367 Course requirements

367 Course Requirements

NOTE THAT THIS IS A THREE CREDIT COURSE FOR GRADUATES, AND A THREE OR FOUR CREDIT COURSE FOR UNDERGRADUATES.

Undergraduates:

attend lectures (4028 Vilas, 1-2:15 TR.)
do the reading (for details see the course schedule) and explore this web site.
two midterms (in class; 3/1 and 4/17.)
a final exam (12:25, SUN 5/13, place to be announced.)
four credit students do a term paper of 5-6 pages (due 3/29.)
Reading: the course schedule lists readings for each week. In addition, your term paper will need to cite at least two books and/ or articles (but not web sites) in addition to these readings. Here are three books that you might find useful, both in doing your term paper and more generally; all are available on reserve in College Library: (1) Keith Wrightson, English Society 1580-1680; (2) Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic; (3) J. P. Sommerville, Royalists and Patriots. Politics and Ideology in England 1603-1640.

(Four credit students: of your total grade, each midterm is worth 18.75%; the final 37.5%; and the term paper 25%.

Three credit students: each midterm is worth 25%, and the final is worth 50%)

Visit here for information on how to get a good grade.

Term paper: write on one of these topics

(1) How and why did English society change in the century between 1580 and 1680?

(2) What arguments did people in the seventeenth century use in favor of and against the Divine Right of Kings? How convincing were the arguments, and why did people find them persuasive?

(3) Why did religious and political radicalism spread in England in the mid-seventeenth century, what did the radicals want, and why did they fail to attain their objectives

(4) another topic, by arrangement.

A note on term papers and the Internet:

The term paper should cite at least two sources in addition to the course reading. You can find many sources in the footnotes and endnotes of the course reading, and in the three books listed above under "Reading." There is an excellent search engine at this link. A good link for buying books is here.

Be careful about using sources from the Internet, as they are not always reliable. As a general rule, use printed, published sources (though it's fine to use them in pdf versions available on the Internet.)

Some useful web sites are: The Dictionary of National Biography (known as DNB): DA 28 D48 2 (Reference Room; 2S). This is a comprehensive, multi-volume work. It has recently been updated and is available electronically to UW students by clicking the link above.

British and US constitutional history

Centred on English dissenters but with web links to many other English history topics.

History online .

A good guide on questions of style, grammar etc. is available at The Wisconsin Handbook.

Finally, be aware that you should be careful to give proper citations for things you take from the Internet or from printed books and articles; take a look at this information on academic misconduct.

Graduates:

attend lectures
2 term papers (12-15 pp. including notes and bibliography; due 3/9; 5/10.)

Topics by arrangement. (Total grade consists of 50% for each paper.)