DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY INDEPENDENT STUDY HANDBOOK

DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY

INDEPENDENT STUDY

HANDBOOK

2022-23

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chair’s Welcome .................................................................................................................. 1

History at Wooster ............................................................................................................... 4

Learning Goals ................................................................................................................... 4

Independent Study .............................................................................................................. 6

Success After Wooster ....................................................................................................... 7

Junior Independent Study ................................................................................................... 8

Alternative Models of Junior I.S ........................................................................................ 8

General Requirements ........................................................................................................ 8

Junior I.S. Format Requirements ....................................................................................... 8

Suggested Schedule for Junior I.S ..................................................................................... 8

Junior I.S. Meetings ........................................................................................................... 9

Junior I.S. Workshop ......................................................................................................... 9

Evaluation of Junior I.S ...................................................................................................... 9

Senior Independent Study ................................................................................................. 11

Alternative Models of Senior I.S...................................................................................... 11

General Requirements ...................................................................................................... 11

Format Requirements ....................................................................................................... 12

Deadlines for Senior I.S ................................................................................................... 13

I.S.

Submission Guidelines .............................................................................................. 13

Missed Deadline ............................................................................................................... 14

Schedule for Senior I.S .................................................................................................... 14

Senior I.S. Meetings ......................................................................................................... 14

Evaluation of Senior I.S ................................................................................................... 15

For Global & International Studies Majors ...................................................................... 17

Research .............................................................................................................................. 18

Sources ............................................................................................................................. 18

Plagiarism ........................................................................................................................ 19

Library Courtesy .............................................................................................................. 19

Documentation ................................................................................................................... 20

Types of Footnotes ........................................................................................................... 20

Footnote Mechanics ......................................................................................................... 21

Annotated Bibliography ................................................................................................... 23

Annotated Bibliography Mechanics ................................................................................ 25

Annotations ...................................................................................................................... 25

Style Sheet ........................................................................................................................... 27

Expression ........................................................................................................................ 27

Resources ............................................................................................................................. 32

Sample I.S. Pages ................................................................................................................. 34

Department of History Faculty 2022-23 ............................................................................... 39

CHAIR’S WELCOME

Dear History Students,

Welcome back to campus!

For History Faculty, mentoring students in their Independent Study projects is one of the

most rewarding things about teaching at the College of Wooster. I.S. is your opportunity to

devote a year to exploring an aspect of the past you chose. As a result of the process, you

will no longer be simply students of history. You will all become historians. This is the

culmination of a great deal of hard work that you have already done, including the classes

you’ve taken, the books you’ve read, the papers you’ve written, and the many discussions

you’ve had with your friends, roommates, classmates, and professors.

The History Department offers you this handbook as a tool to help you understand the I.S.

process in both the Junior and Senior years. It provides practical information on

requirements, deadlines, grades, documentation, and more, as well as useful advice on the

process of research and writing. Read it carefully before your first meeting with your

advisor and keep it close at hand all through the year.

The I.S. process will begin officially at our Mandatory Majors Meeting on Tuesday,

August 30, at 11am. At that time, you will hear short introductions from each member of

the History Faculty, who will already have read what you wrote on your IS questionnaire.

We will post the name of your I.S. advisor by the end of the first full week of classes.

Seniors and students enrolled in Junior I.S. in the fall should make an appointment to meet

with their advisors as soon as the list is posted. At that first meeting, you will set up your

weekly meeting schedule. For those Juniors who are planning to take I.S. in the spring,

schedule at least one meeting with your advisor this fall. Your I.S. advisor will now

become your academic advisor, and you will need your advisor’s consent to register for

spring classes or to approve changes in your fall schedule.

Your advisor may be a faculty member you know well or someone you have yet to meet.

In either case, your relationship with your I.S. advisor is an important one, so please

cultivate it. “Independent Study” can be something of a misnomer; students don’t simply

head off to the library to work independently and return with a finished paper on I.S.

Monday. You will work closely with your advisor at every step of the way: to define your

topic, to develop a historical question, to make sense of the most important secondary

sources in your field, to analyze your primary sources, to work out your own interpretation

of your subject, and to improve your writing. Your I.S. advisor will also offer explanations

of the advice outlined in this handbook. Also, please remember: even after you have begun

to work with your advisor, you should consult with other members of the History

Department, as well as specialists in other departments whose work may have some

relationship to your I.S. project. The more knowledgeable people with whom you

discuss your work, the better your work will be. Make I.S. an opportunity to learn how to

network. Take advantage of all of the resources that we have here.

There is plenty of advice in the pages that follow, but let me provide some suggestions

gleaned from my years of advising both Junior and Senior I.S.:

Pick a project that is not something completely new to you. Ideally, your topic should

be situated in a broader field in which you have already taken courses and has evolved

out of interests that you developed in those courses.

While all students do original research in I.S., it is not true that you need to pick a

topic that no one has ever studied. Over time, you will narrow and personalize your

topic in a way that will make your research original. However, it is to your benefit to

find a topic that fits into a larger field in which there is a pre-existing scholarly

literature in which you can place your own work and for which you can find an

adequate number of primary sources. One of the first things that you will do with your

advisor is to attempt to identify relevant primary and secondary sources. If none or

even too few are available, you may wish to find another topic.

You should have settled on a topic by the end of the second week of classes. At that

point (and certainly no later than the third week), you should make an appointment

with a reference librarian, who can help you identify primary sources, secondary

sources as well as databases that pertain to your topic. This appointment is an

essential part of the research process. You will learn a lot not only about your topic

but also about how to use tools that will be vital for your research. You can make an

appointment through this link on the library website:

https://selectsurvey.wooster.edu/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=p23J4l4#

Your weekly IS meetings are essential to the success of your project. Be professional.

Come to every meeting on time and prepared to talk in informed ways about your

work. If for some reason you can’t make a meeting, be sure to cancel it (and

reschedule) well in advance. Come to every meeting with good reading notes and new

writing, as well as fresh questions and ideas to discuss.

Some students wait until they finish all of their research to begin writing. This is a

mistake. You should start writing right away. Begin by writing three to five pages the

first week and write a little more every week after that. The longer you wait to write,

the harder it will be to start. Moreover, the sooner you start writing, the better you will

feel about your work. At first, you will be writing about your plans and reflecting in

general ways on your topic as well as writing-up your responses to primary and

secondary sources or simply developing new ideas that you don’t want to forget. Later

you will be writing drafts of sections and chapters. If you don’t know how to begin

writing or are having trouble getting started, talk about the issue with your advisor.

Begin each I.S. meeting by showing your advisor what you have written for the week.

6) Remember that you cannot just do a certain amount of research and then reformulate

it into an I.S. You will end up doing a lot more research than will actually show up in

your writing. That’s because you really need to understand your material in order to

craft a narrative that communicates to your reader what you think is important. In

other words, you are going to become sufficiently expert that you can explain your

work to others.

7) Organization is an essential part of IS. You need to organize your time, space and work

effectively. This takes effort. It won’t simply happen. Develop a system for writing

and storing your notes. Go over that system with your advisor. Have a timeline that

spells out what you need to accomplish each week from the beginning of the year to

the final dead-line so that you know what you need to complete to stay on schedule.

Add to the timeline each week. The smaller and more concrete your weekly goals, the

more likely you are to complete them, to make progress and to feel good about your

work.

8) Talk often with your fellow students about your project. Discuss the I.S. process with them

at every step (your timeline, your meetings with your advisor, how you found your

sources, how you take notes, etc.) Form study groups in which you share your

research and writing on a regular basis. This will make the process many times easier

and the results many times better.

9) Apply for Copeland Funds to support research-related travel.

