SCHOOL OF HISTORY AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS HONOURS HANDBOOK 2017
Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences
Flinders University, Adelaide
Telephone: 8201 2225/8201 2559 |Fax: 8201 5111
Email:
Honours Convenor 2017Dr Andrekos Varnava
Telephone: 8201 2423 | Email:
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Contents
HONOURS ...... 4
HONOURS TIMELINE AT A GLANCE: 2017...... 8
COURSEWORK: TOPICS, STRUCTURE AND ASSESSMENT...... 9
TOPIC OUTLINE...... 10
HONOURS THESIS...... 13
HOW HONOURS WORK IS GRADED...... 15
HONOURS THESIS SUPERVISORS...... 16
THESIS PRESENTATION REQUIREMENTS - CHECKLIST...... 18
STEP-BY-STEP COUNTDOWN TO SUBMISSION OF THESIS – 30 OCTOBER 2017...... 19
THE HONOURS YEAR: SOME NOTES AND HINTS...... 20
LIBRARY COPIES OF HONOURS THESES...... 22
GENERAL REMARKS ON SYLE AND REFENCING CONVENTION...... 23
Student PRIZEs...... 27
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HONOURS IN HISTORY and INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Basic Information
What is an Honours Degree?
The Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of International Relations honours degrees are conferred after one year's full-time study or up to two years part-time study at fourth year level.Entry to these honours programs is open to students who have achieved a high standard of work in their ordinary BA and BIR degree. The great advantages of an honours degree are the opportunities it provides for advanced study in various specialised fields of History and International Relations, and for you to further develop a range of transferable skills, not least the capacity for critical thinking and the ability to argue effectively, as well as highly competent research techniques and project management. An honours degree is highly regarded by many employers and, for some positions, is a prerequisite. It is also an essential qualification for students who wish to progress to a PhD. The experience of studying at honours level offers students many intellectual and personal benefits. Although demanding, most find it immensely rewarding and enjoyable.
What are the prerequisites for entry to Honours?
To qualify automatically to enrol in honours, a student needs to have at least a 5.33 GPA (a Faculty-wide standard), and a major in History or International Relations, with a CR grade or better in any 2 upper level History or International Relations topics, preferably with at least two DN grades. You need to be aware that there are some practical limitations on the School’s capacity to provide topics or supervision in some areas you may wish to study – although there remains a fairly wide range of possibilities.
Students who satisfy these requirements will be sent an automatic offer of entry to honours and a form which needs to be returned to the University by the date specified.
Students beginning their honours studies enrol during the late January enrolment period. Early enquiries may be made through the school honours convenor, Dr Andrekos Varnava, can be reached on 8201 2423 or by email
What constitutes the Honours program in our school?
An honours program consists of 36 units, 18 units of which are accounted for by 3 coursework topics, and 18 units by a thesis. In 2016, the following topics will be taught:
History
- HIST7001 A,B,C & D (18 units thesis, 15,000-18,000 word thesis)
- HIST7006: Making History: Current Directions in Historiography (9 units)
- HIST7054 Advanced Historical Research(4.5 units)
- HIST7055 Historical Practice (4.5 units)
International Relations
- INTR7015A, B, C & D(18 units thesis, 15,000-18,000 word thesis)
- INTR7002 Debating International Relations (9 units)
- INTR7018 Advanced Research in History and International Relations (4.5 units)
(this topic will be co-taught with HIST7054 Advanced Historical Research)
- INTR7017 From Topic to Thesis: Honours Workshop (4.5 units)
NOTE:
Details relating to the thesis component are on p.12
Details of the coursework topics available are on p. 8
All topics run for one semester.
Generally, there are about 10-12 meetings in a topic.
All these are small group seminar style meetings.
Can I do Honours part-time?
Yes. Although many students complete the honours program in one year of full-time study, the proportion of those enrolling part-time is significant, as some students have work and family commitments outside their university study. Students wishing to enrol part-time need the approval of the Undergraduate Standing Committee.
Part-time students may, if they wish, take up to two years to complete their honours program. Part-time honours students must do the required coursework topics in their first year. The honours thesis must be completed within 2 consecutive semesters except under exceptional circumstances.
