Ph.D. TUTORIAL I

Level:

Doctoral

Course Status:

Mandatory

CEU credits:

Academic year:

2011/2012

Semester:

Fall

Start and end dates:

19 Sep 2011 - 9 Dec 2011

Host Unit:

Department of History

Academic Program:

Doctor of Philosophy in Comparative History of Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe

CEU Instructor(s):

Marsha Siefert

Assessment :

This course is taken for a pass/fail grade. The requirements are to submit in the first week of December an essay of 5-10 pages describing the logic of the bibliography chosen for the comprehensive exam, the assembled bibliography of approximately 100 books and journal articles, and the application to candidacy, including the names of the prospective comprehensive exam committee. These materials are assessed by both Supervisors and the History Department Doctoral Studies Committee and suggestions may be made for a revised submission in the winter term.

Full description:

COURSE SCHEDULE AND READINGS

1: Seminar: The CEU PhD Program in Comparative History Comprehensive Exam

Topics: Outline of the program, discussion of the first-year curriculum and requirements, requirements for the comprehensive exam, choosing the exam committee

Required Reading:

Central European University Regulations for the Doctoral Program, April 2011. http://www.ceu.hu/sites/default/files/R-1010-1%20Doctoral%20Regulations_web.pdf Department of History, Doctoral Program in Comparative History of Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe, Guidelines

Recommended:

Max Weber, “On Science as a Vocation” http://www.ne.jp/asahi/moriyuki/abukuma/weber/lecture/science_frame.html

Linda K. Kerber, “Conference Rules: Everything You Need to Know about Presenting a Paper in Public,” Perspectives on History (May 2008): 17-20. [pdf]

2: Seminar: Constructing the PhD Examination Bibliography

Topics: Assembling a bibliography, online search engines, international libraries, interlocking sources, using book reviews, the Zotero bibliography and citation program

Recommended:

Marc Trachtenberg, The Craft of International History (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2006), Appendix I: Identifying the Scholarly Literature http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/polisci/faculty/trachtenberg/methbk/AppendixI.html

C. Wright Mills, Appendix, “On Intellectual Craftsmanship,” Appendix to The Sociological Imagination. http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/polisci/faculty/trachtenberg/methbk/AppendixI.html

3-6: Individual Tutorials

Description: The heart of the three-part sequence of PhD tutorials is the individual tutorial. During these meetings with the instructor each student’s goals and plans will be given close attention with the aim of developing scholarly texts and writing practices that will enhance the quality of the exam materials and provide regular assessments.

Assignment: At least 24 hours before the assigned tutorial, each student should email a copy of his or her application essay to the instructor. During the tutorial the instructor will discuss suggestions for ways in which the exam might be organized, the comparative fields that would make logical sense, and the potential faculty members for the committee. At this time relevant books and journal articles will also be suggested.

7: Seminar: Analyzing Scholarly Books and Journals

Topics: What is peer review, the art of reviewing, the essay review, and the old and new forms of scholarly publishing.

Assignment: Each student should choose a journal in which s/he would particularly like to publish in one day to present to the class. Each student should address the following questions about the journal: Who is the editor and editorial board and what does that say about the theoretical orientation of the journal? What type of research do they publish and what type of evidence do the published authors typically use? Have they had any special issues in recent years and how long have they been publishing? Are they connected to an association or a particular institution? And finally how would you describe the approach, strengths and weaknesses of an article you believe is representative or a model for a type of article you might like to write?