Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Associate Professor
Hsu-Ming Teo
Lecturer
Mark Hearn
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
(39cp including 3cp in HIST or MHIS units at 300 level) or (3cp in HIST or MHIS units at 300 level and (6cp in HIST or MHIS or POL units at 200 level including 3cp in HIST or MHIS units at 200 level))
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit is intended to teach and assess the skills that we believe modern history majors should acquire during their study. Students design a research project, identify the best way to achieve its objectives, identify the relevant research materials and archives, and produce a professional piece of written work that communicates their findings in the most appropriate format. Students also work with people from different backgrounds, give and receive valuable feedback that improves their work, and communicate their findings orally in clear and concise presentations.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Name | Weighting | Due |
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Seminar Participation | 10% | Assessed weekly |
Research Project Proposal | 15% | 25/08/2016 |
Seminar Presentation | 10% | Weeks 9 & 10 |
Research Project | 50% | 28/10/2016 |
History in Practice Task | 15% | 14/11/2016 |
Due: Assessed weekly
Weighting: 10%
Seminar Participation.
Worth 10%
You are expected to attend every seminar in this unit – absences must be documented (for example, with a medical certificate). Participation means not only doing all the readings beforehand but contributing to discussion with your fellow students during our meeting. Your grade is assessed on the basis of your generosity with your knowledge to other students and your willingness to ask relevant questions and to have a go at trying to answer others’ questions. Simply turning up registers no marks at all. External students have to be especially active in this seminar-based subject. We have high expectations of all of you. You have to commit the same amount of time as internal students to your seminar participation. You are expected to post at least 250 words to the discussion forum every week, and to engage in a conversation with your fellow external students - re-post in reply to others as discussions progress. External students will also be required to participate in at least one webinar during the course of semester.
Due: 25/08/2016
Weighting: 15%
Worth 15%
Due: Thursday, 25 August, 2016 by 5 pm
Word length: 1200 words
Write a 1200-word proposal for your Research Project. Look now at the instructions for the Research Project (assessment task 4). Your proposal should include the following components under appropriate headings:
1. A prospective title for your research project (it does not matter if the title changes as the project proceeds): titles are important, they signpost the argument or contents of an essay.
2. The research question that you have devised. Note that this must be a question, not a vague topic, because your eventual project will be marked according to the question you have designed.
3. Discussion of how you will approach the project, explaining what sources you will use and why they are useful as well as what issues you will focus on and why these are significant (this section will come to around 800-1000 words). Include short answers to the following questions:
a) What is my topic about (include period & place but also specific historical field, such as ‘media history’ or ‘political history’)?
b) What are my main sources (are they accessible and why are they useful)?
c) Who are the major historians working in my field (and when did their work appear)?
d) What other concepts will I need to understand in order to explore this topic properly (e.g. gender, race, national identity)
4. An annotated bibliography of five of the most relevant secondary sources for researching your project. (Your final research essay will of course require more than five sources! This section will come to around 200-400 words.) If you are not sure about what an annotated bibliography is, have a look at the following website: http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/pdf/anno_bib.pdf).
This assessment task is an important scaffold for the larger Research Project. It assesses your ability to select a research area, refine a research question, and identify appropriate forms and sources of evidence for your research question.
Due: Weeks 9 & 10
Weighting: 10%
Seminar Presentation
Worth: 10%
Due: Week 9
Duration: 5 minutes (strictly!)
Present a 5-minute presentation to the class about one key piece of evidence used in your research. You will need to outline briefly the topic and then question of the Research Project. You will then need to introduce the piece of evidence and explain why it is significant. You should tell us how you came across it, what it reveals to you, what other sources it relates to or sheds light upon, as well as something about its limitations. You will be assessed on your ability to present clearly and engagingly, and your ability to edit content to the required timeframe. This assessment task is designed to assess your oral communication skills, and your ability to organise and deliver information in non-written formats. As you are all working on different subjects, this will be a wonderful opportunity to hear about everyone’s discoveries and special interests. You should use a presentation tool like PowerPoint, Keynote or Prezi to deliver your presentation. You will be expected to be able to answer audience questions afterwards.
NB No electronic devices are allowed to be in operation during student presentations. Audience members should ask at least one question per presenter.
Due: 28/10/2016
Weighting: 50%
Due: Friday, 28 October, 2016, 5 pm
Word Length: 4000 words
Write a 4,000 word research essay on the question proposed in your Proposal. The Research Project is the major assessment task in this unit. It must address an original research question. It should develop the means to answer the research question, using relevant primary and secondary sources. Conducting original research is central to the project. The seminars of the unit are intended to scaffold your development as a research historian, in conjunction with consultations with Modern History staff and the Capstone convenors. You will work with one member of staff in particular on your project, and you should aim to consult with them at least four times during the research and writing.
Remember that your Research Project needs:
1. a title
2. an appropriate research question
3. an answer to the research question via an analysis of primary sources within a context of wider secondary reading
4. a complete bibliography, starting on a fresh page, styled in accordance with the Modern History Citation Guide
NB: When you submit the unit project, you must also complete and attach the self-assessment form, which will be available for download from the iLearn site.