In an Honours Degree, can I combine History or International Relations with an area from a different discipline?
Yes. If qualified in both disciplines, you may enrol for a joint honours program, combining History or International Relations with work in any other discipline in the Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences or the Faculty of Education, Humanities and Law. A joint degree consists of a minimum of 9 units from each school. This agreement needs to be recorded in a letter, with both Schools having a copy. Refer to the Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences honours information for further details.
Can I delay entry to the honours program?
Yes. Once you have received an offer to enrol in honours you may delay enrolment for one year only. After that, you have to re-apply again - something we would welcome.
Other Practicalities
a.Financial Help
Financial assistance is available for all honours students through the School of History and International Relations. Financial assistance of $100.00 is available to go towards the cost of thesis printing and binding. Bring your receipts to the school office and we will arrange for these costs to be reimbursed.
b.Document Delivery
As an honours student you can make use of the Central Library’s Document Delivery Service to obtain material for your thesis. It provides an excellent resource, enabling you to borrow items such as articles, journals, books and even some microfilm on ‘inter-library loan’. There is a very liberal upper limit of the number of times you can use the Document Delivery Service in a year. The Document Services Unit telephone number is 8201 2175. You can place orders electronically or in person at the DSU desk. Please see
c.Help in the Library
You will find another invaluable resource in the Liaison Librarians, and in particular, is Tim Ormsby, who is the Liaison Librarian for the school.
Telephone 8201 5183; Email
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Misuse of Academic Conventions and Academic Dishonesty
The School of History and International Relations takes very seriously the enforcement of the University and Faculty rules with respect to the “misuse of academic convention” and “academic dishonesty”. These rules are set out in Student Related Policies and Procedures Manual ( in other documents. Penalties for proven cases of academic dishonesty can be very severe.
It is particularly important that work drawn from another source is clearly acknowledged, and that any quoted material is clearly identified by indentation or by quotation marks. If you are not using a direct quotation but are using information or interpretation from a work, make sure that the source is fully acknowledged and that the account is clearly in your own words. Close paraphrasing, with occasional and minimal changes to wording and sentence structures, is not acceptable, as by its nature this involves substantial elements of unidentified direct quotation.
Ethics Approval from the Social and Behavioural Research Ethics Committee
Any human research (for a thesis, essay or any other University-related work) must have been given prior approval from the Social and Behavioural Research Ethics Committee. It is the responsibility of each student (in conjunction with her or his supervisor) to obtain this approval.
Human research as defined in the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2007) is “research conducted with or about people, or their data or tissue”. Human participation in research can be broadly understood to include:
- taking part in surveys, interviews or focus groups;
- undergoing psychological, physiological or medical testing or treatment;
- being observed by researchers;
- the collection and use of participants’ body organs, tissues or fluids; and
- access to their personal documents or other materials.
Please visit the website for further information: Because this approval may take time to secure, it is recommended that students apply as early as possible.
Extensions for the honours thesis
The honours convenor may grant an extension(where appropriate) during the honours year.
Extensions beyond the Faculty deadlines at the end of the honours year require formal approval at Faculty level. The ‘Assignment Extension Application’ form should be completed and submitted to the ASA Coursework Office
(see
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HONOURS TIMELINE AT A GLANCE: 2017
27 February / Semester 1 begins22/29 May / Seminar presentations (not for International Relations)
5 June / Semester 1 ends
24 July / Semester 2 begins
1 September / It is recommended that all first drafts of theses are completed and submitted to Supervisor for comment
30 October / Submission of thesis
13 November / Semester 2 ends
Note:
- History honours students are expected to attend History seminars, heldat 11:15am on Friday each week during term time.
- A countdown to submission guide is at p. 18.
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COURSEWORK: TOPICS, STRUCTURE AND ASSESSMENT
1.Meetings
Generally, there will be 10-12 meetings during the semester. Most topics will be small group meetings in a seminar style, normally held weekly (but meetings times will be agreed on, following January enrolment). Students can expect to receive at least one grade and some feedback on their written work by the middle of the topic. The major essay of the topic will be double-marked.
