This semester, you will undertake a research project on a topic related to the history of music in Europe or the European colonies before 1750, appropriate to the course objectives, and approved by the instructors. Your project will result in a paper of about 10-15 pages of text (3000-4500 words), not counting figures and examples. It must be a detailed study of the issue you select, must have a single main point and a convincing argument, and must represent your own independent work and thinking, reflecting thorough research and original interpretation.
Originality need not imply that your point is entirely new. You may, for instance, take an idea you find in your reading, such as what makes Rameau's operas differ from Lully's, and test it out by comparing specific pieces to which it applies. But originality does mean that you go beyond your sources in some way and demonstrate your own thinking.
You should consider the paper an ongoing project that you work on each week. Your project will unfold in several stages, with the following due dates. These stages are designed to facilitate the process of conceiving and writing a research paper in music history, to give you practice in doing what music historians do, and to allow for frequent feedback. Detailed instructions on each stage are given below.
| 1. Preliminary Topic Idea | due Tuesday, September 7 |
| 2. Three Relevant Bibliography Items | due Tuesday, September 14 |
| 3. Prospectus and Bibliography | due Thursday, September 30 |
| 4. First Version of Research Paper | due Thursday, October 28 |
| 5. Final Version of Research Paper | due Tuesday, November 30 |
Each assignment is due to your discussion section instructor at or before the beginning of your discussion section that day. The research project is 25% of the course grade, with each assignment graded separately. As noted on the syllabus, you must average a passing grade on the entire research project in order to pass the course.
Topic: In choosing a topic, avoid the merely descriptive or encyclopedic. Make sure the topic is narrow enough to accomplish in the thirteen weeks you have. "The Sonata in the Seventeenth Century" is too broad, but (for instance) you might look at two or three Italian violin sonatas by composers of different generations and show how their approaches differ. Choosing and limiting your topic well can save you weeks of tedium and frustration. This is why early assignments focus on choosing a topic and deciding what you will say about it.
Purpose: The purpose of your paper is to convey your main point to the reader. Leave out anything that does not directly accomplish that purpose. Avoid telling the reader everything you know, or filling in unnecessary background information. Make sure that the thesis (your main point, or central idea) is stated near the beginning, that each part of the paper supports the thesis in some way, and that the relation of each paragraph to the overall argument for your thesis is clear.
Style: While the content is of utmost importance, all assignments must also be printed by computer with clear dark type, double-spaced in a standard font, and must be be polished in respect to grammar, spelling, punctuation, form, and style as defined in Kate L. Turabian's A Manual for Writers, 7th ed. (LB2369 .T921 2007 on the Music Library Reference shelves), including correct format for footnotes and bibliography. See also the Research Project Style Sheet. Both the first and the final version of the research paper must include a thorough bibliography for the subject.
Your work on the research project will be supervised by the instructor of your section. We will discuss planning, researching, and writing a paper in class. We also encourage you to meet with your section instructor and with Prof. Burkholder for help in defining and narrowing your topic, planning your research, finding sources, arriving at a thesis, refining your argument, writing, and revising. We hope you will consult with us often.
The following webpages offer guidance on many aspects of your research project.
In addition to these resources and guidance from the instructors, we encourage you to visit the office of Writing Tutorial Services, Ballantine Hall 206, which offers valuable help in writing papers. Call 855-6738 for an appointment, or visit their website.
You will be assigned to a peer review group of students within your section. The other members of your group will read and respond to the various stages of your research project, and you will read and respond to theirs. This peer review process is designed to help you write a better paper (1) by providing additional feedback for your own work and (2) by offering you an opportunity to apply the criteria for evaluating the paper to the work of others, thus giving you a better sense of what makes for a successful paper.
When you submit work to us, you certify that it is you own. It is part of the contract between you as a student and us as instructors that you do your own work and we evaluate it and help you with it. Cheating (such as receiving significant help from someone else, or submitting a paper written by someone else), fabrication (making things up, from facts to footnotes), or plagiarism (using the ideas or words of another without giving proper credit) will all be causes for failure on the research project and thus in the course. For the full definitions of cheating, fabrication, and plagiarism, see the Indiana University Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct. For more on plagiarism, see the Writing Tutorial Services webpage "Plagiarism: What Is Is and How to Recognize and Avoid It."
