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The requirements for the course are as follows: (1) Reading Summary and Seminar Participation (25%); 2) one seminar discussion leadership (15%); (3) Rough Draft and Preliminary Components (20%); and (4) Final Paper (40%); (5) a self-evaluation (one-page, typed, single-spaced) assessing your performance in the course (not graded but required).
 
Each week you are expected to turn in a 2-3 page summary of the reading for that week. These must be in my mailbox in the department office (or emailed to me in RTF format) before class. Like a book review, these summaries should recapitulate the readings thesis, articulate the kind of evidence that the author draws on, and make some critical comment. These will, in all candor, drive you nuts, but they will hone your writing skills and prove invaluable when the time comes for your comprehensives. Seminar participation means lively and engaged discussion of the readings. You cannot hope to derive the most from the course if you sit on the sidelines and listen to the play-by-play.
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Each class member (or team of two) will be responsible for leading at least one class discussion. The leader (or leaders) is responsible for initiating and maintaining the discussion. I will be on hand to facilitate the process, but the leader (or leaders) will be responsible for setting the agenda for the class.
 
It's extremely important to get an early start on your paper and make continuous progress toward its completion by completing elements of the paper throughout the semester. This requirement is intended to keep you on track. If you complete the assignments on time and good order, you receive full credit.
Your paper will be an analytical essay (15ú20 pages) discussing the literature on a particular topic in the history of the American West. Your paper should reflect the most recent scholarship and include a critical discussion of the central arguments. Be careful in selecting your topic to choose one that is feasible within the time constraints of the semester. I am flexible on choice of topic.
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