10) Two excellent resources to help you in the I.S. process are the books required for every

student taking either Junior or Senior I.S.: Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to

Writing in History and Wayne C. Booth, The Craft of Research. Rampolla’s Pocket

Guide offers useful information about finding and analyzing sources, taking notes,

formatting footnotes and bibliographies. It also provides a very clear definition of

plagiarism and helpful tips for avoiding it. Booth’s Craft of Research provides a clear

explanation of the process by which a scholar transforms an interest into a topic, a

topic into a question, and a question into an historical argument. It offers helpful

advice on how best to support your argument with appropriate evidence, and how to

write an effective introduction and conclusion. If you don’t have a copy of these books

already, please buy them and start to read them. They will prove useful throughout the

I.S. process.

If you have questions at any point during the year, please don’t hesitate to contact me. To

schedule an appointment, go to drjfriedman.youcanbook.me, where you will find both

regular office hours and extra hours that I add as I am able. If those times don’t work, you

can also email me at [email protected]. I look forward to meeting with you.

Best wishes for a successful and satisfying IS,

Joan Friedman

Chair, Department of History

HISTORY AT WOOSTER

INTRODUCTION

History is one of the oldest disciplines, but it has never been more relevant than in the

fast- changing, interconnected world in which we live. The study of history is the

foundation for a complex understanding of the world. It offers a rich view upon the

developments that have shaped the society we live in; it helps us understand distant

cultures; it provides a set of rigorous tools for understanding changes and continuities

over time; it offers a high perspective to make sense of the tumult of current events.

The study of history cultivates skills and habits of mind that are essential to a liberal

arts education. Students of history will develop the ability to research complex topics,

to analyze evidence, to assess conflicting interpretations, to convey ideas with clarity

and persuasion, and to build strong arguments. History encourages a subtle

understanding of difference. What is more, the study of history provides a set of deep

pleasures. Vastly enlarging our experience, the study of the past is a profound source

of personal meaning and collective identity.

We believe the best way to study history is to do history. In their coursework, students

will develop a wide knowledge of the past and a practical understanding of the skills of

the historian, culminating in the year-long Senior Independent Study. In classes and

seminars, in the weekly I.S. meetings, in departmental colloquia, over lunch with

students, and in the corridors and offices of Kauke Hall, faculty offer their perspectives,

argue over interpretations, challenge students to think in new ways, and encourage

students to ask hard questions.

LEARNING GOALS

The Department of History adopted these Learning Goals in May 2021:

CORE CONCEPTS, CRITICAL SKILLS, KEY COMMITMENTS:

LEARNING GOALS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY

THE CORE CONCEPTS OF HISTORY AS A DISCIPLINE

Historical knowledge was the product of a conscious interpretation of the transformations in the

evolution of human societies of all times, and could be culled from print, writings, material

evidence, oral traditions, visual, digital, and many other types of sources. As a consequence, the

Department of History at The College of Wooster trains students to develop different ways and tools

for assessing and interrogating these sources. Chief among these ways and tools is historical

empathy, especially given that students are dealing with people characterized by multiple categories

of difference.

Historical thinking involves a deep engagement with that diversity of human experience as well as

with the interpretive frameworks though which diverse societies have been defined. As a

department committed to the development of historical thinking skills, we expect students who

complete our program to be able to consider the past in sophisticated and complex ways. This type

of engagement with the past and its application to current issues includes, but is certainly not limited

to: formulating appropriate and interesting historical questions, understanding cause and effect with

multiple lines of causation, and understanding structural inequalities and the varieties of historical

experience.

GOALS RELATED TO CORE CONCEPTS:

Students who have completed a major in History will be able to:

1. Synthesize facts into multiple overlapping – often competing – narrative histories of particular

peoples, places, and periods, with a recognition of how power and difference operate in these

narratives.

2. Analyze primary sources representing diverse historical perspectives considering the power at

play in their creation, as well as the creator’s point of view, persuasive intent, use of evidence,

credibility, and relevance.

3. Discuss the hierarchies at play in the preservation, curation, and accessibility of historical sources.

4. Synthesize the historical arguments of other scholars.

5. Evaluate the provisional nature of historical knowledge and revise analyses and narratives when

new evidence requires it.

THE CRITICAL SKILLS OF HISTORY AS A DISCIPLINE

Students who complete the major in History at Wooster should be able to demonstrate Critical

Reasoning Skills, particularly research skills that historians use to investigate and explain the past,

and solve problems. As a discipline, history requires a deliberative stance towards the past; the

sophisticated use of information, evidence, and argumentation; and the ability to identify and explain

continuity and change over time. Whether in academic or public facing context, history’s

professional ethics and standards demand peer review, citation, and acceptance of the provisional

nature of knowledge.

Students who complete the major in History at Wooster should be able to demonstrate Clear

Communication Skills. This communication may include written, oral, visual, and digital

presentations of findings. As a public pursuit, history requires effective communication to make the

past accessible. History both preserves and challenges collective memory, and should inform

decision-making in the present. Historians have a responsibility to communicate their findings in

fair and honest ways.

GOALS RELATED TO CRITICAL REASONING AND CLEAR COMMUNICATION

Students who have completed a major in History will be able to:

6. Craft substantive, open-ended questions about the past and develop appropriate disciplinary

research strategies (incorporating both secondary and primary sources) to answer them.

Commented [JW1]: Part of critical thinking skills is the

ability to make decisions and solve problems using sound,

inclusive reasoning and evidence. Problem solving is a

career competency.

7. Skillfully communicate their historical research in a variety of formats, using appropriate

communication strategies for the genre and audience as well as the integration of appropriate

technologies/digital tools.

INDEPENDENT STUDY

As the College Faculty Handbook explains

The capacity for individual inquiry and expression is a mark of a liberally

educated person. The objective of the Independent Study program at

Wooster is to provide an opportunity through which this capacity may be

nurtured in every student at the College. As President Lowry described the

challenge of the program more than fifty years ago, “...it invites all students

to come to their best in terms of their own talents.”

The Independent Study program in History consists of three semesters of study: History

401 Junior Independent Study and the two-semester History 451-452 Senior Independent

Study.

Junior and Senior Independent Study are taught as tutorials, with weekly meetings of

student and faculty advisor. Advisors are assigned in light of student interest, faculty

expertise, and faculty workload.

SUCCESS AFTER WOOSTER

If you love the study of history, you will find the program in history at the College of

Wooster to be an excellent preparation for your future.

Our graduates have gone on to prominent careers in academia, law and medicine, business,

government, intelligence, print and broadcast journalism, political advocacy

(environmentalism, poverty, civil rights, peace activism, etc.), foreign service, politics,

work in museums and archives, public history, foundation work, library science, and

teaching at the primary and secondary levels.

The major in history sometimes leads directly to career opportunities; other times it leads

to advanced studies. Many of our students have gone on to Ph.D. programs in history.

Wooster has left a lasting mark on the historical profession. The College of Wooster has

produced a long series of important historians who have gone on to careers at Cornell

University, Emory University, Princeton University, the University of California at

Berkeley, the University of North Carolina, and elsewhere.

Other graduates have pursued advanced degrees in law, journalism, education, library

science, medicine, public health, and more. Recent graduates have gone on to advanced

studies in prestigious programs at Columbia University, Cornell University, Indiana

University, New York University, The University of California, the University of

Michigan, Vanderbilt University, King’s College London, and elsewhere.

JUNIOR INDEPENDENT STUDY

INTRODUCTION

The goal of Junior Independent Study (History 401) is to help students develop their skills

as historians in order to prepare the way for Senior I.S. The course is taught as a tutorial,

with weekly one-on-one meetings. Under the guidance of a faculty advisor, students

develop, research, and write about a historical topic. Students have the opportunity to

develop a valid historical question, conduct research in primary and secondary sources,

frame a historical argument, and write a research paper of significant scope. They also

learn the time-management skills that are necessary to complete Senior I.S.

ALTERNATIVE MODELS OF JUNIOR I.S.

Students enrolled in Junior I.S. have a choice of several models of original work: a work

of original research based on primary and secondary sources; a detailed research

prospectus, a close analysis of a primary source, or a historiography paper. You should

discuss with your advisor which one of these models will best fit your interests and needs,

and proceed accordingly.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

The Junior I.S. is due by the last day of classes. In the fall semester: December 10, 2021.

