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Well, this was my capstone experience in history and it was an enjoyable experience especially compared to the horror stories told to me about Dr. Plummer's senior seminar course. Believe me, the evaluations posted by people in her class are not lieing. I pray that anyone taking senior seminar at WKU in the spring of 2008 is taking Dr. Minter because her class is less stressful than Dr. Plummer's although there is still a good amount of reading and work involved.
Dr. Minter makes this class about the development of human rights from 1215 to present day. You focus on conceptions of human rights in Europe and the world before looking at the quest for civil rights in the United States from Reconstruction to present day. I wasn't excited at first about the topic but as we started discussing it in class and did several readings, it became very interesting.
The focus of this class is your senior research paper which comprises 70% of your course grade. You receive 3% for your topic statement, 3% for your thesis statement, and 4% for your annotated bibliography (and you need to have a LOT of primary sources for that). Another 10% is for your rough draft due around midterm week and then 40% is for your final draft. You also have to do a 8-15 minute presentation of your paper prior to finals week to the class which is worth another 10%.
Your research paper has to be concerned with human rights/civil rights/civil liberties and word to the wise: if your taking Dr. Minter next semester COME UP WITH A RESEARCH PAPER IDEA RIGHT NOW! She will ask you to meet her the second week of class to tell her what topic your researching and you have to submit your topic statement the following week. Therefore, use the five week winter break to develop ideas and use Topcat to see what the library has on your topic and if it is viable. Doing this will make your life a lot easier.
Also, for the paper try to work on it each week. I spent 40-50 hours on my research paper (about 3 1/2 hours a week) and got a very good grade because of it. Give yourself ample time to research, write your annotated bibliography, outline your paper, and complete your rough draft in stages. If you try to rush she will notice your sloppy work and your grade will be harshly punished. Furthermore, DO NOT PLAGARIZE. Dr. Minter is going to submit your papers onto "turnitin.com" like Dr. Plummer and if you are found to be taking things from Wikipedia or the Internet you will be kicked out of the class and disciplinary action will be taken. Believe me, I saw it happen to several people during this semester (although not specific to our class) so be careful! Cite everything if you think you may have plagarized to cover yourself.
However, Dr. Minter is helpful in helping you research and is willing to conference with you on paper topics, thesis statement direction, and other items. She also takes you to the library during the second class meeting so a library person can show you how to find things on Topcat and in the library. Also, you visit the Kentucky Library so they can show you what they have.
For this course you also have a decent amount of reading to do every week. You have 3 books you need to read for the course but the reading assignments early are not that bad and are usually accompanied by a short primary source document. READ THE SOURCES because 20% of your class grade is participation. Every night, like an English course, you sit in a circle and share ideas about the topic matter. There were several people in our class that never said a word the entire semester and I'm sure their participation grade suffered. Try to say 2-3 decent things a night about the readings and you'll be okay.
It's also helpful during class discussions to take notes because the final exam is another 10% of your grade and you need to recall all of the past readings during the semester for it. Therefore, keep a folder with all the primary source documents and take notes each night of what points get brought up because it can be a valuable study tool around finals time. Also, your going to have to do a primary source analysis of two documents on the final that relate to the topic so be prepared for that.
Overall, I really enjoyed this course. Doing the research paper was a lot of work but Dr. Minter was always there being helpful and my hard work was rewarded in the end. This class will be a breeze for you IF YOU STAY ON TOP OF THE WORK. Do not write your rough draft or annotated bibliography (which has to be in Chicago Style) at the last minute. If you keep a schedule together and stick to that work schedule you'll make it through this class easy, trust me.
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