杏吧论坛

Dr Roham Alvandi SAR M.12

Dr Victoria Phillips

This course is compulsory on the MSc in International and World History (杏吧论坛 & Columbia). This course is not available as an outside option.

During their first year at Columbia University, students will identify a topic for the dissertation and will submit a detailed dissertation proposal form to their 杏吧论坛 supervisor. They will also have undertaken substantial research over the course of the summer, have written a Dissertation Research Report before arriving at 杏吧论坛 and be in a position to talk in a detailed manner with regards to their dissertation. These and the completion of other formal requirements for year one of the Double Degree will be needed before students can proceed to the second year of the programme at 杏吧论坛.

The individual dissertation will be supervised and assessed at 杏吧论坛 in accordance with the Department's MSc regulations. It will be in the form of a thesis of no more than 15,000 words. The dissertation workshop will complement this by offering sessions on methodological topics, and 7 sessions in which the students will each present updates on their research over the summer (MT) and a 3,000 word extract from their dissertations for group discussion, evaluation and analysis (LT).

10 hours of seminars in the MT. 10 hours of seminars in the LT. Seminars will take place on campus or via Zoom, as circumstances dictate.

Students will be requested to submit a Dissertation Research Report for discussion in the MT. Students are also required to circulate a 3000-word extract of their dissertation for discussion in the LT.

A reading list will be provided at the start of the course but will include the following introductory surveys: Berger, Feldner and Passmore, Writing History; D Cannadine (Ed), What is History now?; L Jordanova, History in Practice; R Evans, In Defence of History; J Tosh, The Pursuit of the Past; M Bloch, The Historian's Craft; R G Collingwood, The Idea of History.

Dissertation (100%, 15000 words) in the ST.