In the spring semester: May 6, 2022.

The length of the Junior I.S. should be between 25 and 40 pages, excluding figures,

appendices, and bibliography.

The Junior I.S. must include proper citations in Chicago-style footnote format (see below).

The Junior I.S. must include an annotated bibliography of the most relevant primary and

secondary sources (see below).

The Junior I.S. must include an abstract, an introduction, a series of chapters, a conclusion,

and an annotated bibliography. In some cases, students will also include an appendix or a

series of appendices.

Students must submit one bound copy of the Junior I.S. paper to their advisor by the

appropriate deadline. Please keep a .pdf copy to share with your Senior I.S. advisor.

JUNIOR I.S. FORMAT REQUIREMENTS

The text should be double-spaced in a 12-point font. Times New Roman is preferred.

Footnotes use a 10-point font.

The I.S. should be double-sided printed and spiral bound using the Wilson Bookstore

binding service.

Margins should be 1.5 inches on the inside margin, 1 inch on the top, bottom, and outside

margin. Only the inside margin should be justified. Do not skip lines between

paragraphs.

The order of sections is as follows:

* title page

* abstract

* table of contents

* acknowledgements

* list of figures (if included)

* list of tables (if included)

* introduction

* chapters

* appendices (if included)

* annotated bibliography

All pages after the table of contents should be numbered, with page numbers centered at

the bottom of the page. Acknowledgements and list of figures (if they are used) should be

numbered with lower-case Roman numerals. The rest of the I.S. should be numbered with

Arabic numerals, beginning with the first page of the Introduction, which is numbered 1.

Figures and tables should be included within the text of individual chapters. Each figure or

table should be presented with a figure or table number, a caption, and a reference. A list of

all figures or tables should be presented before the introduction. (See required order,

above.)

Footnotes should be numbered independently for each chapter, i.e., the first note in each

chapter is note #1.

See the Appendix for samples of title page, abstract, table of contents, list of figures,

chapter headings, and annotated bibliography.

For all questions of format and documentation not addressed in this Handbook,

students should follow the guidelines in Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to

Writing in History (6

edition or later) for Chicago-style format and citation.

SUGGESTED SCHEDULE FOR JUNIOR I.S.

The following schedule is no more than a rough guideline. An appropriate schedule will

vary depending on the research topic and the student’s preparation. The student should

work with his or her advisor in the first weeks to develop a precise schedule, with specific

deadlines. In addition to individual meetings, all students will attend the Junior I.S.

workshops.

Weeks 1–3 Discuss topic. Identify the most important primary and

secondary sources. Narrow topic. Define, and draft a statement

of, the historical question. Take notes. Begin annotated

bibliography.

Weeks 3–5 Attend library consultation. Develop bibliography. Take notes on

central primary source(s). Take notes on most important secondary

sources. Draft a rough outline of the paper, identifying the various

chapters. Draft a statement of your argument. Begin to draft

sections of the I.S. Register your project in the I.S. Topics

Database: https://woosterdigital.org/istopics/about

Weeks 6–9 Continue research. And continue writing. Draft sections of the

I.S. as research is completed. Revise outline and statement of the

argument. Continue to update your bibliography and write

annotations as you work with sources.

Week 9-12 Complete drafting of the entire I.S. Revise sections based upon

your advisor’s feedback.

Week 13 Complete a strong introduction and conclusion. Sharpen the

argument of the I.S.

Week 14 Complete annotations. Complete last revisions.

Week 15 Finish corrections for final copy. Turn in bound final copy.

Celebrate.

JUNIOR I.S. MEETINGS

Students meet weekly with their advisors for guidance and assistance. The precise

expectations of these meetings will depend upon the advisor. Generally, the advisor will

help the student to choose a topic, define a strong historical question, identify and evaluate

sources, create an appropriate organization and develop a strong argument. The advisor

will also provide comments on student drafts. To make these meetings successful, the

student must arrive prepared.

JUNIOR I.S. WORKSHOPS

These mandatory workshops will reinforce the work you do with your advisor defining a

topic, analyzing primary sources, and exploring how your research fits into the larger

historical debates. You will share your work in progress with your peers and History

faculty. The Junior I.S. Workshops culminate in a poster session at which you will

present your research publicly.

EVALUATION OF JUNIOR I.S.

History 401 Junior I.S. receives a letter grade determined by your advisor. The grade you

receive will reflect your advisor’s assessment of the final paper, as well as the effort you

put into your project. There will be a very significant penalty for missing I.S. appointments

or the mandatory Junior I.S. Workshops without previous arrangements. Missing more

than two I.S. appointments without contacting the advisor in advance is grounds for

failure.

SENIOR INDEPENDENT STUDY

INTRODUCTION

Senior Independent Study (History 451-452) is the culmination of the History curriculum.

With the guidance of a faculty advisor, students design a historical research project,

conduct research in primary and secondary sources, frame a historical argument, and

present their conclusions in a formal thesis. Working one-on-one with a faculty advisor

and engaging in the debates of professional historians, history majors develop the practical

and analytical skills necessary for tackling problems not only in history but also in matters

of contemporary concern.

There are few limits to the kinds of subjects that can be pursued for a Senior I.S. In the last

few years, students have studied Japanese animation, the rise of informal settlements in

Brazil and South Africa, consumerism and the construction of gender in 1950s women’s

magazines, British seaman and their pranks in the Napoleonic era, the CIA in Cold War

Berlin, cemetery preservation in Wayne county, the economy of Côte d’Ivoire, and many,

many other topics.

ALTERNATIVE MODELS OF SENIOR I.S.

There are alternative models for the presentation of historical research. In the past,

Wooster students have successfully completed their Senior I.S. by producing a film

documentary, mounting a public exhibition, writing a historical novel, developing a high

school curriculum, creating a digital exhibit, and more.

To adopt an alternative model for your Senior I.S., you must receive approval from the

Department of History before Fall Break or Spring Break of the semester you are enrolled

in History 451. Submit a proposal, along with a message of support from your advisor, to

the Chair of the History Department. Your proposal should set out a description of your

topic and your approach, a statement of what you will produce, an explanation of your

methods, and the criteria for evaluation. Your proposal should clearly note variations in

format, documentation, and style from the I.S. Handbook.

All students who receive approval to create an alternative I.S. must meet with Catie Heil,

Digital Curation Librarian, to formulate a preservation plan to archive their work.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

The length of the Senior I.S. should be no less than 50 pages and no longer than 75

pages, excluding figures, appendices and bibliography.

The I.S. must be double-sided printed and spirally bound.

The I.S. must include an abstract of 150-250 words.

The Senior I.S. must include proper citations in Chicago-style footnote format (see below).

The Senior I.S. must include an annotated bibliography of the most relevant primary and

secondary sources (see below).

The Senior I.S. must include an introduction, a series of chapters or sections, a

conclusion, and an annotated bibliography. In some cases, students will also include an

appendix or a series of appendices.

See the “Criteria for Evaluation in History” below for further important

requirements regarding the content of Senior I.S.

In the first semester of Senior I.S., students must submit (at a minimum) an outline of the

full I.S., one polished chapter, a full draft of an additional chapter, and a significant

portion of the annotated bibliography to their advisor by the last day of classes.

In the second semester of Senior I.S., students must submit two bound copies of the Senior

I.S. and upload a pdf copy to the Registrar by the appropriate deadline.

FORMAT REQUIREMENTS

The text should be double-spaced in a 12-point font; footnotes use 10-point font.

Times New Roman is preferred.

Margins should be 1.5 inches on the inside margin, 1 inch on the top, bottom, and

outside margin. Only the inside margin should be justified.

