History
Paper instructions
Guidelines for the Analysis Papers:
Basic Formatting Guidelines: I am not the kind of history professor that wants their students’ papers to be exactly 2,000 words and marks their papers a full letter grade for having only 1,999 words. But if your paper is 250 words over the limit, you will want to cut it down. Or, conversely, if your paper is 100 words short, you will want to find ways to add more detail and narrative focus to the paper. Your paper(s) must each be 1000 words. It must be approximately 1000 words. Writing history papers is an exercise in brevity, rather than babbling for the sake of it. I can type “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” over and over again on my keyboard, but that just means I like The Shining and Jack Nicholson. It doesn’t showcase the effectiveness of my writing abilities.
The paper will be in Times New Roman, Size 12 Font, with Double-Spaced Paragraphs, and regular black ink (I don’t want pink or blue ink; that just tells me you ran out of black ink at the last second, and is a sign of laziness and/or sloppiness). The body of the paper will be counted towards the word count- the cover page, headers, and bibliography/works cited page will not count towards it (however, footnotes/endnotes are).
You must also include a word count on the front page of your paper.
Thesis Statement: When you write an academic paper, it must present an argument to the reader. Typically, the thesis statement is in the first or second paragraph. That argument lets you structure the rest of the paper around defending and expanding upon it.
Primary Sources: The main source for your paper is the Primary Source. It could be an autobiography, a personal retelling of a historical event, a person’s collected letters and written documents, or a work of political (or technical) writing. Please choose which of the primary sources for the paper you want that are listed on Isidore.
Secondary Sources: These are any source that is not attributed to a specific person who was writing it at the time that event or topic was occurring. It also refers to anyone writing an analysis of a political topic or book that predated them. Encyclopedias and dictionaries are NOT secondary sources (they are considered tertiary sources). Don’t use the class textbook as a source, as well. Here are some good examples of secondary sources:
WW2:
Max Hastings, Armageddon: The Battle for Germany, 1944-1945, (New York: A. A. Knopf, 2004).
Japanese History
Herbert P. Bix, Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan, (New York: Harper Collins, 2000).
Political Theory/John Stuart Mill
K.C. O’Rourke, John Stuart Mill and Freedom of Expression: The Genesis of a Theory, (London: Routledge, 2001).
Searching for Sources: You should look at the University of Dayton library, the University’s Inter-Library Loan resource, the Public Library system, Scholarly online sources (like JSTOR), online free books, and bookstores/internet storefronts (like Amazon) in your search. Don’t forget to ask the librarians (especially liaison librarians) for help if you need it! That’s what they’re around for. If you have any question about your sources, please contact the Professor to make sure that everything is in good order.
What NOT to do:
1. This is not a book report. You are to critically analyze a work of history to understand its historical value and context.
2. The objective of this assignment is not to tell me if the work you choose is right or wrong. Writing a paper on how “imperialism sucks”, while discussing David Livingstone’s trips through Africa misses the point.
3. Remember to write a narrative and make sure that your paper has a thesis statement. I have seen many papers that discuss a topic, but never present a concise argument.
4. Make sure that your narrative is NOT emotional. I have seen many papers that merely state “slavery is bad!” or “The Holocaust was evil!” or “I like Ike!” Papers that don’t get beyond an emotional response to the topic at hand, hurts the writer’s because they are spending too much time debating a topic as a value judgment rather than understanding the topic’s historical context. Separate your emotions from your writing as best you can.
5. Do not write your paper as though you are speaking aloud. Beware passive voice. This is a good guideline against it: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/539/3/.
6. There is nothing worse than receiving a paper that is not stapled. The class is a professional setting- and it demands professionalism out of all of us. Papers that are not stapled are a sign of sloppy and rushed work.
7. Do not use internet sources that are not scholarly sources. Wikipedia is not a scholarly source. JSTOR and Google Scholar are scholarly sources, and I will only accept sources from them. Please do not use random websites as your sources, even if it is a university/history website. Use them with care. Ask the Professor if the sources are acceptable.
8. Please don’t space your paragraphs out and try to hide multiple paragraph spacing beyond double spaces in your paper. Also, don’t drag out your name/date/class/title out too far and “pretend” that you have 6 pages with it. I have seen these kinds of tricks to make your paper look longer than it really is.
9. Do not plagiarize. I have seen it before, and I will catch any student that tries to pass off a work that is not their own, or clearly is cut and paste from other areas. Please remember to cite wherever you feel is necessary, and to use proper formatting with it. Academic shortcuts will only result in harsh penalties that I can assign, OR the Department (and College) can assign. It very well can negatively affect your entire academic career.
You will be required to submit your paper to the turnitin.com; it is an anti-plagiarism tool that is available on Isidore. I have the 1st Paper listed under assignments, and you will upload a copy of the paper to turnitin through that device.
What TO do:
1. Make sure that you footnote/cite your paper properly. Please use the Chicago Manual of Style or MLA (Modern Language Association) for proper citation format. The same goes for the Bibliography. The library should have a copy of the Chicago Manual of Style and the MLA in reference. Ask the librarians and the writing center for help with it. There are also citation devices like Refworks and Zotero that can help you with formatting. This is a good starting point for understanding the way MLA works: (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/) and this also shows the Chicago Manual of Style works: (http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html). Your paper should have at least 3-6 citations in it. The more you cite (properly) the better off you are. Err on the side of caution!
2. Make sure that you finish with enough time to look over your paper. You might want to have roommates or friends look over your paper to make edits and corrections. Take advantage of the writing center on campus, as well. The more people who see it, the more chances they’ll catch mistakes to edit!
3. If you have an outline or a rough draft, feel free to send it to the Professor for review, comments, and corrections, up to a week and a half before the paper is due. That being said, I cannot guarantee that I will have time to look over more than your thesis statement and bibliography.
4. Find a topic that you like. Don’t settle for something that you don’t really enjoy working on
file-330476666-330476666_HIST_106_World_History_2nd_Primary_Source_Analysis_3_5770702158040086(2)
Solution Preview
Why Passive resistance over brute force?
War remains a continuous menace even for modern society. The society is highly prevalent in individuals believing in power as a standard of success. As such, there is a constant need for countries and men to rule over another. The result, a never-ending need for a show of dominance. The primary source of such conflict; a group of individuals vigorously advocating for their rights. While most in society seemingly prefer brute force as a form of obtaining equity,
(1,170 words)