C9977 - SCRIVERE UN PAPER

Learning outcomes

The workshops in this group provide training in communication, critical reading, and academic and non-academic writing. By participating in these workshops, students will be able to develop transferable skills in organizing and critically analyzing complex information and subsequently reworking it in both oral and written form. The activities carried out during the workshop enable students to improve the effectiveness of their oral and written communication and to acquire useful tools for independently and critically evaluating texts, documents, and information.

Course contents

The workshop aims to introduce students to the entire process of writing a scholarly paper (specifically a thesis, but also an essay or a monograph), from the initial idea to the final presentation, within the field of historical and political studies (with particular reference to historical-political and philosophical-political disciplines). Special attention is given to sourcing materials, especially in the digital realm.

Specifically, the following issues will be examined:

1) the objectives of a paper (thesis, article, essay, bibliographic contribution, monograph); the choice of a research topic; the research process: the preliminary phase and the in-depth phase;

2) sources and bibliography: print and digital resources; locating primary and secondary bibliographic sources online, with particular attention to the identification and use of digital bibliographic resources (documentary sources, iconographic materials, texts and articles in various formats, databases, online libraries, journal archives, and digitized manuscript collections) useful for writing scholarly texts on historical and political topics; source evaluation: critical analysis of both print and online content, with specific reference to academic historiographical sources (in Italian and other languages) and to educational and research materials, including hypertext and multimedia resources; techniques for studying and cataloging sources.

3) writing a scholarly paper: guidelines and templates; the structure of a scholarly paper (table of contents, division into chapters and sections, introduction, conclusions); the system of citations and footnotes; exposition, rhetoric, and style.

Readings/Bibliography

There are no mandatory texts to study. However, the following book will be used as a reference: P. Italia, Scrivere all'Università. Manuale pratico con esercizi e antologia di testi, Firenze, Le Monnier Università, 2014.

Teaching methods

The workshop consists of 10 sessions, each lasting 2 hours, for a total of 20 hours. The workshop includes lectures by the instructor, instructor-led classroom activities in specially organized working groups, and weekly homework assignments to be completed at home.

Attendance at the workshop is mandatory, and a maximum of two absences out of the 10 sessions is permitted.

Assessment methods

The evaluation will take into account active participation in the workshop. The final assessment consists of preparing a written paper designed to demonstrate mastery of the topics and the ability to work independently. The paper may focus on the preliminary stages of research on an agreed-upon topic. There will be no final grade, but students will be recorded as having met the course requirements.

Teaching tools

Numerous iconographic and textual materials will be made available on the "Virtuale" platform.

Office hours

See the website of Giuseppe Sciara