The order of sections is as follows:

* title page

* abstract

* table of contents

* acknowledgements

* list of figures (if included)

* list of tables (if included)

* introduction

* chapters

* appendices (if included)

* annotated bibliography

All pages after the table of contents should be numbered, with page numbers centered at

the bottom of the page. Acknowledgements and list of figures (if they are used) should be

numbered with lower-case Roman numerals. The rest of the I.S. should be numbered

with Arabic numerals, beginning with the first page of the Introduction, which is

numbered 1.

Figures and tables, if any, must be included within the text of individual chapters. Each

figure or table should be presented with a figure or table number, a caption, and a

reference. A list of all figures or tables should be presented before the introduction.

Footnotes should be numbered independently for each chapter (beginning with 1).

See the Appendix for samples of title page, abstract, table of contents, acknowledgements,

chapter headings, figures, and annotated bibliography.

The college now requires digital submission of all Senior Independent Study

theses; all students will receive instructions and links for that in the spring.

You may also want to print a copy of your final paper, double-sided and spiral

bound. For guidance on this process, consult Angela Sponsler, Administrative

Coordinator for the History Department.

For all questions of format and documentation not addressed in this handbook,

students should follow the guidelines in Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to

Writing in History (6

edition or later) for Chicago-style format and citation.

DEADLINES FOR SENIOR I.S.

Requirements for the First Semester of Senior I.S.

As soon as you narrow your research question, but no later than Friday, September 23,

https://woosterdigital.org/istopics/register.

This tool will let you connect with students in the department and across campus who

are working on projects similar to yours.

All Seniors are required to attend a mandatory History I.S. Formatting Workshop. Be

sure to check your campus email regularly for notification of those dates.

The Department of History requires that students enrolled in History 451, the first half

of Wooster’s Senior Independent Study requirement, submit an acceptable outline of

their proposed project, at least one revised and polished chapter, a full draft of an

additional chapter, and a significant portion of their annotated bibliography by the last

day of classes. In the fall semester: December 9, 2022. In the spring semester: May 2,

2023.

Failure to meet these basic requirements will normally result in a grade of

“Unsatisfactory” for History 451. But note, this is a minimum requirement.

Deadlines for Getting Feedback

The Department requires that you submit a complete draft of your Senior I.S. to your

advisor at least two weeks before spring break: Friday, February 24, 2023. For

students enrolled in History 452 in the fall semester, the corresponding deadline is

November 4, 2022.

The student should not expect editorial comment, guidance, and advice on drafts of the

thesis or versions of the project submitted after these deadlines. Students will not

receive feedback over spring break.

I.S. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Your Senior I.S. is due in the Registrar’s Office by 5:00 pm on the first day of classes

following spring recess: Monday, March 27, 2023. For students enrolled in History 452

in Fall 2022, the I.S. is due by 5:00 pm on Friday, November 18.

All students submit the completed Senior I.S. in two formats. First, upload a single pdf

file of your entire project to the Libraries’ Open Works website. Next, submit two bound

copies, as well as two additional (loose) copies of your I.S. cover page to the Registrar’s

Office. For detailed instructions on both modes of I.S. submission, see

https://inside.wooster.edu/registrar/is-submission/

MISSED DEADLINE

A late thesis is automatically graded “I” for incomplete. The conditions for changing the

“I” to a passing grade will be established by the Dean of the Faculty after consultation

with the student’s advisor. The “I” automatically becomes No Credit two weeks after the

deadline for the submission of the thesis unless the Dean has given prior approval for an

extension. No thesis turned in after the deadline will receive a grade of Honors without the

unanimous vote of the department and the Dean’s approval.

SCHEDULE FOR SENIOR I.S.

An appropriate schedule will vary depending on the research topic and the student’s

preparation. The student should work with his or her advisor in the first weeks to develop a

precise schedule, with specific deadlines across the fall and spring semesters.

I.S. is to be completed on a continuous schedule. We recommend that it be one-third of

the student’s total workload. A minimum of 12 to 15 hours per week should be devoted

I.S.

Students who fall behind have difficulty catching up and usually find themselves in a

panic at the end of the fall semester and before the middle of the spring semester when

the entire thesis is due.

SENIOR I.S. MEETINGS

Students meet weekly with their advisors for guidance and assistance. The precise

expectations of these meetings will depend upon the advisor. Generally, the advisor will

help the student to choose a topic, define a strong historical question, identify and

evaluate sources, create an appropriate organization and develop a strong argument. The

advisor will also provide comments on student drafts. To make these meetings successful,

the student must arrive prepared.

Missing more than two I.S. appointments without contacting the advisor in advance

is grounds for failure.

EVALUATION OF SENIOR I.S.

After the final copy of the student’s thesis is submitted to the Registrar, the Department

will assign a second reader to help evaluate the I.S. project. The advisor and the second

reader will evaluate the I.S. through a written critique and an oral examination.

Written Critique

After reading the Senior I.S., the second reader prepares a written evaluation of the

student’s project. In the written evaluation, the student may expect to receive comments

about the following points: originality, effort, and significance of the topic; persuasive

thesis with strong supporting evidence and its relation to other historical interpretations;

research and documentation, including annotated bibliography; style, organization, and

structure; technical errors; and possible omissions (areas that should have been dealt with).

The written evaluation is designed to raise questions for discussion during the oral exam

and will be provided to the student at least 24 hours prior to the oral examination.

Oral Examination

The oral examination is the culmination of the Senior I.S. experience and plays a

significant role in determining the final Independent Study grade. During the oral

examination, the student, the advisor and the second reader meet together to discuss the

I.S. The student is expected to respond to the written critique as well as to prepare for

potential questions posed by the second reader. The student may also be asked to answer

broad questions regarding the discipline and its relation to his/her liberal arts experience at

Wooster.

If the written portion of the Senior I.S. is evaluated as unsatisfactory, no oral examination

will be held.

Following the oral examination the student may be required to make minor alterations to

the thesis.

Grading Scale

Senior I.S. at the College is graded according to the following scale:

Honors

Outstanding in content, method, and form

Good

Significantly above average in content, method, and form

Satisfactory

Acceptable overall in content, method, and form, though

consideration may be given to balancing weakness in one

area by strength in another

No Credit

Seriously deficient in content, method or form with no

compensating strengths in other areas

Criteria for Evaluation in History (Important!)

The Senior I.S. in History must conform to the guidelines of this Handbook. It must

appropriately cite sources of information, interpretation, and direct quotations. It should be

written clearly, with no more than a few errors of spelling, grammar and format.

In addition, the Senior I.S. must:

*have a clearly defined topic;

* have a valid historical question about that topic;

* demonstrate significant research on the historical question;

* demonstrate familiarity with the historiography of the topic;

* present an argument on the topic (laid out clearly in the introduction and

demonstrated throughout the I.S.);

* have an introduction that presents a clear statement of the topic, the

historiography, the approach, and the argument;

* have a conclusion that goes beyond summary to explain what we should

take from your research;

* have a complete bibliography, which includes the most important works

on the topic, with clear annotations.

An I.S. that is seriously deficient in one or more of these criteria, without compensating

strengths in others, will receive the grade of No Credit.

A Satisfactory I.S. will satisfy all of these criteria, though consideration may be given to

balancing weakness in one area to strength in another.

A Good I.S. will satisfy all of these criteria well.

An Honors I.S. will satisfy all of these criteria. In addition, it will demonstrate excellence

in research, historiography, argument, and writing.

The determination of the final grade will take into account the student’s work during the

year and the performance on the Oral Examination.

FOR GLOBAL & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES MAJORS

As a G&IS major with a History Home Department, you will complete your Senior

Independent Study in the Department of History. Your Senior I.S. must conform to the

requirements listed in the History I.S. Handbook. However, as a G&IS major, you are

responsible for some additional requirements, distinct from those required of History

majors, as explained below.

Your preparation for I.S.—and the very structure of your work in the major—is distinct.

You have completed your related coursework and methodological training in the

Department of History, but you have also completed coursework in economics, political

science, and foreign language, together with off-campus study. It follows that the

expectations of your Senior I.S. will be distinct.

