Using primary sources, as well as appropriate secondary sources, you will write a 5-7 page paper examining an event, a group of people, or any related topic during the historical period covered in this class.  You will then present this information to the class during a brief presentation at the end of the semester.

 In writing your paper, you must use at least ​5 sources, 2 scholarly books and 3 academic journal. One of these must be a primary source! Secondary sources should be scholarly books or articles (Note: Wikipedia is not an appropriate source, but it does sometimes list quality sources at the bottom of the page).  You may use the primary sources that you will read for class, but you must use at least two primary sources that we will not read in class.  We will discuss in class how to find both primary and secondary sources.

There are several stages to this Research Paper…

1)  February 22^nd you will submit your topic and early thesis statement.  This will be a single paragraph that briefly presents your topic and clearly states the argument that will shape your paper.  As we will discuss in class, your argument should be the answer to a question regarding your topic.

 2)  March 8^thyou must submit, for my approval, an annotated bibliography.  This will be more than merely a list of your primary and secondary sources.  Below each source, you must describe how the source will contribute to your paper.  You must not have read the source in detail, but skimmed over it enough to get an idea of its value to your paper.

 3)  March 29 you must submit, for my approval, a prospectus.  This will include a one-page summary identifying the group you chose.  In this summary, please state why you chose the topic and provide an outline of your paper.  In addition, you will provide a bibliography that lists the primary and secondary sources you will use to write your paper. 

4) April 19^th you must submit a rough draft of your paper (at least 3 pages).  This version should be as complete as you can make it.  If sections are incomplete, you are allowed to provide a brief outline or summary of what will go in a missing section.  **The closer the paper is to being complete, the more comments I can provide and the higher your final draft grade will be.** 

 5) May 3rd final draft of your paper is due.  It will be graded on both content and format.  The paper should be typed, double-spaced, in Times New Roman 12pt font, and with one-inch margins.  Papers should be written in formal academic style (avoid slang or jargon).  Any factual material or ideas you take from another source, whether a direct quote or not, must be acknowledged in an appropriate footnote or endnote.  (Please note: Citations must be footnotes or endnotes.  In-text citations are not acceptable.) Failure to properly cite material taken from other sources will affect your grade.