Objective

Students will submit a 6- to 8-page draft paper that outlines a topic and thesis for a final multi-media project connected to their assigned Dickinson graduating class, sent by email to Prof. Pinsker no later than Friday, Dec. 1 (counting for one-third of the overall exhibit grade).  The draft should identify and fully describe the topic, providing a descriptive title, demonstrating thoughtful research, and using Chicago-style footnotes to identify sources. These papers represent the first stage of a project process, culminating in the creation of a multi-media website exhibit due by Wednesday, December 13th.

 

Main Guidelines

 

  • Papers should be submitted by email and include a descriptive title page and Chicago-style footnotes. Bibliographies are not required.

 

  • This paper will count for one-third of the final exhibit grade (or 10% of the course grade).

 

  • Papers will be evaluated on the basis of their research effort, analysis and prose quality.

 

  • Late papers will be penalized up to 5 points per day.

 

General Advice

  • Choose a topic in consultation with Prof. Pinsker, one that offers an opportunity to explore an area of your interest in a fashion that will engage a general audience and illustrate an important point (or points)

 

  • Good topics can range widely from profiles of individual students or alums (you can cover their lives after Dickinson), to group portraits, to discussions of important events or trends from that time. Keep in mind, however, that good paper topics will illustrate a thoughtful connection to Dickinson in this period and lend themselves to visual display online.

 

  • Organize this effort as a traditional research paper with an interpretive thesis statement, using third person narration, and the usual mix of primary and secondary sources. If you cite to reference sources, make sure they are high quality.  Don’t try personalize the paper as a proposal for a final project.

 

  • Always remember that the ultimate goal of the multi-media exhibit should be to offer high school or undergraduate students an effective and thought-provoking online vehicle for learning more deeply about Dickinson College and the broader nineteenth-century history beyond its campus.