In addition to the requirements listed in the History I.S. Handbook, your Senior I.S. should:

• Address a topic in an area of international relations, including global, transnational,

or international phenomena, state relations, war & peace, diplomacy, foreign relations,

international organizations, multinational corporations, migrations, etc.

• Integrate at least one of the other disciplines in the G&IS major—economics or

political science—in at least one significant way. In your Senior I.S., you must do at

least one of the following:

o apply scholarly perspectives from economics and/or political science to frame

your research question;

o integrate scholarly work in economics and/or political science into your review

of the literature;

o apply theoretical models from economics and/or political science;

o make use of methodologies from economics and/or political science;

o include economics research and/or political science research in one chapter or

more;

o broadly integrate theories, methods and research from economics and/or

political science throughout your Senior I.S.

• Integrate your foreign language study in at least one significant way. In your Senior

I.S., you must do at least one of the following:

o include an abstract of the I.S. in English and in a foreign language;

o make use of foreign language sources;

o produce your own translation of foreign language sources;

o write your I.S. (or a chapter of the I.S.) in a foreign language.

• In the oral examination, you should be able to answer the question: how is your

Senior I.S. informed by your interdisciplinary work in the Program in Global &

International Studies?

RESEARCH

SOURCES

All sources must be critically read and evaluated to measure their relevance, perspective

and context. Students should ask some of these questions when analyzing primary and

secondary sources: Is this source relevant? What perspective does it present? In what

broader context did it emerge? Who was its intended audience? Are there differing

opinions between scholars? Have the scholarship and views changed over time? Does the

scholarship make sense in light of a particular finding? Is there sufficient and persuasive

evidence to support claims made?

Primary Sources

In your research, you should identify a set of primary sources that will help you address

your historical question. A primary source is an “eyewitness” or otherwise “near-in-time”

account of an event by someone who was involved or close to those who were involved in

the event. Newspaper accounts, the accounts of many news magazines, letters, diaries,

autobiographies, photographs, speeches, business records, and the like are treated as

primary evidence.

Secondary Sources

Very early on in your research you should identify the most important secondary works on

your subject. You may find that your historical question intersects with more than one

body of research. You should know the historiography on your topic well, and be able to

explain how historical interpretations have changed over time.

Taking Notes

Take notes in your own words, not the author’s, unless you plan to quote directly. In the

latter case, be careful to copy the words exactly as they appear in the original, use

quotation marks, and note the page number(s) from where it came.

Data Collection and Management

Avoid spending hours retracing your steps to find a source. Take down complete and

accurate bibliographic information at the time you compile your notes. Zotero can help

streamline your note taking and citations.

Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, 7

ed. (Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin’s

Press, 2012), 10ff.

PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism, according to The American College Dictionary, is “copying or imitating the

language, ideas, and/or thoughts of another and passing off the same as one’s original

word.”

Even if the copied work is footnoted, plagiarism has still been committed if

sentences, phrases, a series of words, or any other passages taken from a source are not

placed in quotation marks. “When you derive facts and ideas from other writers’ work, you

must cite the sources of your information. Not to give credit for borrowed material is

plagiarism.”

While it seems obvious that direct quotes should be precisely documented,

ideas and interpretations inferred from someone else’s work also have to be documented.

Some further guidelines:

Any idea or argument taken from a work that is not your own – whether it is from a

printed source, the internet, or another student – must be properly cited. You must

incorporate an acknowledgment of the source of the idea in a footnote. If not, your

work will be considered plagiarism.

All quotations must be clearly marked with quotation marks in the text and the

source identified in a footnote. If not, your work will be considered plagiarism.

Any group of three or more words taken directly from a work that is not your own

must appear in quotation marks and the source identified in a footnote. If not, your

work will be considered plagiarism.

The borrowing of any complete sentence, sentence fragment, or sequence ofthree

words or more from a work that is not your own (whether taken from printed

works, the internet, or the work of another student) without quotation marks and

without proper citation is considered plagiarism. This includes words taken from

reference works and online sources.

See the chapter on plagiarism in Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in

History. It contains a fuller definition of plagiarism, examples of plagiarism and tips for

avoiding it. You will be expected to know its contents.

The consequences of plagiarism in Junior and Senior I.S. are extremely serious. They may

include failure in I.S., suspension, and expulsion. These penalties apply to drafts submitted

to your advisor as well as to the final paper. There is no statue of limitations on plagiarism.

A plagiarized I.S. may result in revocation of the College degree.

LIBRARY COURTESY

So as to avoid scenarios in which library staff search for books missing from the shelves

because a student failed to sign it out, students must sign out all books used for I.S. Any

book kept in an I.S. carrel must be signed out.

Clarence L. Barnhart, ed., The American College Dictionary (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1953).

Rampolla, Pocket Guide, 31.

Ibid.

DOCUMENTATION

There are three reasons for students to document all sources used in the thesis: it gives

authority and force to the paper; it helps the reader evaluate any inferences being made;

and, most importantly, careful documentation helps students avoid plagiarism as well as

allay any suspicions of it.

Historians use the Chicago Style of citing references. Please see Mary Lynn Rampolla, A

Pocket Guide to Writing in History to see how footnotes and bibliographies should look.

The book contains multiple examples for the most commonly used reference types. You

may also wish to consult The Chicago Manual of Style and Kate L. Turabian’s A Manual

for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations for additional questions about and

examples of proper citations in History.

Your Junior or Senior I.S. must include proper footnotes and an annotated bibliography.

FOOTNOTES

Provide footnotes for all direct quotations, facts, interpretations, and references made to

any source material. Use footnotes to show the research upon which your work is founded.

You may also use footnotes to amplify or qualify your text. Details of common knowledge

do not require documentation.

TYPES OF FOOTNOTES

Reference Note

A reference note is used to establish fact, give authority, and avoid plagiarism. The

reference note must be used for all statements of fact that are not generally known, or

might be controversial or disputed. The reference note must also be used to show the

sources of your information.

A reference note is used to show the source of a direct quotation. All statistical and

numeric information must also be attributed to its source.

Historiographical, or “More-On”, Note

An important variety of footnote is the historiographical footnote. It should be used to

present the most important sources on a particular topic

Explanatory Note

An explanatory note may be used to amplify a particular idea or present details that might

overburden the main text.

FOOTNOTE MECHANICS

Detailed information on footnote formats for all types of sources is available in Mary Lynn

Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History. Zotero’s word-processing plugin can

automatically format your citations following the requirements for Chicago style as you

write.

Note: the format of footnote citations differs from the format of bibliographical citations.

Footnote references within the body of the text are elevated above the line (superscript)

and are set after any punctuation. Use Arabic numerals with no additional marks.

Footnotes should be placed at the bottom of each page. Number the footnotes

consecutively for each chapter, beginning again with number one in each chapter.

Footnotes are single-spaced, with a space between subsequent footnotes. Footnotes

use 10-point font.

Sources cited more than once should be given a full citation on first usage and a short

citation on following usage. DO NOT use op. cit. or loc. cit. at any time. Short titles are

much clearer in every way. Add the sentence, “hereafter cited as . . .” to the first full

citation to guide the reader.

Ibid. may be used for a subsequent reference to an identical source. Here, too, however, a

short citation is almost always clearer. It can eliminate the problem that follows when a

first reference is moved or deleted.

Some Examples of Footnotes

Historiographical note

No study of the American home front could complete without consulting the

following secondary sources: John Morton Blum, V Was For Victory: Politics and

American Culture During World War II (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1976);

Richard Polenberg, War and Society: The United States 1941-1945 (Westport: Greenwood

Press, 1972); and Allan M. Winkler, Home Front U.S.A.: America during World War II

(Arlington Heights: Harlan Davidson, Inc., 1986).

For an insightful analysis of changes in Reform Jewish practice after WWII, see

Joan S. Friedman, “Guidance, Not Governance:” Rabbi Solomon B. Freehof and Reform

Responsa (Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College Press, 2013).

