"This course is intended primarily for students in the second year of their History graduate program; first-semester students may be admitted with the approval of their advisers and the DGS. The main purpose of this class is to guide students in the preparation of a substantial essay reflecting original research. To this end, each student will write a seminar paper of between 7,000 and 8,000 words that is based on primary sources and engages the relevant historiographical and methodological debates in the scholarly literature. Under the broad umbrella of transnational themes and methodologies, participants are free to choose topics of interest to them, and they are encouraged to draw on the specialized expertise from faculty across the department and solicit their advice. This semester, the instructor would encourage students to embark on topics involving European, transatlantic history, and the history of science & knowledge. The first weeks of the semester will be devoted to making participants familiar with the craft of advanced historical research and writing, as well as the relevance of historiographical debates and controversies, especially in regard to transnational themes. To that end, we will discuss together one exemplary monograph and several articles, while participants already approach topics of their own. In the subsequent weeks, we address specific issues related to the individual research projects; participants will present, peer review, and discuss their work in progress. Toward the end of the semester, each participant will provide an in-depth presentation of their research paper to the seminar."