Graduate Student Handbook
HISTORY DEPARTMENT
Updated, May 2009
INTRODUCTION
For any questions unanswered by this handbook, please contact Robin Ennis at:
(919) 681-5746
rmennis@duke.edu
This handbook was prepared by the students and faculty members of the Graduate Committee in the Duke History Department and is regularly updated by the Director of Graduate Studies. It is intended to be of use to current students and faculty, and to prospective applicants to the Duke History Program. Subjects not covered herein, or those under review, are to be handled provisionally at the discretion of the Director of Graduate Studies.
This Handbook is only one source of information. Students are also responsible for knowing the university guidelines and requirements as described annually in the Graduate School Bulletin. In addition, the DGS has a Manual for Directors of Graduate Studies which contains necessary information (sometimes in more detailed and specific form than is presented here) regarding all aspects of graduate study at Duke. Do not hesitate to consult with the DGS or the DGSA.
The History Graduate Program Handbook describes the program and explains recent revisions. We believe that by restating the Program's basic guidelines clearly, students and faculty will be freed to pursue their goals as historians. Because it serves several purposes, you may find this Handbook too detailed for your needs on some matters, or not detailed enough on others. The questions and comments of users will determine what topics need to be clarified and expanded -- or simplified and condensed. Please help us by bringing your questions and comments to the Director of Graduate Studies and the Assistant to the DGS, so that the process of periodic revision may continue.
DEPARTMENTAL LOCATION AND STRUCTURE
Since 1992 the Duke History Department has been located in the Carr
Building on the University's East Campus, near the Lilly Library. Carr faces
the East Campus Lawn and is adjacent to the bus stop between East and West
Campus. The Graduate Student Lounge (with student mailboxes and a computer)
is located in 238 Carr Building, and there is a "Computer Cluster" and
a Foreign Language Lab on the first floor. History faculty members have their
offices in Carr, and their mailboxes are in the Faculty Lounge (226 Carr).
Most undergraduate and graduate History classes are held in this building.
(Parking is available for visitors to attend Master's, Preliminary, and Ph.D.
meetings behind Carr Building , but a permit is required, and towing is enforced.)
The main departmental offices are on the second floor.
Departmental Administrative Staff
Vivian Jackson, Business Manager, 221 Carr Building, 668-7842, hisvgj@duke.edu
Carla Rusnak, Assistant to the Chair, 216 Carr Building, 684-2343, carla.rusnak@duke.edu
Robin Ennis, Assistant to the Director of Graduate Studies, 212A Carr Building , 681-5746, rmennis@duke.edu
Vanessa Jackson, Assistant to the Director of Undergraduate Studies, 220 Carr Building, 684-2409, vanessa@duke.edu
Cynthia Hoglen, Accounting/Visa Specialist, 211 Carr Building, 684-3626, cmhoglen@duke.edu
Jamie Hardy, Administrative Secretary, 217 Carr Building, 684-3014, jamie.hardy@duke.edu
Larry Smith, Computer Technician, 235 Carr Building, 684-6846, larry.smith@duke.edu
Departmental Organization
Governed by written by-laws, the department is headed by a Chair,
who owes her or his appointment to the Dean of Arts & Sciences. The Chair
in turn nominates an Associate Chair, a Director of Graduate Studies (DGS),
and a Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS). See the listing of current department
officers on our website. These four officers, with five other senior and junior
faculty elected by the department, meet regularly as the Executive Committee.
Departmental Meetings of all History faculty take place at least once each month during the academic year, and two graduate student representatives are invited to attend. Ad hoc faculty committees are appointed on recruitment, promotion, tenure, and other matters.
The Department's policy regarding Graduate Student Membership on Search Committees ( 10/30/92 ) is as follows: One graduate student will serve on departmental search committees. The following policies will guide the selection and service of the graduate student member. (1) The Chair of the Department will select all members of the search committee, including the graduate student member. (2) The graduate student member will normally be an advanced graduate student, ABD and nearing completion of the dissertation. (3) The graduate student will serve on the committee as faculty members do, as an individual, not as a representative of the graduate students. (4) The graduate student will be a voting member of the committee. (5) Service of a graduate student on a search committee is meant to supplement, not to replace, other graduate student participation in the search process. All graduate students are encouraged to meet with candidates, read their materials, and make a written recommendation to the search committee, either individually or collectively.
The History Graduate Association
All enrolled history graduate students are members of the History
Graduate Students Association. This group proposes ways to improve and strengthen
the program, assisting with recruitment and orientation, and seeks other
ways to enhance the experience of history graduate students. Two graduate representatives
selected by the HGSA attend the department's regular monthly faculty meetings.
The Graduate Committee
Chaired by the Associate Chair, this committee consists of the
DGS, two at-large faculty appointed by the chair, the DGS Assistant, and four
graduate students chosen by the History Graduate Student Association. The committee
meets regularly to discuss matters of mutual concern and to advise the department
on matters of policy relating to the graduate program.
The Assistant to the Graduate History Program
The assistant to the History Graduate Program, Robin Ennis, works
closely with the Director of Graduate Studies to direct the day-to-day functioning
of the Program Office. She handles applicant inquiries, admissions procedures,
graduate student registration, monthly payments for fellowships and teaching,
and other administrative duties. Robin assists graduate students in scheduling
the following academic meetings: the MA meeting, the oral discussion of a
Ph.D. portfolio, and the Final Dissertation Defense.