ENG4542 – Research Seminar in American Social History
Course description
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
American Social history is essentially the history or ordinary people and ordinary lives. It includes many subfields, such as gender, race, religion, education, ethnicity, family, sexuality, popular culture and others. Studying the intersections between subfields can enlighten us as to what it means to be American with competing identities, and how ordinary people create, negotiate, and battle over such cultural boundaries. It is a vibrantly interdisciplinary field which uses a wide variety of research methods and techniques.
This course will investigate a particular research question within American Social history. We will read competing interpretations of that problem and engage in practical research using some of the techniques available to social historians.
Specific details for each semester will be posted online under detailed course information.
Learning outcome
After completing this course, you:
- can use one or more research methods typical of social history (for example: use of archival documents, oral interviews, surveys, film analysis, or, if there is interest, quantitative analysis).
- have In-depth knowledge of a particular problem within American Social History.
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
Students enrolled in other Master`s Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
The minimum number of students admitted to the course is 3, the maximum 15. The department will not offer an extra seminar if there are more applicants.
Overlapping courses
- 10 credits overlap with NORAM4520 – Research Seminar in American Social History (continued).
Teaching
Seminar, 2 hours per week for 10 weeks, 20 hours in all.
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Obligatory activity:
- Small group project
- Term paper proposal: As early as possible in the semester, you will turn in a very short (1-2 pages max) proposal for your term paper. This should include your topic, research question, and primary sources (documents…) This must be approved.
- Draft of term paper (Deadline is firm because peer review depends on this.) I will give you as much time as possible in the schedule, but extensions are not possible. You should aim to make the draft as complete as possible. However, since it is a draft, turn in what you have - even if you are sick.
- Peer review of two (2) term papers. Read more here about rules concerning valid excuses and how to apply for postponements. Information about guidelines for obligatory activities.
- It is obligatory to show up for a minimum of 60% of the teaching. In this course you have to attend 6 of 10 seminars. The requirement is absolute.
The allowed absence limit will cover all absences, including illness. You will not be granted valid absences with documentation, even when the absence is due to something beyond your control.
If the course has in-person teaching, and you are signed up for an in-person seminar group, you are to attend the teaching in the location found in the schedule.
If the course has digital teaching, and you are signed up for a digital seminar group, you must attend via Zoom with your camera on.
In certain circumstances, i.e. serious or chronic illness, you could apply for special needs accomodations.
All obligatory attendance and assignments are only valid the semester you attend the course.
Access to teaching
A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.
Examination
The exam form is a term paper of 15 pages +/- 10% (a standard page consists of 2,300 characters).
Each student will have the opportunity to do in-depth work on a question or events involved with an aspect of equal rights that are under attack now, or an historical analysis of such a question. Students will turn in a short proposal early in the semester for approval. It is possible to have this topic overlap with the small group project.
Examination support material
Note that Chicago style footnotes/endnotes (not in-text notes) is the standard in our field.
Language of examination
The examination text is given in English, and you submit your response in English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Resit an examination
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.