuses

November 23 - Discussion of prospectuses

November 30 - Discussion of prospectuses

December 1 - Discussion of prospectuses

January 5 - First meeting, Winter Quarter; informal progress reports (oral)

February 9 - Drafts due in class; come with enough copies for everyone.  In addition, send me a precis of your paper as an email attachments.  These will be placed online.

February 16 - Discussion of drafts.

    Jim Doty, presenter - Kyengho Son, comment
    Joel Holwitt, presenter - Steven Barry, comment   

February 23 - Discussion of drafts

    John Plating, presenter - Jim Doty, comment
    Mark Mulcahey, presenter - Andrew de la Garza, comment   

March 2 - Discussion of drafts

    Alison Efford, presenter - Jill Veerkamp, comment
    Franz Rademacher - Joel Holwitt, comment   

March 9 - Discussion of drafts

    Kyengho Son, presenter - Franz Rademacher, comment
    Steven Barry, presenter - John Plating, comment

March 16 - Final drafts are due by close of business

    Jill Veerkamp, presenter - Alison Efford, comment
    Andrew de la Garza, presenter - Mark Mulcahey, comment

In selecting and developing a topic, it may be useful to bear in mind the guidance supplied to referees for the Journal of American History (you may vary the exact language as appropriate for your target journal; e.g., the Journal of Military History  and its audience):

As you write your report, we ask you to consider the following criteria in determining whether this manuscript belongs among the select few we publish:

1)  Soundness--How well is the manuscript researched and written?  Are the sources appropriate?  Are the conclusions justified?  Are the organization, argument, and writing clear?

2)  Originality--How original is the manuscript's contribution to its field?  In what ways is it original?

3)  Significance--Does this manuscript open outward from the details of its research to engage a wide variety of American historians?  Do its scope and importance justify its publication in the JAH instead of in a more specialized journal?

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