BA Seminar: Social History of the US in the 19th and 20th Century 4219-ZS018
Scope of class topics: 1. Purpose and tasks of the seminar 2. Creating a work concept - choosing a topic 3. Case study in cultural and historical research 4. Structure of the work - layout, tasks. Formal and methodological side 5. Structure of the introduction and conclusion of the work. 6. Structure of chapters. Internal consistency of work. 7. Literature search and criticism. Types and applications for writing a thesis. 8. The role of written sources. 9. Visual sources - film, sound, photography. 10 - 12. Presentations of the assumptions of the work - students. 13. Construction of a research paper as an introduction to the chapter of the work. 14. Discussion and discussion of research tasks. 15. Criteria for assessing bachelor's theses. Writing and defending a bachelor's thesis is the most important result of participating in the seminar. Learning outcomes: (in Polish) After completing this course, the student: in the field of knowledge there will be: 1. was able to analyze and evaluate the causes and dynamics of the main events of the centuries discussed 2. was able to collect and present research results 3. was able to draw conclusions and formulate summaries of his research 4. was able to write a bachelor's thesis in the field of skills there will be: 1. had advanced knowledge of the main phenomena of the centuries discussed 2. recognized the complex relationships between social, political and economic events of the centuries 3. was able to prepare sources and literature relating to the bachelor's thesis 4. had knowledge of different points of view and ways of interpreting the centuries in the field of competences there will be: 1. was able to cooperate with other students in a group 2. was able to formulate his own sentences and opinions about the problems discussed in the bachelor's thesis 3. supplement and acquire knowledge about the decade and the technique of writing a thesis 4. aware of responsibility while writing a bachelor's thesis
Type of course
B.Sc. seminars
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of the course, the student will:
Knowledge:
- Be familiar with cultural products of the United States and their characteristic historical contexts, as well as the connections between various socio-cultural phenomena in the USA and the ways they are expressed.
- Understand historical processes and events related to the emergence and development of the United States.
- Understand the formation of social structures in the USA in the past.
- Recognize the role of past events for contemporary United States.
- Have in-depth knowledge of the interdependence of culture and politics, as well as complex relationships between social and political phenomena in the past; understand the interdisciplinary nature of American studies and the need to draw from other disciplines when analyzing issues in US social history in the 19th and 20th centuries.
- Understand basic principles and concepts related to intellectual property protection and copyright law, particularly regarding plagiarism and academic ethics.
Skills:
- Conduct historical research and analyze, evaluate, and draw conclusions about phenomena and processes based on historical sources.
- Recognize and understand the importance of the source context and the process of its creation.
- Explain the significance of a specific source for American social and political history.
- Formulate conclusions regarding the social history of the USA in the 19th and 20th centuries and the resulting assessments.
- Search for information about events represented by a source.
- Possess advanced interdisciplinary analysis skills for presenting and analyzing socio-political development in the United States.
- Present research findings in English both orally and in writing.
Social competences:
- Critically evaluate content related to US history conveyed by media and other environments.
- Utilize acquired interdisciplinary knowledge about US history to formulate their own opinions.
Assessment criteria
Assessment criteria
Assessment methods and assessment criteria: First semester: regular attendance and participation in class discussions. Homework. In the first semester of the seminar, you should prepare a thesis project and literature on this topic. To obtain a pass in January, students are required to present the general idea of the work and the introduction project.
Passing the seminar The first chapter should be ready in mid-March, the second in mid-April, the third in mid-May. The final assessment and approval of the diploma thesis for defense is based on a substantive assessment of writing and work progress. The end result is the writing of a thesis consisting of three chapters, an introduction, and a conclusion, in accordance with academic standards regarding academic quality and honesty.
Bibliography
1. Gordon Harvey, Writing with Sources: A Guide for Students. 2nd ed. Indianapolis: Hackett, 2008.
2. Richard Marius, Levin Page, A Short Guide to Writing About History. 6th ed. New York: Longman, 2006.
3. William Kelleher Storey, Writing History: A Guide
for Students. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University
Press, 2009.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: