02935 - Laboratory (Lab12)

Learning outcomes

Through the participation to the Laboratory, students develop the transversal skills necessary to practically process the knowledge acquired in the course of study. By the end of the course, they are expected to be able to collect, organise, and analyse complex information and to present the outcomes of his/her analysis in written and oral form.

Course contents

The Laboratory aims to present to the student the path of drafting a scientific paper (a degree thesis, an essay, an article or a monograph), from the initial project to the final writing, in the humanities and in particular in the historical-political diciplines (history of political thought and history of political and social institutions). Particular attention is paid to finding sources, especially in the digital domain.

The Laboratory will cover the following topics:

1) the objectives of a paper or a thesis; the choice of subject; the research: the preliminary stage and the extensive stage;

2) the sources of the research and the bibliography: how to find bibliographical sources, in particular by using digital tools and databases; evaluation of the sources; study techniques and analysis of the sources.

3) the writing of a paper or a thesis: the editing rules, the structure of a paper or a thesis (index, chapters, paragraphs, introduction, concluding remarks); citations and quotations; writing 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 Laboratory will consist in lectures, discussions, and practice exercises.

Assessment methods

Assessment will take into account active participation in the lab. The final assessment test will involve the preparation of a written paper aimed at demonstrating mastery of the topics and the ability to work independently. The paper may have as its subject the preliminary stages of research on an agreed topic. There is no final grade, but a record of suitability.

Teaching tools

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

Office hours

See the website of Giuseppe Sciara