Single or double-spaced?

Here's another question some of you are probably asking yourself:

Hi Dr. G,

I just read the blog about the page numbers ... I have been searching for a way to ask this question without sounding whinny, but can't figure out how to phrase it, so I figured I would just ask:
Do you mean 25 pages single spaced?

My reply:

Sorry ! That is important information -- and I forgot to give the word count, which makes more sense since we all like to use different fonts and margins. Let's say 15 pages (double-spaced)= 4,500 words and 25 pages = 7,500 words.

Question and answer about final paper

Here's another email question I just fielded that might help the whole class:

Dr. Garrigus,

I know that the paper length for our colloquium is set at fifteen pages, but as I continue to write I am finding it more and more difficult to concisely and completely explain all eight books in such a limited space.

Is there any possibility of writing over fifteen pages?

I replied:

Of course, -- I thought that 20 pages might be better but that really seemed to intimidate a lot of colloquium members. I think one could write an excellent paper in 15 pages, but I agree with you that have 20 pages [or so] is actually easier.

I found while grading the papers this semester is that the shorter they were, the more quality suffered; authors didn't really seem to be thinking through the key ideas. They would mention a topic and then move on, as if that covered it.

Even 25 pages would be okay. The point is to edit well and keep the paper on track, focused.
Good luck!
Dr. G.

So -- to the rest of the class -- I hope this helps! By the way, check out your grade on WebCT. Does it look as though I haven't graded one of the papers you wrote this term? Send me an email, because WebCT is my gradebook. If it isn't there, I've probably forgotten to grade it or to upload the grade.

A common Zotero problem

I fielded a question about Zotero recently that might describe a problem that many of you are having. After a coup
Here's the question --

... The specific problems I am having are that 1) when the note is inserted, it does not capitalize the title, and it sometimes uses semicolons in places where it shouldnt. Basically, I have to go in to the note and fix all this manually. I even went in to fix all the mistakes on my seminar paper, and then the zotero update link in the Add-in section transformed them all back to the grammatically incorrect version it gets from the notes saved in zotero.

I replied

You have to fix the formatting in Zotero, not in the word processor. To change the capitalization of the title, right-click on the title field of the record in Zotero. You’ll see a “transform text” menu and you can chose to capitalize all words or change them all to lower case. For semicolons and the like you have to go in and change each one manually.

After a while I’ve learned to get kind of picky about where I go to get Zotero data. Google Books data is usually formatted all wrong; often they have only the first half of the title. I go back to WorldCat again and again, though I’ve also had good luck with the UTA catalog, now that it’s Zotero friendly

To conclude -- the key is to fix the capitalization problems in Zotero itself. Once you have a database with all the correct citations in place it really pays off when you’re working on a series of projects [like a masters thesis or dissertation chapters] where you reference the same works again and again.

Salvador and Brazilian identity

A view of modern Salvador as seen from Bonfim.

Here's a quote from one of your papers on Sidbury that caught my eye as I was reviewing the Reis book:

Sidbury sees the use of “Africa” and the idea of Africanness in the writings and institutions of black Americans as “rhetorical constructions of the nation ” similar to those that occurred “in Anglo-American political thought”.

Finally, here's the church of Senhor de Bonfim... site of the Islamic/candomble syncretism Reis talks about -- which is on display in this image.

Final paper questions

Here are the two versions of the question we narrowed down in class on 11-23. Regardless of which one is finally chosen [note the cunning use of passive voice to obscure how this is going to happen], I will be looking for a thesis statement in your first paragraph that answers the question. Then you've got roughly 10 to 15 pages to prove to me that your thesis works! In the process you'll hopefully demonstrate your mastery of these books and your understanding of how each fits into the field of transatlantic studies.

In spite of the many methodological and philosophical divisions among scholars who have worked on topics within the "Age of Atlantic Revolutions," what are the essential underlying similarities and shared understandings of this concept? Discuss this question, using the 8 books we have read this semester.

and

Is the Age of Atlantic Revolution a useful concept? With so many differing interpretations, how can we speak of a single Age of Atlantic Revolution? Discuss this question, using the 8 books we have read this semester.

Eddie Izzard ... as promised

I meant to play this at the end of the semester! Thought you might enjoy it anyway ...

It's the British comedian Eddie Izzard, from his 1999 HBO show Dress to Kill, which should be required viewing for history majors. It's fun, but there is a lot of casual profanity, so don't watch if that upsets you. The show is available on DVD but you can find many of the best bits on YouTube.


Thanks, Mylynka!! She sent me the Lego version of the Eddie Izzard skit -- which reminded me to put this up in the first place! Not only is it much briefer but there's no profanity, which makes it easier to show to younger students.

Google Docs

If you didn't get an email message from me around November 16 or 17 with a link to access the Google Doc page we’re using to edit a question for the final paper, here's alternative. Click on the link below to go to the doc [a kind of on-line word processor, if you haven't used it before] and make your edits.

Here's the link.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Dr. G.