Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

Seminar in Historical Research (Face-to-Face)

HIST 4990-01

Course: HIST 4990-01
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: HSOC
CRN: 12083

Course Description

Welcome to HIST 4990. This course is the senior capstone class for history majors. It is an upper division course in historical research and methodology designed for students interested in teaching, government work, professional and graduate school, and for others drawn to exploring history at a deeper level. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any difficulties. I am here to help you succeed in the class.

The purpose of this class is to have students learn how to research and write a scholarly history paper based on primary and secondary sources. In the process, the course will introduce students to the essential elements of the historical profession: reading critically, thinking analytically, arguing persuasively, and writing forcefully and clearly. In class sessions, students are encouraged to explore complex issues of evidence and argumentation that will further research answering historical questions situated in historical context. At the end of the semester, students should emerge with a better grasp of writing mechanics as well as a sense of satisfaction for having written a significant historical essay based on archival sources and original thought.

Required Texts

In-class assignments and discussions will focus upon material in the following book:

Rampolla, Mary Lynn. A Pocket Guide to Writing History, 10th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's Press, 2021.

Learning Outcomes

HIST 4990 is the senior capstone course for the history major at the university. Class sessions reinforce research and writing skills essential to the historical profession. The research paper requirement and passing grade on this paper ensure that students have mastered research and writing as well as the analytical and critical thinking necessary in the historical field. At the end of this course students will have demonstrated the following essential learning outcomes:

(A) Students will demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills
(B) Students will demonstrate the ability to apply historical methods and research protocols to formulate historical questions, obtain data from primary and secondary sources, critically assess primary and secondary sources, and follow scholarly conventions of the discipline
(C) Students will understand, describe, and critically assess historical theories, principals, and concepts and possess the ability to apply historical theories, principals, and concepts
(D) Students will possess and demonstrate critical and analytical thinking and reasoning skills and demonstrate the ability to construct well-organized historical arguments that utilize historic data in support of a thesis
(E) Through research and writing the final term paper students will demonstrate preparedness for careers in the historic profession and related fields

Course Requirements

Students must attend class sessions and complete a significant research paper. Please see section below for basic paper requirements.

Assignments (please see Canvas for due dates):
  • In-class assignments—there will be 10 in-class assignments that require reading and short writing over historical methodology, conventions, and writing. They are focused on the Rampolla book.
  • Group assignments—students will pair up or get into groups of three to do the above written assignments and critique students’ outlines, sources, and drafts. With the professor, we will go over the assignment answers and discuss them together.
  • Draft—students will complete a developed draft of their capstone paper. With their partners, we will go over these drafts and offer constructive feedback.
  • Final Capstone Paper—please see heading below on this sheet about requirements for this paper.
Capstone Paper: Basic Requirements
Basic Checklist:
  • 18-20 pages minimum (longer papers are welcomed); if maps or images are used, these will not count toward the page minimum
  • 12-point font
  • Times New Roman font
  • 1-inch margins, top-bottom, left-right
  • Title Page, with creative and descriptive title (will not count toward page count)
  • Footnotes
Sources Checklist:
  • 5 secondary sources (minimum); at least 2 books (these must be books published by a scholarly or major national publisher such as Penguin, Simon & Schuster); others must be scholarly articles
  • 5 primary sources (minimum)
Bibliography Checklist:
  • Please see Rampolla for basics; can be organized in alphabetical order or using headings (Secondary Sources, Primary Sources) with entries in alphabetical order
Grading:
  • In-Class Grade & Meetings with Professor: 30%
  • Draft: 10%
  • Final Capstone Paper; 60%
Grading Scale:
100-93A
90-92A-
87-89B+
83-86B
80-82B-
77-79C+
73-76C
70-72C-
67-69D+
63-66D
60-62D-
59-belowF

Course Outline

Please see Canvas for class schedule.

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Instructor will accept late work, except one letter grade will be subtracted. 

Attendance Policy

Students must attend class sessions and complete a significant research paper.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.