First and subsequent footnotes—of books and articles—with Ibid. and short references

Shannon King, Whose Harlem Is This, Anyway? Community Politics and

Grassroots Activism during the New Negro Era (New York: NYU Press, 2015), 93;

hereafter cited as Whose Harlem Is This, Anyway?.

Ibid., 100.

Kabria Baumgartner, “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Education, and

Abolition” Ethnic Studies Review 32 (Winter 2009): 52-78; hereafter cited as “Incidents,

Education, and Abolition.”

King, Whose Harlem Is This, Anyway?, 110-112.

Baumgartner, “Incidents, Education, and Abolition,” 68.

First and subsequent footnotes—of books and articles—with short references

Jeff Roche, Restructured Resistance: The Sibley Commission and the Politics of

Desegregation in Georgia (Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, 1998), 34; hereafter

cited as Restructured Resistance.

Roche, Restructured Resistance, 100.

Roche, Restructured Resistance, 124.

Peter Pozefsky, “Childhood and the Representation of the History of Stalinism in

Russian Cinema of the Transition Period,” Studies in Russian & Soviet Cinema 4 (May

2010): 23; hereafter cited as “Childhood and Stalinism in Russian Cinema.”

Pozefsky, “Childhood and Stalinism in Russian Cinema,” 44.

Roche, Restructured Resistance, 125.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

A bibliography lists all the sources used or consulted in the development of your I.S.

Junior and Senior I.S. in History require an annotated bibliography. Each source should be

given a full annotation.

Organization

Give your bibliography a clear organization that will make it easy for readers to find

particular sources. You may simply separate primary from secondary sources. Or you may

use a more complicated classification. In any case, your classification should be clear to

the reader. Entries within each section should be ordered alphabetically by author.

Consider these two examples as models.

Example 1:

Primary Sources

Secondary Materials

Example 2:

Bibliographies

Manuscripts

Government Documents

Almanacs, Handbooks, and Encyclopedias

Newspapers

Periodicals and Magazines

College Documents, Letters, and Works

Diaries

Reminiscences and Autobiographies

Biographies

Monographs and Special Studies

General Works

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY MECHANICS

Detailed information on bibliographical formats for all types of sources is available in

Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History.

Note: the format of bibliographical citations differs from the format of footnote citations.

Every bibliographic entry is single spaced with a blank line between each entry.

The first line of each entry begins at the left margin but each subsequent line must be

indented one half inch (a hanging indent).

The authors’/editors’ name (if given) is listed last name first and first name last;

subsequent authors’ names are presented in the natural order of first and then last name.

Page numbers are included only if the work is an article in a periodical or a chapter in a

larger work.

The annotation should be single-spaced and indented one half inch from the left margin.

Some Examples of Bibliographical Entries

Book by a Single Author

Pozefsky, Peter C.. The Nihilist Imagination: Dmitrii Pisarev and the Cultural Origins of

Russian Radicalism (1860-1868). New York: Peter Lang, 2003.

Edited Volume

Roche, Jeff, ed. The Political Culture of the New West. Lawrence: Univ. of Kansas Press,

2008.

Chapter in an Edited Volume

Hettinger, Madonna. “So Strategize: The Demands in the Day of the Peasant Woman in

Medieval Europe.” In Women in Medieval Western European Culture, edited by

Linda E. Mitchell, 47-64. New York: Garland Press, 1999.

Article in a Journal

Sene, Ibra. “Slavery, History, and Memory: A Report on the African Burial Ground in

New York City.” PHARE: Patrimoine & Histoire en Afrique: Recherches et

Expériences 2 (August 2008): 12-15.

Web Page

Holt, Katherine. “Population by Racial Classification, Santiago do Iguape 1835.” The

Bahian History Project. http://www.mappingbahia.org/project/maps-and-

graphs/graphs/#chart1

Manuscripts

Roosevelt, Theodore. Papers, 1900-1909. Library of Congress, Washington D.C.

United States Government Documents

Congressional Record 47th to 49th Congresses. Washington, 1886-1887.

Foreign Documents

Great Britain, Foreign Office. British Documents on the Origins of the War, 1898-1914

(edited by G. P. Gooch and Harold Temperley), 11 vols., London: HMSO, 1926.

Newspapers

New York Times, 1939-1944. New York, New York.

Online Video

Herlehy, Ed. “Rally For Castro. One Million Roar ‘Sí’ To Cuban Executions.” Universal

Newsreels, January 22, 1959. https://archive.org/details/1959-01-

22_Rally_For_Castro.

ANNOTATIONS

An annotation is a brief, evaluative summary of a book, article, or other publication. Its

purpose is to describe the work in such a way that the reader may decide whether or not to

read the word itself. By definition, annotations are short notes and are normally no more

than 100 to 150 words.

An annotated bibliography evaluates and summarizes. Ideally, an annotated bibliography

helps the reader understand the particular uses of each source, the relationships between

sources, and the traditions debated and discussed.

Content

After the full citation following Chicago Bibliography Format, each annotation should

include the following:

The authority and the qualifications of the author should be clearly stated.

Preferably this is to be done early in the annotation: “Margaret Ng, a professor of

history at the College of Wooster…”

The scope, argument, and evidence presented in the work should be explained in

one to three short sentences. This is usually done in two to three short sentences.

The audience and the level of reading difficulty should be indicated: “Roche

addressed himself to the scholar, but the concluding chapters will be clear to any

informed layman.” Such a comment will serve to warn the reader from writings

that are too elementary or too scholarly.

The major assumptions or standpoint of the author in relation to the theme should

be clarified: “Holt’s anti-French bias has been mentioned by reviewers.”

The relation of other works, if any, in the field is usually worth noting: “This

corroborates the findings of Gregory Shaya’s “How to Make an Anarchist-

Terrorist” in that it…”

At this point the annotation might conclude with a summary comment: “Sene’s

study sheds light on my research question byshowing...”

Example of an Annotation

Beckles, Hilary McD. Natural Rebels: A Social History of Enslaved Black Women in

Barbados. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1989.

Social historian Hilary McD. Beckles, now Vice-Chancellor of the University of

the West Indies, examines the productive and reproductive labor of enslaved

women on Barbadian sugar plantations from 1650 to 1850. Beckles argues that the

overwhelming focus on the agricultural labor done by sugar slaves has led

historians to overlook the economic and social importance of slave women as

mothers. His extensive use of plantation records for detailed quantitative analysis

is complemented by his use of private correspondence and newspaper accounts to

uncover social relationships. Beckles provides a much-needed corrective to studies

of plantation life that overlook the significance of gender. This work is useful for

my study of slave family formation because it allows me to place my observations

about Brazilian sugar plantations in comparative context.

STYLE SHEET

EXPRESSION

Interpretation

A clear point of view is one of the most important characteristics of a successful I.S. paper.

Ask a significant question about your topic and answer it; come to a conclusion as to the

meaning of your topic. Tell your readers not only what happened but also why your

interpretation is important.

Do not be dull. Your scholarship should be exhaustive, not exhausting.

Express your opinions forcefully. Avoid mincing words of expressions (“perhaps,”

“somewhat,” “it may be said that,” “the evidence suggests”). If you believe something to

be true, say so. If a reputable authority does not agree with you, or if the evidence is not

wholly conclusive, say so in a footnote. Do not clutter your narrative with uncertainties.

Avoid trite, overworked phrases (“as dark as the night,” “it stands to reason,” “the heel of

the conqueror”).

Voice

Whenever possible write in the past tense. Avoid the editorial “we.” After your introduction,

avoid the first person.

Avoid the passive voice. It leads to mushy, boring sentences that are difficult to read.

NO: It was decided to invade Poland on September 1, 1939.

YES: Hitler decided that Germany would invade Poland on September 1, 1939.

Do not use “there is” or “there are” as the subject and predicate of a sentence. The basis of

a strong sentence is a strong verb and a strong noun. Weak verbs and weak nouns

guarantee weak sentences.

