From reading chapter five of Gregory Semenza’s Graduate Study for the Twenty-First Century: How to Build an Academic career in the Humanities, the importance of the “seminar paper” was brought into light. For an individual to pursue a successful occupation within the field of Humanities, they must be knowledegable, in the declaration and procedure of publication.

Learning how to publish is a crucial skill in relation to the success in the field. If one pursuing a career in the Humanities managed to evade publications, they can only do so for a limited amount of time: “The facts here are simple: avoiding the realities of today’s academic market, which demands publication, may make you feel less anxious in graduate school, but you will feel considerably more anxious later on if your are unable to land a job because you have not published. Even if you are lucky enough to secure a position, you may find yourself laboring frantically to do what should have become second nature in order to produce the publications necessary for tenure.” (Semenza, 91). These statements are especially significant because they serve as Semenza’s thesis. He argues the vital importance of the publication skill in terms of the anxiety one may feel on the route and during their career. This is important because it teaches the valueable life lesson that if one does not actively engage themselves in learning a skill at the appropriate (earlier) point in their life, they cannot truly escape it. Sooner or later they will have to commit to the knowledge, but acquiring it may prove to be a greater challenge in the future.

Another important topic covered by Semenza is six recommended types of scholarly argumentation. They are examples of practical approaches to research topics. Semenza’s six types are as follows: controversy, textual crux, gap in scholarship, historical contextualization, pragmatic proposal, and theoretical application. Controversy is a common form which attempts to resolve a debate and/or become closer to its resolution. Textual crux argues the importance of a specific term, phrase, and/or text, and attempts to convince the audience of the signifance(s). The gap in scholarship refers to a case where a certain topic may not have been studied; therefore, it may lead to further research in related areas. Historical contextualization pairs one’s argument with history; by reinterpreting historical pieces, new thoughts upon meaning(s) of certain events and/or artifacts are brought to the table. Pragmatic proposal emphasizes practice, distinguished from the approaches of theory. The final form is theoretical application, where theories are constructed towards a text or other work.

It is crucial to remember that no matter which type of scholarly writing one chooses to conduct, their ultimate goal should be to suggest new and/or valuable ideas regarding a subject. Such makes for thinkers, not simply reiterators.

References

Semenza, Gregory M. Colón. 2010. Graduate Study for the Twenty-First Century: How to Build an Academic Career in the Humanities. Rev. & updated 2nd ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.