Due: 14/11/2016
Weighting: 15%
History in Practice
Worth: 15%
Due: Monday 14th November, 2016, 5 pm (commentaries due by Thursday 17th November 2016, 5 pm)
Word length: 800 words + two short commentaries
Transform your Research Project into an 800-word blog post that captures the principal aims and conclusion of the project in a style accessible to a broad audience. The aim of this task is to assess your ability to communicate your research beyond an academic audience, and to imagine the broader application for your work after university. Most of you will eventually take your history skills into a range of occupations (such as teaching, museum work, the public service, policy and government work, filmmaking). This task is designed to give you practice at formulating your ideas for diverse audiences. Imagine you are writing a piece about your research for a website like The Conversation (http://theconversation.edu.au/), which aims to encourage academics to write about their research in accessible ways, so that they can contribute to current political, scientific, cultural and technological debates. The task consists of two actions:
1. Compose and post your blog to Capstone unit blog: Making History at Macquarie (Blog URL will be announced during the session). You can read the posts from last year’s students to familiarize yourself with the tone and style required. This must be done by Monday 9th November.
2. You will also be required to post short comments on at least two other pieces of student work from 2015 on the blog. These must appear by Thursday 12th November 2015, 9pm.
This assignment offers you the opportunity to be creative, to think about your research in a different way, to foreground the audience for your work, and to test your skills of public, professional writing. You should—as always—take care to provide acknowledgement to your sources wherever necessary. But, given the nature of the task, you should avoid footnotes in favor of less formal attribution, for example, “Historian Edward Muir, in The Culture Wars of the Late Renaissance (2007), claimed...” or by providing a hyperlink to online sources.
See mq timetables for venue and times.
A Unit Reader containing all the required readings for this unit will be available for purchase from the Co-Op Bookshop. All students are expected to own a copy of this Reader. A copy of the Reader will also be available on Reserve in the MQ Library.
The following texts are available on Reserve in the MQ Library:
E.H. Carr What Is History?
Ann Curthoys and Ann McGrath How To Write History That People Want to Read
Ann Curthoys and John Docker Is History Fiction?
Experiments in Re-Thinking History, ed. Alan Munslow and Robert Rosenstone
Ludmilla Jordanova History in Practice
Stuart McIntyre and Anna Clark The History Wars
Beverly Southgate What is History For?
Making History: An Introduction to the History and Practices of a Discpline, ed. Peter Lambert and Philipp Schofield
New Perspectives on Historical Writing, ed. Peter Burke
John Tosh with Sean Lang The Pursuit of History: Aims, Methods, and New Directions in the Study of Modern History
What Is History Now? ed. David Cannadine
This unit uses iLearn and all unit news will be communicated via I learn. All students are expected to have high speed and reliable access to the internet and a computer. All students are required to possess basic computer skills (such as word processing and web browsing).
Some changes have been made to the required readings since 2012.
Week |
Seminar Topic |
Assessment |
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1 |
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Introduction - what is history and why are you studying the subject? |
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2 |
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Researching the Past I: Written Sources Presentations by modern history staff on research projects |
Meet with supervisors |
3 |
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Researching the Past II: Oral and Visual Sources |
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4 |
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Writing about the Past: Scholarly Prose |
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5 |
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Approaching the Past I: The Empiricist Tradition |
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6 |
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Approaching the Past II: History from Below |
Project Proposal Due 25 August 5pm |
7 |
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Approaching the Past III: Identity in History |
Students meet with supervisors to discuss research projects |
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SEMESTER |
BREAK |
8 |
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Approaching the Past IV: Post-structuralism & the Future of History |
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9 |
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Presentations by Students |
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10 |
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Presentations by Students |
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11 |
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No Class |
Research Project Due 28th October 5pm |
12 |
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Beyond the Ivory Tower I: History in Popular Culture |
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13 |
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Beyond the Ivory Tower II: History in Public Debate |
Blog post due on 14 Nov 5 pm; Blog comments due by 17th Nov 5 pm. |
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
New Assessment Policy in effect from Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html. For more information visit http://students.mq.edu.au/events/2016/07/19/new_assessment_policy_in_place_from_session_2/
Assessment Policy prior to Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy prior to Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html
Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.
This graduate capability is supported by:
As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Written work must be submitted in hard copy via the Arts Student Centre in W6A. Students must complete, print, and attach a signed coversheet to all submitted work. To generate a personalized coversheet go to the Student Section of the Faculty of Arts website.
External Students must complete and attach a COE coversheet and plagiarism declaration to all submitted work. See the instructions on assignment submission on the COE website.
Students will need to arrange to meet with their Research Project supervisor during Week 7 in order to collect and discuss their Proposal. Arrangements for the return of the Research Project will be announced on iLearn toward the end of the semester.
Students who encounter difficulties in meeting the assessment deadlines should apply for an extension directly to teaching staff in advance of the due date. Appropriate documentation (such as a medical certificate) must be provided for an extension request to be approved. No extensions will be granted on or after the due date for the assignment in question. If you are experiencing any difficulties at all please contact the convenors to let them know as soon as possible.
Work submitted late without an extension will be penalized 2% for every day it is late after the due date.
Students should familiarize themselves with the University's Special Consideration Policy before submitting such a request.
Students can submit requests for Special Consideration online via ask.mq.edu.
Date | Description |
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28/07/2016 | table layout for unit schedule |