Mechanics

Keep your sentences short. Paragraphs should seldom be longer than three-quarters of a

typewritten page. Be sparing with adjectives. When you have finished your paper,

proofread it and strike out the word “very.” It adds nothing to what follows.

The pronoun “this” should not be used as the subject of a sentence unless it refers clearly

to a definite noun in the preceding sentence. Avoid the sentence that begins “This

indicated to Robin Hood the danger . . .” when “this” refers to the whole preceding

paragraph.

Diction

Use familiar, short, concrete words rather than exotic, longer, and abstract ones. The four-

syllable word has its place; when you wish to draw delicate distinctions, it may be

essential. Do not use it just to show you know it.

Usage

* Make sure you know what a word means before you use it. Use the correct preposition

with any verb that takes one.

* Do not use the expression “based off of.” Although it is widely used in speech, it is

fundamentally incorrect. (Think about what a “base” is.) The correct expression is “based

on.” If “based on” doesn’t fit the context, then use another standard English expression,

such as “derived from,” “copied from,” or “modeled on.”

* When you mention a person for the first time, give the complete name. Re-identify

obscure persons if you have not mentioned them for some time.

* Do not use contractions. Do not use the abbreviations, i.e., e.g., viz., etc., in your text.

* Remember that “its” is the possessive form and “it’s” is a contraction for “it is.”

* Underline or italicize foreign words unless they have become standard in the

English language.

Capitalization

Do capitalize Do NOT capitalize

Sections: North, South, East, West Directions: north, south, east, west

Adjectival forms: northern, southern

southerner, northerner

General Assembly legislature

Congress, Senate, Senator Taft When used generally:

President Truman, Governor Long “Once the senators met with the governors,

they discussed whether a president should

serve more than two terms.”

Lake Superior, Ohio River, When used generally:

Wayne County “I hope to fish in lakes Burton and Rabon, and

in the Tar and Neuse rivers, which are in nearby

counties.”

Democratic Party, Republican Party When used generally:

“In the democratic process, of the two major

parties, the less flexible party is the most

vulnerable.”

Quotations

A direct quotation is used to report the actual words or numbers of a source with no

changes. A text quotation can be very effective in citing an example or illustrating a

particular mood or sentiment. If used sparingly, a direct text quotation can strengthen an

argument.

Keep direct quotations to a minimum, keep them short, and do not quote secondary sources

unless the idea is so brilliantly and cogently expressed that you cannot resist repeating it.

It is usually better to paraphrase the material in your own words. In either case, cite all

sources.

Quotations must be exact.

If you have good reason to quote fifty (50) words or more, indent both sides one half inch.

Block quotes are double spaced and, because they are indented, do not require quotation

marks.

A quotation of less than fifty words should be incorporated into the text.

Quotation Marks and Punctuation

Use double quotation marks at the beginning and end of a quotation. Change any internal

quotation marks in the original source to single ones in your text.

Original source:

Coughlin, in a burst of rhetoric, called him “Franklin Double-Crossing Roosevelt,”

much to the delight of the crowd and to the disgust of the reporters.

Your text:

In his peroration, the priest labeled him “‘Franklin Double-Crossing Roosevelt,’

much to the delight of the crowd and to the disgust of the reporters.”

* For a single-spaced, indented quotation, as described above, retain only the marks used

in the original.

* Commas and periods go inside quotation marks.

I said, “Commas and periods go inside quotation marks.”

“Commas and periods go inside quotation marks,” I said.

* If not part of the quotation, exclamation marks (!) and question marks (?) go on the

outside of the quotation marks.

* If you omit a word, phrase, or sentence from a quotation, indicate this by three periods

(. . .). If the omission comes at the end of a sentence, indicate this by a fourth period (. . . . ).

Original source:

The sororities have as their objectives the promotion of intellectual achievement

and the development of high moral standards. These groups strive for a spirit of

cooperation with the administration, with one another, and with the independent

students on the campus.

Your text:

They assert that the “sororities have as their objectives . . . the development of high

moral standards.” Yet, there is some question that such are developed in their

striving for the “spirit of cooperation with the administration, with one another, and

with the independent students . . . .”

* If your original quotation starts in the middle of a sentence, but you are using it as the start

of a sentence, you need to indicate that by employing three dots and brackets:

Original source:

Hitler’s utopias crumbled upon contact with the Soviet Union, but they were

refashioned rather than rejected. He was the Leader, and his henchmen owed their

positions to their ability to divine and realize his will.

Your text:

As Germany’s Leader, Hitler set the broad goals for German territorial and racial

domination, but his deputies were responsible for filling in the details. “…[H]is

henchmen owed their positions to their ability to divine and realize his ideals.”

* If you interject text within a quotation, enclose the interpolation within square brackets

[ ], not parentheses. If there are errors of fact, date, spelling, or punctuation within a

quotation, which the reader might attribute to you, indicate the error by [sic]. Both of these

uses of brackets are illustrated in this excerpt from private correspondence:

“My chief reason is that we cannot, in conscience, declare [a] certain

ceremonial action a mitzvah, a devine [sic] command.”

* If you are translating a quotation from a foreign language, identify the translation as

yours in a footnote.

Numbers

* If a number can be written with two words, write it out; if not, put it in Arabic numerals:

five, five hundred, fifty-five; but 165, 212,1,962,312. In a sentence or series, however, use

the same form throughout: “There were 7 men, 43 women, and 112 children in the

shelter.” Write out ordinals (nineteenth century) and time of day when not using a.m. or

p.m. (four o’clock).

* Use Arabic numerals for: sums of money ($30, $345.65); decimals (8.002); dates,

statistics, and percentages —but write out the word, “percent;” do not use the symbol,

“%.” In running numbers or dates, use the full form: 1861–1865, pp. 322–325, NOT

1861–65, pp. 322-25, pp. 322-5.

Italics

Italicize foreign words and phrases, except when quoting entirely in a foreign language or

when using foreign words such as ante bellum, pro rata, mores, and naive that are so

common as to have become Anglicized.

Italicize titles of whole printed works such as books, pamphlets, periodicals, newspapers,

plays. Also italicize titles of poems, essays, and lectures if they appear as separate

publications. Use quotation marks for titles of component parts and unpublished materials

such as chapters, articles, theses; also, use quotation marks for the titles of poems, essays

and lectures published as part of a collection.

RESOURCES

The College and the History Department have a number of resources available to help

students in the completion of their Junior and Senior I.S. projects.

Copeland Fund for Independent Study

The Henry J. Copeland Fund for Independent Study offers direct financial support for

Senior Independent Study projects. There is money available for travel, archival research,

research expenses, conferences, and much more. The fund has helped scores of Wooster

History majors make their historical research more than a trip to the library. Deadlines are

in late September/early October (for research in the course of the senior year) and in early

April (for summer research). For the full details and guidelines for proposals, see

http://inside.wooster.edu/academic-affairss/copeland-fund/.

History Reference Bookshelf

In Kauke 125 – the student department assistant workroom – students will find a bookshelf

of reference works and sample I.S.’s that may be consulted. They may not be removed from

Kauke. See the History Department Website at http://history.voices.wooster.edu/Resources

for details.

History Equipment

The History Department has equipment available to students for use on I.S. with the approval

of their advisor: oral history kits and video cameras. See the History Department Website at

http://history.voices.wooster.edu/Resources for details.

History LibGuide

The College Library—and the Reference Librarian for History, Denise Monbarren—

maintain a Library Guide for History, with links to important print resources, essential

databases, Special Collections, and more. See http://libguides.wooster.edu/historygeneral.

Library Consultation

Reference librarians will provide a research consultation to any student working on a

research paper (for any course). Students enrolled in Junior and Senior I.S. should arrange

a research consultation early in their research. See the red tab labeled “Research

Consultation Form” on the library’s main page (https://wooster.edu/library/)

The Writing Center

The Writing Center, located in Andrews Library, has been an immense source of support

to students writing their Junior and Senior I.S. theses. Take advantage of its resources.