Because it is vital that you understand plagiarism and avoid it in your research project, you must complete the School of Education tutorial on plagiarism, pass the test, and submit the confirmation certificate to your AI by September 24. Assignments 3-5 will not be accepted until you have passed this test and have submitted the certificate, and they will be counted late if your certificate is not in our hands before they are due. You may access the tutorial and test at http://education.indiana.edu/~istd/. We recommend that you do this as soon as possible.
In order to make the class function well, including the peer review groups, we cannot be flexible about deadlines, except for an excused absence for a medical or other emergency. Turning an assignment in up to 24 hours late will result in a reduction of one letter grade on the relevant assignment (or, for ungraded assignments, on the next graded assignment), and turning it in between 24 and 48 hours late will result in a reduction of two letter grades. After 48 hours, the assignment will receive an automatic F, but still must be turned in. Failure to turn in an assignment at all will result in an F on the entire research project and thus in the course. Unexcused absence from section on any day the peer review group meets will bring a penalty of one letter grade on the relevant assignment (or, for ungraded assignments, on the next graded assignment).
Note: Last-minute computer failure or printing delays are not acceptable excuses for late assignments. Make certain that you have two or more current back-up files and allow more than adequate time for the computer to print your assignment. This may mean printing the assignment the day before it is due. As noted on the assignments below, you will need to make multiple copies of each assignment, and you should allow time for this as well. Plan ahead.
Write a brief statement of about 150-200 words that describes the topic area that interests you and explains how you would like to explore it. If you know the question(s) you would like to answer in your research paper, describe them. If you are thinking about more than one topic, write a statement for each (up to three topics).
The purpose of this assignment is to encourage you to consider a variety of topic areas that interest you and to focus on a specific topic that is both clear enough and narrow enough to allow you to write a successful paper.
Bring five copies (one for you, one for the instructor, and three for the other members of your peer review group). In class, your group will discuss each person's topic ideas. Feedback will center on choosing, defining, and focusing the topic. Your ideas will be reviewed by Prof. Burkholder and your section instructor, who will offer feedback and guidance to help you choose a topic and focus your research.
This assignment asks you to begin gathering sources for your paper and to practice using the appropriate format for your bibliography.
Write a short bibliography relevant to your chosen topic area, containing at least three items. Of these three items, one should be a book, one an article in a scholarly journal, and the third some other type of item, such as a dissertation or a chapter in a book of essays by various authors. You may include more items if you wish. (See Assignment 3 for suggestions of types of items that are recommended for your bibliography, and types of items that are unacceptable in most cases.)
Each item should be in correct bibliographic format as described in Turabian's Manual, using the form labeled "B" for bibliography. Most of the same information is available from the Music Library website on "Bibliographic Citations."
Following each item, include a brief paragraph that explains what the item contains and why it is relevant to and useful for your project.
Bring copies for everyone in your peer review group, plus one to hand in and one for yourself. Feedback from your peer group and section instructor will center on the quality, relevance, and usefulness of the items in your bibliography and on correctness of bibliographic format.
The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate that you have thoroughly researched your topic and have begun to plan what you will say in your paper.
Write a brief statement of about 250-500 words (a page or two, double-spaced) in which you indicate the idea or subject you wish to explore, explain how you plan to proceed, state your tentative thesis (the main point you wish to prove), and outline the argument you will make in support of your thesis (including the principal supporting points of your argument). If you are not yet able to state a thesis, frame the question or questions you hope to answer after further research (the answer will become your thesis).
Include with your prospectus a bibliography of at least 12 items related to the topic or useful for your paper (including items on relevant related subjects). Books from university and trade presses, journal articles (printed or online), dissertations, and other scholarly materials will be helpful to include, especially recent ones. Materials that are not acceptable include textbooks, since with few exceptions they are not based on original research, and most websites, which have not been evaluated by reputable scholars before publication. At least 6 items must be journal articles, articles in edited collections, or dissertations. Follow the guidelines for bibliographic citation in Turabian.
