HIST480-12W (C) Whole Year 2012

Research Paper

30 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 20 February 2012
End Date: Sunday, 11 November 2012
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Friday, 2 March 2012
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Friday, 31 August 2012

Description

Research Paper

Every student majoring in history is required to produce a research paper of 8,000/10,000 words in length (including bibliography, footnotes, appendices etc.)  Two kinds of research papers are possible.

(i) A standard research project based on primary sources.  (It is desirable that the topic be related to an Honours paper taken by the student.)

(ii) A historiographical essay; i.e. a comprehensive discussion of the secondary literature on a particular topic covering the contents of the literature, the institutions and individuals responsible for its key elements, the historical evolution of the literature, the historical context (cultural, institutional, ideological etc) in which it was produced and that influenced its production, and a critical assessment of the literature. (Overlap with an essay in one of the taught papers should be avoided)

Every effort will be made to assist students with their projects. A written  Guide for 480  Research Papers will be provided at the start of the year, and each student will be allotted a supervisor with whom they will meet on an average of about once a fortnight.  In addition, all 480 students will have a special class of their own: towards the beginning of the first term, the class will have a series of sessions on the nuts and bolts of doing research; in about April and May, each student will give a 10 minute presentation to the class on his/her research proposal (outlining the research question/issue being addressed, sources to be consulted, and the broad lines in the secondary literature); and in the fourth term, each student will give a 20 minute presentation to the class discussing his/her preliminary findings, pinpointing questions they are not sure they have resolved.

NB:
• The honours co-ordinator has the final responsibility for sorting out the distribution of supervisors and topics. This will be done at the time of enrolment. Students are welcome to approach staff about possible topics before that point.
• Students must produce a one page proposal on the project for their supervisors within two/three weeks after enrolment.
• Final submission date for research essays: 15 October.

Prerequisites

Subject to approval of the Head of Department.

Course Coordinator

For further information see Humanities Head of Department

Course links

Library portal

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $1,502.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Humanities .

All HIST480 Occurrences

  • HIST480-12W (C) Whole Year 2012
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