STUDIO 395 is the capstone assignment of HIST 395, an intensive semester-long introduction to historical research methods for History majors at James Madison University. The course guides students through the successive stages of an independent research project, from planning, to collecting and interpreting primary and secondary sources, to drafting, and authoring a polished twenty-page essay. At the end of the semester, STUDIO 395 provides an opportunity for students to communicate their findings to a wider public.
Piloted in Spring 2015 by Professors Steven Reich and Andrew Witmer, STUDIO 395 has since been taught and developed in collaboration with Professors Emily Westkaemper, Raymond Hyser, Michael Galgano, J. Chris Arndt, Christian Davis, Yongguang Hu, and Mary Gayne; Kevin Hegg, Kirsten Mlodynia, and Christine Donovan of Innovation Services; and hundreds of James Madison University students. For more information about STUDIO 395, or to ask questions or make comments, please contact Professor Hyser, Professor Reich, or Professor Witmer.