Reading

Students will read between 50–100 pages per week from secondary sources (i.e. scholarly books and articles). All of our readings are available online, either via the Firestone library’s digital subscriptions or via our course Canvas.

Evaluation & Grading

Attendance and completion of pre-lab assignments, including posting to our course Canvas discussion board, is mandatory. Grades will be awarded according to History Department criteria, reproduced at the end of the syllabus. More than two absences from class sessions without contacting the instructor and providing explanation (and documentation of illness, when necessary) will result in 5 point reduction from your final grade for every class period missed.

Participation

Participation is a critical component of this course. Students are expected to come to class having done the reading and ready to engage in class discussion. Engagement includes both active listening to your fellow students’ viewpoints and careful articulation of your own ideas. If you tend to be a talker, please share your thoughts but be sure to make room for others. If you tend to be quiet, know that your voice is essential in our classroom. You will always show respect for your fellow students, even when you disagree with their ideas.

Late Work

Ten points will be deducted from the final grade of an assignment for every day the assignment is late. Assignments more than three days late will not be accepted. If you have an emergency or extenuating circumstance that may prevent you from completing your work on time, you should be sure to communicate these concerns with me well in advance of the assignment’s due date.

Honor Code

All student work should meet the requirements of the University’s Honor Code, and all papers will include the honor pledge on the title page, signed by the student.

Accommodations for Disabilities

Students must register with the Office of Disability Services (ODS) (ods@princeton.edu; 258-8840) for disability verification and determination of eligibility for reasonable academic accommodations. Requests for academic accommodations for this course need to be made at the beginning of the semester, or as soon as possible for newly approved students, and again at least two weeks in advance of any needed accommodations in order to make arrangements to implement the accommodations. Please make an appointment to meet with me in order to maintain confidentiality in addressing your needs. No accommodations will be given without authorization from ODS, or without advance notice.

Department of History Grading Policy

Participation

A student who receives an A for participation in discussion in precepts or seminars typically comes to every class with questions about the readings in mind. An ‘A’ discussant engages others about ideas, respects the opinions of others, and consistently elevates the level of discussion.

A student who receives a B for participation in discussion in precepts or seminars typically does not always come to class with questions about the readings in mind. A ‘B’ discussant waits passively for others to raise interesting issues. Some discussants in this category, while courteous and articulate, do not adequately listen to other participants or relate their comments to the direction of the conversation.

A student who receives a C for discussion in precepts or seminars attends regularly but typically is an infrequent or unwilling participant in discussion.

A student who fails to attend precepts regularly or to adequately prepare for discussion risks the grade of D or F.

Papers

An A or A- thesis, paper, or exam is one that is good enough to be read aloud in a class. It is clearly written and well-organized. It demonstrates that the writer has conducted a close and critical reading of texts, grappled with the issues raised in the course, synthesized the readings, discussions, and lectures, and formulated a perceptive, compelling, independent argument. The argument shows intellectual originality and creativity, is sensitive to historical context, is supported by a well-chosen variety of specific examples, and, in the case of a research paper, is built on a critical reading of primary material.

A B+ or B thesis, paper, or exam demonstrates many aspects of A-level work but falls short of it in either the organization and clarity of its writing, the formulation and presentation of its argument, or the quality of research. Some papers or exams in this category are solid works containing flashes of insight into many of the issues raised in the course. Others give evidence of independent thought, but the argument is not presented clearly or convincingly.

A B- thesis, paper, or exam demonstrates a command of course or research material and understanding of historical context but provides a less than thorough defense of the writer’s independent argument because of weaknesses in writing, argument, organization, or use of evidence.

A C+, C, or C- thesis, paper, or exam offers little more than a mere a summary of ideas and information covered in the course, is insensitive to historical context, does not respond to the assignment adequately, suffers from frequent factual errors, unclear writing, poor organization, or inadequate primary research, or presents some combination of these problems.

Whereas the grading standards for written work between A and C- are concerned with the presentation of argument and evidence, a paper or exam that belongs to the D or F categories demonstrates inadequate command of course material.

A D thesis, paper, or exam demonstrates serious deficiencies or severe flaws in the student’s command of course or research material.

An F thesis, paper, or exam demonstrates no competence in the course or research materials. It indicates a student’s neglect or lack of effort in the course.