We will be meeting for the three final weeks of class (Nov. 26th
is NOT a class day) to discuss the papers. Each week we will discuss five
or more of the papers, and each week those of you not presenting papers
will be responsible for reading two of the papers. Moreover, each of you
will lead the discussion of one paper (during a week you are not presenting).
Put differently, each of you, during the two weeks you are not presenting,
will be reading four papers and leading the discussion of one of them.
You may pick up your FIRST DRAFT (due this week) of the
paper outside my office on Friday the 9th of November (those
of you presenting Nov. 19th can get your paper from me on Thursday
during my office hours). Three copies of your SECOND DRAFT are due
to me the week before you are to present. (Note: if you would prefer, you
may submit one copy to me and e-mail the remainder of the class a copy
of your paper.) Thus, if you are in the first group, your paper must be
handed in at class, Tuesday, Nov. 12th. After the class meets,
and you get comments back from me, you are to submit a THIRD DRAFT
for a final grade. For the first two groups, the third draft is due Dec.
10th; for the third group, it must be returned to me by Dec.
17th.
If you will be reading two other students' papers for each class. You
should do this carefully, and write out suggestions that you can pass on
to the paper writer. You should (1) make sure you understand what the thesis,
argument, or theme of the paper is; (2) raise questions about the interpretation
of the evidence or indicate where you are unclear about how and why the
author is drawing a particular conclusion; (3) determine what the author
believes is the larger significance of the study; (4) indicate any passages
you find particularly difficult to understand; and (5) suggest alternative
interpretations you think might be made of the evidence. If you are the
person is charge of leading the discussion, you should work out a set of
questions about the paper that will get the class to discuss these and
any other important aspects of the paper you wish to see discussed.
If you are presenting a paper, you should be ready to present a three
to five minute introduction that indicates what question or problem you
have addressed in the paper and how, briefly, you supported the conclusion
at which you arrived. You should also provide, as you do this, enough of
a context so that other students understand what your paper is about -
but not a full retelling of all the detail.
I have listed each group separately below by week, with the paper givers
at the top and the reading assignments following. Note that if a paper
you have been assigned to read is followed by a star (*), then you are
in charge of the discussion of that paper.
| Group 1: Papers due Nov. 12 and presented November 19th | Group 2: Papers due Nov. 19th and presented December 3rd |
| 1. Kevin Eppinger - Atlantic City | 1. Sara Hadodo - divorce |
| 2. Brian Cunado- railroads | 2. Ryan Herbst - divorce |
| 3. Moira Carroll - Civil War | 3. Kristine Palomares - martial cruelty |
| 4. Eric Leonhardt - slavery | 4. David Pydeski - rape |
| 5. Drew Handwerk - sedition | 5. Amy Wynkoop - child custody |
| Reading assignments (see numbers above; * means discussion leader on paper): | Reading Assignments (see numbers above; * means discussion leader on paper): |
| Sara - 1, 5* | Kevin - 1*, 2 |
| Ryan - 1 , 2 | Brian - 1, 2* |
| Kristine - 1, 2 | Moira - 1, 2 |
| David - 3, 4 | Eric - 3, 4 |
| Amy - 3, 4 | Drew - 3, 4 |
| Damiano - 3, 4 | Damiano - 3*, 4 |
| Laura - 1, 5 | Laura - 4*, 5 |
| Matt - 1*, 5 | Matt - 1, 5 |
| Nicholas - 2*, 5 | Nicholas - 2, 5 |
| Sean - 2, 3 | Sean - 2, 5* |
| Todd - 3*, 4 | Todd - 3, 4 |
| Rupali - 4*, 5 | Rupali - 4, 5 |
| Group 3: Papers due December 3rd and presented December 10th |
| 1. Damiano Conforti - abortion |
| 2. Laura Granett - Boy Scouts/gay rights |
| 3. Matt Gates - temperance |
| 4. Nicholas Klafter - prohibition |
| 5. Sean Kennedy - insanity defense |
| 6. Todd Moser - electric chair |
| 7. Rupali Parikh - psychiatrists |
| Reading Assignments (see numbers above; * means discussion leader): |
| Kevin - 1, 2 |
| Brian - 1, 2 |
| Moira - 3*, 4 |
| Eric - 3, 4* |
| Drew - 5, 6* |
| Sara - 5, 6 |
| Ryan - 1*, 7 |
| Kristine 2*, 3 |
| David - 4, 5* |
| Amy - 6, 7* |