Requirements for a History Senior Thesis at UNCA

Preparatory work:
            Completion of Hist 390
            A thesis-proposal approved by instructor and a second reader with an appropriate field of
                    expertise
            An annotated bibliography approved by instructor and one other faculty member with an
                     appropriate field of expertise
            On-time submission of all outlines, drafts, peer critiques etc. for Hist 452

A Senior Thesis should have:
            18-25 pages of text (not counting front and back matter, notes, maps, photos, biblio., etc.)
            A clear thesis that makes a contribution to the field or offers a fresh perspective
            A historiographical section that surveys pertinent secondary literature
            Strong, well-developed arguments based on original research in primary sources.  The
                        argument should not rely too heavily on one or two sources
            Documentation in Chicago (Turabian) style
            At least twenty sources
            Footnotes rather than endnotes, with at least 60% citing primary sources (and an average
                        of at least one note per paragraph)
            Nuanced interpretations of primary sources, including an awareness of authorship, dating,    
                        bias, audience, and type of document  
            A bibliography including only sources actually cited in the paper, divided into two
                        sections: primary and secondary sources
            Secondary sources that include journal articles, but not survey textbooks or general
                        encyclopedias (and not Wikipedia or other dubious online sources)
            Justifications for secondary sources older than thirty years

Students must demonstrate these basic historical skills:
            Thorough research
            Critical analysis of sources
            Creative synthesis
            Cogent argumentation
            Clear writing
            Responsible quotation
            Impeccable documentation

 Stylistic guidelines:
            No contractions
            No colloquialisms
            Consistent past-tense
            Properly introduced, apt quotations (no quote-stringing)
            Correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling
            A correct title page