2.Assessment
Assessment in each of the special honours topics, including whether or not to incorporate an exam component, will be left to the individual convenor, on the understanding that a portion of 4,500 words (4.5 unit topic) will be accounted for by continuous assessment. This allows considerable choice and flexibility for convenor and students in arranging the assessment for a topic.
3.Coursework Topics
History
Semester 1
HIST7006 Making History: Current Directions in Historiography (9 units)
HIST7054 Advanced Historical Research(4.5 units)
Semester 2
HIST7055 Historical Practice(4.5 units)
International Relations
Semester1
INTR7002 Debating International Relations (9 units)
INTR7018 Advanced Research in History and International Relations (4.5 units)
(this topic will be co-taught with HIST7054 Advanced Historical Research)
Semester 2
INTR7017 From Topic to Thesis: Honours Workshop (4.5 units)
TOPIC OUTLINES
HIST 7006 Making History: Current Directions on Historiography
Associate Professor Matthew Fitzpatrick
Units: 9 units
Class Contact: 2 seminars per week
To become practitioners of history we need to know what is happening to our subject and why. What are the influences that affect its evolution as a scholarly activity and as a social and political phenomenon? In the recent past there have been some critical shifts in the way it is done. Some of these changes are fundamental to the way we see the past and the way we use it. By looking at these changes students will be talking about some of the latest work in ‘the frontier’ of historical writing – some of the most exciting and provocative types of historical work overseas and in Australia. Apart from examining the theory that underpins these recent trends, students will also become familiar with some of the practices of history, that is the essential tasks of locating accessing and their findings.
HIST7054 Advanced Historical Research
Dr Catherine Kevin
Units: 4.5 units
Class Contact: 5 days intensive over 3 weeks
This topic provides introduction to the honours program, and the expectations of higher degree academic research. It consists of 5 days of intensive interactive workshops designed to provide a working knowledge of:
•Library research and information and retrieval and management,
•The formulation and refinement of research proposals,
•Awareness of variations in research methodologies, and
•The creation of literature reviews.
The topic would also ensure students are thinking about their thesis, and provide them with a starting point for their further research, through the submission of a literature review and annotated bibliography relating to their thesis.
HIST7055 Historical Practice
Dr Andrekos Varnava
Units: 4.5 units
Class Contact: 1 seminar per week
Historical Practice is designed to enable History honours students to reflect critically upon the practice of History. Students will be expected to learn 1) how historians have used theories (learned in HIST7006) to produce historical works of all kinds; 2) how and why historians use different methodologies; and 3) how they can apply these understandings to their own research, writing and oral communication of history. Students will be exposed to sessions on the how Flinders historians have used theories and methods in producing historical works, while also attending the Flinders History Seminar Series to see how nationally and internationally renowned historians do so as well. This topic is designed to bring together what has been learned in the previous two coursework topics, providing a holistic understanding of the various mechanics of producing and practicing History.
INTR7002 Debating International Relations
Associate Professor Anthony Langlois
Units: 9 units
Class Contact: 1 seminar per week
This topic is the core mandatory topic for honours in International Relations. It examines the key theoretical debates within International Relations and applies them to contemporary and historical issues within global politics. The topic will range across theoretical paradigms in the discipline, and focus these on specific issues, contemporary and historical, within the field of International Relations. The topic will serve to integrate the learning experience at the honours level, serving as the intellectual, educational and social hub for the honours year.
INTR7017 From Topic to Thesis: Honours Workshop
Dr Tanya Lyons
Units: 4.5 units
Class Contact: 1 seminar per week
Theobjectiveofthis courseistohelphonoursstudentsturntheirideasforathesisintoaviableargument.Itintroducesskills necessaryforsuccessfulthesiswriting -definingaresearchproblem,identifyingandevaluatingevidence,readingcriticallyandimaginatively,andwritingadissertation-andprovidesstudentsanopportunitytodevelopthese skills.ThetopicconsistsofintensiveinteractiveworkshopsinwhichstudentscandevelopapeergroupexperienceofthehonoursprograminInternational Relations,presentingtheirworkforconstructivecriticism andessentialfeedbackasitmovesfromtopictothesis.
