MITRA4450 ¨C Field Term - History Project for Modern International and Transnational History Students

Course content

Students will spend the majority of their third semester on writing a research paper on a topic in modern international or transnational history. The research paper is expected to engage with a different body of scholarly literature, utilize different primary sources and study a different empirical case than that of your master¡¯s thesis. The paper should be based on archival sources, and students are encouraged to visit physical archives and libraries, abroad or in Norway, to support their research. Additionally, students are encouraged to target their research paper for publication in a relevant academic journal.

Learning outcome

This course provides the students with an opportunity to apply their knowledge of history and historiographical skills to conduct an advanced research project within the field of modern international and transnational history. The course is designed to prepare the students for future work in an international research environment.

After you have taken this course you are expected to:

• be able to design and conduct an archive-based research project
• identify, assess and interpret relevant archival sources
• be able to write an independent paper based on primary sources, following the discipline's conventions for sources, citations, and referencing.
• gain a general understanding of academic publishing

Admission to the course

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.

Only students admitted to the Modern International and Transnational History (master) can apply for this course.?The course must be completed in the third semester. It cannot be taken part-time.

Students can apply for financial support for archival trips. For further information and funding possibilities, please follow the link to?support for expenses related to the archival work (travel support).

Teaching

Students fill out information on their project through a form?before August 25th. Students are strongly encouraged to reach out to potential supervisors for their project during the spring semester and have an informal agreement with a member of academic staff to supervise their research paper before the course application deadline.

A member of the academic staff will be assigned as a supervisor for the history project. Feedback will be given on the project outline as well as up to two drafts.

Obligatory activities:

Mid-September: A project outline must be submitted to the supervisor by this date. The project outline should:

• formulate a relevant research question that positions the project within a scholarly debate

• present the emipirical case study (including the object of study, approach and primary sources)

• outline the structure of the proposed paper

• include a separate bibliography listing the research literature that the paper engages with

The outline should not exceed 1200 words, notes included. Attachments and/or bibliography are not included in the word count.??

End of October: First draft to supervisor

Mid-November: Final draft to supervisor

Depending on the quality of the work, supervisors may advise the student on how to prepare a submission of the paper for publishing.

Examination

The course is assessed by a of a research paper of 8000 words, footnotes included. Attachments and bibliography are not included in the word count.

Students must be admitted to the course to be able to sit the exam.

Language of examination

The examination text is given in English, and you submit your response in English.

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.

More about examinations at UiO

• Use of sources and citations
• How to use AI as a student
• Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
• Withdrawal from an exam
• Illness at exams / postponed exams
• Explanation of grades and appeals
• Resitting an exam
• Cheating/attempted cheating

You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.