Bring copies for everyone in your peer review group, plus one to hand in and one for yourself. Your prospectus and bibliography will be peer reviewed in class that day. Feedback will center on further refining the topic; how to address the question(s) you pose; the quantity, quality, and variety of sources you have located and their relevance to your topic; and correct bibliographic format.
Your prospectus and bibliography will be reviewed by Prof. Burkholder and your section instructor, who will again offer feedback and guidance to help you refine your topic, improve your thesis and argument, and further your research. Your instructor will meet with you to offer guidance, including possible directions to take (or to avoid) and resources to consult. You are also urged to discuss your project with Prof. Burkholder in person or by e-mail. You may be asked to write a second prospectus. Your topic must be approved by your instructor; if your topic changes, you must submit a new prospectus and bibliography.
Write the first version of your research paper. This should be a preliminary version of the paper that meets the specifications of the assignment as given above (including length of 3000-4500 words) and the criteria given below, although it may not be as finished in its argument or as polished in its writing as the final version. This should be as formally prepared as your final paper will be, including footnotes or endnotes, figures and examples, and finished presentation. Either footnotes or endnotes may be used, but they must be in the correct format, as described in Turabian's Manual, using the form labeled "N" for note. (Most of the same information is given on the Music Library website "Footnotes and Endnotes.") Include an updated bibliography of all the sources you used that are relevant to the topic. Please read through the Research Project Style Sheet for guidance on style and format before you submit your paper.
Please send a Word file of your paper to your section instructor by 5:00 PM on Thursday, October 28. In addition, bring to your discussion section that day paper copies for everyone in your peer review group, plus one to hand in and one for yourself. Your group will fill out peer evaluation forms on each other's papers and will discuss each other's work during discussion section on Thursday, November 4, evaluating each other's papers in terms of the criteria below and offering suggestions for improvement. Photocopy each form you complete, giving the original to the writer of the paper and the copy to your section instructor at the beginning of that section meeting on November 4.
Your section instructor will evaluate your research paper in consultation with Prof. Burkholder, using the criteria and grading scale given below, and will offer suggestions for improvement.
In light of the feedback you have received, revise and finalize your paper. This should be a substantially revised version of your paper, incorporating the responses of the instructors and your fellow students. Correcting minor errors in the first version is not enough; you should strive for a more focused main point, a more convincing argument, a better organization, and better writing.
Please send a Word file of your paper to your section instructor and to each member of your peer review group by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, November 30. In addition, bring to your discussion section that day a paper copy to hand in.
This version will be graded using the criteria and grading scale given below. Written feedback on the final version will be less detailed than for the first version.
Your research paper will be evaluated on the following criteria.
This grading scale will be used, modified in some cases with a plus (+) or minus (-):
A. An A paper will be excellent in content, organization, and style. There will be a clear central thesis with strong supporting points and ample evidence for each assertion. The ideas will be engaging and original and will offer illuminating insights into the topic, materials, or works being studied. The topic will be treated in depth, drawing on a good number of appropriate primary and secondary sources. The organization will be clear at all levels. The paper will not include material irrelevant to the thesis and supporting arguments. There should be very few distracting errors in style, diction, and mechanics.
B. A B paper will still be quite good, but weaker than an A paper in some areas. It may have good ideas but be weakened by problems of organization and style. Or it may be well-organized and well-written but offer fewer and less valuable insights than an A paper.
C. A C paper will show a competent understanding and coverage of the topic, but its insights will usually not go beyond the obvious, and there will be weaknesses in two or more areas. A C may also be assigned to an inconsistent paper that shows some excellent insights yet fails to tie them into a unified whole.
D. A D paper has some virtues, but weaknesses in several areas. Examples include a paper with relatively few sources and little breadth of coverage, a paper with some good ideas or information marred by unclear writing and poor organization, or a clearly written paper with superficial ideas that shows a lack of engagement with the topic.
F. An F paper is consistently weak, whether poorly written throughout, lacking insight into the topic or works being studied, or reflecting little thought or effort. Papers that plagiarize, that fabricate information or sources, that rely excessively on quoting secondary sources, or that do no more than repeat what is said in class sessions or in the course textbooks will also receive an F.
Last updated: 22 August 2010
URL:http://www.music.indiana.edu/som/courses/m401/M401papr.html
This webpage was designed and is maintained by J. Peter Burkholder
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