Contact the Writing Center early in the semester if you would like to set up a weekly

consultation to help in the writing of your I.S. See https://inside.wooster.edu/writing/

The Academic Resource Center (formerly the Learning Center)

The ARC, located in APEX, provides guidance and support for students struggling with

I.S. (for any reason at all). No reference is needed. If you think you need help with time-

management, procrastination, planning, etc., don’t hesitate to contact the ARC directly.

See https://inside.wooster.edu/arc/

Zotero

Software can help students manage their bibliographies, take notes, and format references.

In particular, you might consider Zotero, freeware developed for historians by historians. It

is available on the web at http://www.zotero.org.

SAMPLE I.S. PAGES

DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY FACULTY 2022–2023

Beatrice J. Adams, Assistant Professor of History (on leave, 2022-2023)

B.A., Fisk University, 2012; M.A., University of Chicago, 2013; Ph.D., Rutgers University,

2021

Select Publications: “The Rutgers Race Man: Early Black Students at Rutgers College,”

Scarlet and Black Volume II: Constructing Race and Gender at Rutgers, 1865-1945,

eds. Marisa Fuentes and Deborah Gray White, Rutgers University Press, 2020; “A

Second Founding: The Black and Puerto Rican Student Revolution at Rutgers-Camden

and Rutgers-Newark,” Scarlet and Gray Volume III, eds. Marisa Fuentes and Deborah

Gray White, Rutgers University Press, 2021.

Teaching Interests: African American History; Black Freedom Movement

Jordan Biro Walters, Associate Professor of History

B.A., M.A. California State University, Sacramento 2004, 2009; Ph.D., University of New

Mexico 2015

Select publications: “Offending Moral Decency: The 1969 Love-Lust Controversy and the

Sexual Revolution in New Mexico,” New Mexico Historical Review (Winter 2018);

“‘So let me paint’: Navajo Artist R.C. Gorman and the Bohemian Art World of San

Francisco, California" Pacific Historical Review (August 2019); Wide-Open Desert:

Queer Mobility & Creative Productions, 1920-1980, University of Washington Press,

forthcoming.

Teaching interests: U.S. history, LGBTQ history, public history

Joan S. Friedman, Lincoln Professor of Religion and Professor of History, History

Chair

B.A. University of Pennsylvania 1974; M.A.H.L. Hebrew Union College 1977; M.Phil.,

Ph.D. Columbia 1986, 2003.

Select publications: “Guidance, Not Governance”: Rabbi Solomon B. Freehof and Reform

Responsa (Hebrew Union College Press, 2013); “When Authority Was a Form of

Dissent: Postwar Guides to Reform Practice.” In Authority and Dissent in Jewish Life,

Studies in Jewish Civilization, vol. 31, edited by Leonard J. Greenspoon, 148-165.

West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press.

Current research: Ritual observance in American Judaism.

Teaching interests: American Judaism, antisemitism, the Holocaust, the Israeli-Palestinian

conflict.

Madonna J. Hettinger, Lawrence Stanley Professor of Medieval History (on leave Fall

2022)

B.A. Saint Francis 1977; M.A., Ph.D. Indiana University 1979, 1986.

Select publications: “Unbounded Affection: The Complex Intimacies of ‘Simple’ Peasants

After the Black Death,” in The Ties That Bind (2011); “So Strategize: The Demands of

the Day of Peasant Women in Medieval Europe,” in Women in Western European

Medieval Culture (1999); “Defining the Servant” in The Work of Work (1994).

Current research: Cultural responses to epidemic disease in Medieval and Renaissance

Europe.

Teaching interests: Medieval and Renaissance Europe, historiography and research

methods.

Katherine Holt, Aileen Dunham Associate Professor of History

B.A. George Washington University 1995, M.A. New York University 1999, Ph.D.

Princeton 2005.

Select publications: The Bahian History Project http://www.mappingbahia.org/; “Marriage

Choices in a Plantation Society” in International Review of Social History (2005).

Current research: Slavery and family life in nineteenth century Brazil. Brazilian history of

race and medicine.

Teaching interests: Latin America, comparative slavery, gender history, digital history

Margaret Wee-Siang Ng, Associate Professor of History

B.A., Trent University 1998, M.A., Ph. D. McGill University 1999, 2013.

Select publications: “The Use of Pain Recorded in Chinese Medical Works,” East Asian

Science, Technology, and Medicine no. 48 (2018): 81-124.

Current research: history of medicine, gender history, pain in Chinese history and tactile

perception, history of the body.

Teaching interests: Chinese history, Japanese history, history of medicine, family.

Peter C. Pozefsky, Michael O. Fisher Professor of History

B.A. Harvard 1984; M.A., Ph.D. UCLA 1986, 1993.

Select publications: “Russian Gangster Film As Popular History” in Studies in Russian and

Soviet Cinema 2 (2008); The Nihilist Imagination (2003).

Current research: Representations of Stalin and Stalinism in contemporary Russian cinema.

Teaching interests: Russian history, global history, film & history.

Jeff Roche, Professor of History

B.A., M.A. Georgia State University 1992, 1995; Ph.D. University of New Mexico 2000.

Select publications: The Conservative Frontier: The Far Right and the America West

(University of Texas Press, forthcoming); The Political Culture of the New West ed.,

(2008); The Conservative Sixties co-ed., (2003); Restructured Resistance: The Sibley

Commission and the Politics of Desegregation in Georgia (1998, 2010).

Current research: Political conservatism in the American West.

Teaching interests: Twentieth-century American political culture, the history of the

American West.

Ibra Sene, Associate Professor of History

B.A., M.A., M.L.I.S, D.E.A Université Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal, 1996, 1998,

1999, 2000; Graduate Certificate, University of Amsterdam 2006; Ph.D. Michigan State

University 2008.

Select publications: “Race and Imprisonment in Colonial Senegal: Evidence from the Prison

of Saint-Louis (1860-1940)”, in Jyoti Mohan and Mike Vann, eds., Anthology on Race

in France and the French Colonies; “Slavery, History, and Memory: A Report on the

African Burial Ground in New York City,” in PHARE: Patrimoine & Histoire en

Afrique: Recherches et Expérience (2008), and An A-Z of African Studies on the

Internet www.lib.msu.edu/limb/a-z/az.html (co-author: Peter Limb)

Current research: the prison of Saint-Louis and the penitentiary system in colonial Senegal;

history of higher education in Senegal.

Teaching interests: African history, European colonialism and imperialism, prisons, African

and African-American relations, Islam.

Gregory Shaya, Henry J. and Laura H. Copeland Professor of European History

B.A., M.A., Ph.D. University of Michigan 1988, 1993, 2000.

Select publications: “The Myth of the Fourth Estate,” Lapham’s Quarterly Roundtable

(2012); “How to Make an Anarchist-Terrorist: An Essay on the Political Imaginary in

Fin-de-Siècle France,” Journal of Social History (2010); and “The Flâneur, the Badaud,

and the Making of a Mass Public in France, circa 1860–1910,” The American

Historical Review (2005).

Current research: The history of emotions, violence and the mass press in France, the public

execution in France, historical documentary.

Teaching interests: France, the world in 1900, the history of news, crime & punishment in

history, documentary filmmaking.

Christina Welsch, Associate Professor of History (on leave, Fall 2023)

B.A., Emory University, 2010; M.A., Ph.D. Princeton University, 2012, 2016.

Select publications: “Military Mobility, Authority and Negotiation in Early Colonial India,”

Past & Present vol. 249, no. 1 (Nov 2020): 53-84; The Company’s Sword: British India

and the Politics of Militarism, 1644-1858, forthcoming, Cambridge University Press.

Current research: Interactions among military cultures in 18

century Britain and India, the

political development of the British East India Company.

Teaching interests: The British Empire, India and the Indian Ocean, the eighteenth century,

military history, mutiny/rebellion, global and transnational history