Time Schedule:
Timothy M. Wright
HIST 498
Seattle Campus
Each seminar examines a different subject or problem. A quarterly list of the seminars and their instructors is available in the Department of History undergraduate advising office.
Class description
"Fact or Fiction? Historical Monuments of the Pacific Northwest"--The landscape of the Pacific Northwest, like the nation as a whole, is dotted with sites and monuments that commemorate some historical event. Yet these sites often conceal or confuse more than they reveal and as one author has noted, they can "warp" American's understanding of the past. Yet, careful scrutiny of the sites can lead to a deeper understanding of the events and contexts they remember as well as engage students in discourses of culture, power, and historical memory. This course will require students to make site visits and conduct library and archival research in order to prepare a 15-20 page (article length) original research paper critiquing one historical site or monument in the Pacific Northwest.
*This course description and its components may change in order to better meet the needs and interests of the students or take advantage of new educational opportunities.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
--Weekly seminars focused around readings in historical site analysis, practical research methodology, and the process of writing and presenting historical research.
--One or two short field trips
--Site visits and library and archival research in order to prepare an original historical research paper
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
In addition to engaging in thoughtful discussion of the issues raised in seminar, students are required to produce:
--An annotated project bibliography for their paper
--A working outline for their paper
--A final, 15-20-page research paper critiquing one historical site or monument in the Pacific Northwest
--A 10-minute, 10-slide presentation of their findings
