Research Assignments – to lead to Final Paper

You’ll complete a series of research assignments that will lead you to your final paper. The key here is to break down a big task – writing a research paper – into smaller, manageable tasks. Note that you will have plenty of time to revise these research assignments into your research paper, so the most important goal here is to keep moving forward reading and writing, completing each assignment in a week.

Research Assignment #1 – Research Paper Proposal

  • Due Friday of Week 8 – the week after Fall Break – see Moodle
  • It should include:
    • A working title for your project
    • One paragraph statement of your research topic. It can be a short paragraph. Introduce your topic. Lay out your historical question.
    • One paragraph of essential background (drawing upon Kershaw or Paxton or encyclopedias). Provide background and context to your reader. Again, it doesn’t have to be exhaustive. This is a first take. What do we need to know to understand this topic?
    • One paragraph of why this topic is significant. What do you hope to show? Why does this matter?
    • A bibliography in two sections
      • Secondary Sources. At least four historical articles or historical monographs (important books by historians, published by university or important publishers) that could be the basis for your paper. If you know which secondary source you really want to read, you can indicate with an asterisk. The other two can serve as alternates or suggestions for further reading. Remember I will need to approve your secondary sources.
      • Primary Sources. You may include articles, visual sources, memoirs, diaries, reports, etc. Remember that you will need the equivalent of about 100 pages of primary sources. That might mean a book-length memoir or a collection of news articles. Once again, you should include some options.
  • Additional details:
    • Follow the format guidelines of the Sample Research Paper – on our Handouts page
    • Cite your sources! For quotations, examples, background – use Chicago-style footnotes
    • Submit to Moodle in pdf format
  • Criteria of Evaluation
    • Do you have all elements of the assignment (title…)?
    • Do you have a focused topic of research?
    • Do you share important background on your topic?
    • Do you have relevant and important sources, including four appropriate secondary sources and some relevant primary sources?
    • Do you have citations?

Research Assignment #2 – Summary of Secondary Source (about 2 pp.)

  • Due Friday of Week 9 – see Moodle
  • Summarize your secondary source in at least three paragraphs. You’d like this to be a first draft of the first half of your secondary source paper.
  • Note that I need to approve your choice of secondary source
  • As you are reading and analyzing your secondary source you should look to the handout “How to Read a Historical Monograph” – on our Handouts page
  • A question for those reading a monograph: will you have time to read a 300-page monograph and write this summary in a week? The answer: no. You should read the introduction and conclusion carefully and skim the introductions to chapters — and then use your notes on this reading to write your summary. Some monographs may not have a full introduction that lays out argument and approach. In this case you might read the introduction, a chapter, and a conclusion
  • Another question: can I use a book review? For sure. If you draw on book reviews in writing your assignment you must cite them in your footnotes.
  • I’d suggest you organize your short writing assignment in three or four steps
    • ¶1, introduce the author and the topic
    • ¶2, present the argument of the secondary source
    • ¶3, explain the evidence and analysis that the secondary source is based upon
    • If you have time, you might also speak to where the book fits into a larger historiography, or begin to lay out your critical analysis.
  • Follow the format guidelines of the Sample Research Paper – on our Handouts page
  • Cite your sources! Cite the examples you use, the quotations, the sources you’ve used for background
  • Submit to Moodle in pdf format
  • Criteria of Evaluation
    • Have I approved your secondary source?
    • Do you summarize the secondary source clearly?
    • Do you adequately cite – quotations, examples, background?
    • Is it well written – in clear prose that sounds like you?

Research Assignment #3 – Secondary Source Paper (5 pp.)

  • Due Friday of Week 10 – see Moodle
  • The Assignment: write a critical review of a secondary source on your topic. This should include:
    • a presentation of the work (its author, its topic, its argument, where it fits in the historiography, the evidence it is built upon)
    • and your critical perspective (which might include a discussion of: what is missing, what are the choices the author makes, how successful is the argument, etc.).
  • Give your paper a suitable organization: with an introduction to the work and, as thesis, your critical perspective; with a clear presentation of the work on its own terms (see the notes above); with a clear presentation of your critical perspective in a paragraph or two; with a conclusion that sums up your perspective and its significance.
  • Note that I need to approve your choice of secondary source
  • Hint: this assignment will be easier if your secondary source has a readily identifiable argument. If you read the introduction and you can’t figure out the argument, you might want to look for another work.
  • Length: paper should be about 1500 words or 5pp.
  • Follow the format guidelines of the Sample Research Paper – on our Handouts page
  • Cite your sources! For quotations, examples, background
  • Submit to Moodle in pdf format
  • Criteria
    • How well do you present the secondary source?
    • How strong (interesting, relevant, valid, insightful) is your critical perspective?
    • Do you bring in concrete examples – details and quotations – that explain the secondary source?
    • Do you cite your sources – and show how you know what you know?
    • Is it well written – in clear prose that sounds like you?

Research Assignment #4 – Summary of Primary Source (about 2 pp.)

  • Due Friday of Week 11 – see Moodle
  • Summarize your primary source in at least three paragraphs. You’d like this to be a first draft of the first half of your primary source paper.
  • Note that I need to approve your choice of primary source
  • As you are reading and analyzing your primary source you should look to the handout “How to Analyze a Primary Source” – on our Handouts page
  • I’d suggest you organize your short writing assignment in the following way:
    • ¶1, introduce the author and the primary source
    • ¶2 and ¶3, present the source with concrete examples
    • If you have time, you might begin to lay out your critical analysis
  • Follow the format guidelines of the Sample Research Paper – on our Handouts page
  • Cite your sources! For quotations, examples, background
  • Submit to Moodle in pdf format
  • Criteria of Evaluation
    • Have I approved your primary source?
    • Do you summarize the primary source clearly?
    • Do you adequately cite – quotations, examples, background?
    • Is it well written – in clear prose that sounds like you?

Research Assignment #5 – Primary Source Analysis Paper (5 pp.)

  • Due Friday of Week 12 – see Moodle
  • The Assignment: write a critical analysis of a primary source on your topic. This should include:
    • a presentation of the source (its author, its topic, its surface meaning), an explanation of its historical context
    • an analysis of the source in light of some research question.
  • Give your paper a suitable organization: with an introduction to the topic and your question and, as thesis, a pithy statement of your interpretation; essential background; a clear presentation of the primary source on its own terms (see the notes above); a clear presentation of your interpretation, with quotations, examples, and analysis; a conclusion that sums up your perspective and its significance.
  • For this assignment you will need to choose a primary source (or sources) equivalent to a short book or a 100 pages. I must approve of your choice of primary source.
  • Ultimately, you are going to integrate this into your research paper. You would like your question and primary source to connect clearly with the topic of your historical monograph.
  • Length: paper should be about 1500 words or 5pp.
  • Follow the format guidelines of the Sample Research Paper – on our Handouts page
  • Criteria
    • How well do you present your primary source(s)?
    • How strong (interesting, relevant, valid, insightful) is your analysis?
    • Do you bring in concrete examples – details and quotations – that explain the primary source and support your analysis?
    • Do you cite your sources – and show how you know what you know?
    • Is it well written – in clear prose that sounds like you?