INTR7018 Advanced Research in History and International Relations
Dr Catherine Kevin
(this topic will be co-taught with HIST7054 Advanced Historical Research)
Units: 4.5 units
Class Contact: 1 seminar per week
Thistopicprovidesanintroductiontothehonoursprogram,andtheexpectationsofhigherdegreeacademicresearch.Itconsists ofinteractiveworkshopsdesignedtoprovideaworkingknowledgeof:
•Libraryresearchandinformationandretrievalandmanagement,
•Theformulationandrefinementofresearchproposals,
•Awarenessofvariationsinresearchmethodologies,and
•Thecreationofliteraturereviews.
Thetopic wouldalsoensurestudentsarethinkingabouttheirthesis,andprovidethemwithastartingpointfortheirfurtherresearch,throughthesubmissionofaliteraturereviewand annotatedbibliographyrelatingtotheirthesis.
HONOURS THESIS
1.Enrolment
You will need to enrol in the following 4 topics for your thesis component. Each topic is worth 4.5 units.
- Semester 1: HIST 7001A or INTR7015A
- Semester 2: HIST 7001B, C & D or INTR7015B, C & D
The thesis, due to be submitted on 30 October 2017, is the most extended and intensive piece of work in the honours program. Its purpose is to develop your skills in research and critical analysis, and in the presentation of a sustained piece of an argument. The thesis may be written on almost any subject of interest in which there are sufficient and accessible source materials, providing a supervisor can be found in the School of History and International Relations. Many different kinds of theses are possible.
Ultimately the choice about a topic for research is yours. However, it is important to begin thinking about possible thesis topics and possible supervisors well in advance. You are encouraged to select a topic for research and arrange with a member of staff to supervise it before the end of the year previous to enrolment. Identify your research interests and talk to your potential supervisor as soon as you can, about a workable topic. Remember that staff often take recreational or research leave in January.
2.Supervision
During the year you will need to see your supervisor regularly, generally for about an hour a fortnight or thereabouts. You will find that supervision arrangements do vary from student to student, and at different times of the year, depending on you and your supervisor’s workload. Remember that you can always ring or email if you find yourself getting out of touch.
3.Length and Weightings of the Thesis Component
The thesis component will be a 15,000 - 18,000 word thesis worth 18 units, or 50% of a full-time load.
4.History Honours Thesis presentations (as per HIST7054)
All History honours students are expected to attend History seminars, held at 11:15am on Friday each week during term time. A timetable can be found on the School of History and International Relations website: these seminars a wide range of research is presented by international and interstate visitors, graduate students and staff. Honours students present a short work-in-progress paper on their thesis during May as part of HIST7054 for helpful comments by participants at the seminar. The work-in-progress program aims to help students sort out some of their research problems, sharpen their analytical ability, and broaden their historical perspective.
Note that all School of History and International Relations students doing honours are strongly encouraged to attend these seminars.
Work-in-progress seminar
With regard to the work-in-progress seminars, each student should speak, preferably to a written text, for no more than ten to fifteen minutes, answering the following questions:
- What is your thesis topic?
This needs to be a single line statement, clearly announcing the central question you are exploring and establishing the scope of your thesis.
- How do you justify addressing this question?
Why have you chosen this topic? Summarise the existing literature on the subject, where will your work fit in?
- How do you propose to go about answering this question?
This should set out the sources and method you propose to use. What is your (tentatively) constructing your argument? Proposed chapter headings may help here.
- What problems have you confronted, or do you anticipate?
Be frank here about problems of definition of subject, sources and evidence. Considerable help from the audience often comes at this point.
There will then be time for discussion of about ten to fifteen minutes after each student’s presentation.
Students are welcome to prepare a one-page handout (can be 2 pages back to back) which may state the question, list major sources, propose chapter divisions, etc. Bring approximately 30 copies to the seminar for distribution.
5.Examiners
There will be two examiners in the first instance - one external and one from the School. Examiners will be chosen by the Honours Convenor in consultation with the supervisor. Where there is a clear agreement over the grade, and a discrepancy of a mark no greater than 10%, the results will be averaged. Where there is a difference of grade or a discrepancy of 10% or more, the Honours Convenor will engage with the two examiners, and if the matter remains unresolved, will appoint a third reviewer.