Women in US History
How to Write the Research Paper: Choice of Books: At the beginning of the semester, students choose a historical book they wanted to review, will use it as a guide for understanding women in US history during a specific event or time frame, and then will conduct additional outside research to compose a 7 page essay on the topic. If you have trouble locating a book or choosing a topic, email me ASAP. Do not wait until the day before the assignment to let me know you could not obtain a book, as I will realize that you did not prepare adequately. This paper is worth 20% of your grade. Upload the assignment to the Dropbox assignment in D2L marked “Research Essay”. This is vital for plagiarism detection. Failure to upload the electronic file into the assignment will result in an automatic “0” for the assignment. If you do not know or understand how to do this, please ask for help. Focus of Research: While reading the book you chose, take notes about what historical aspects discussed in the book heightened your interest to learn more. Think critically when taking notes. Ask questions while reading such as: “Why did people behave in the way they did in response to this event?” or “In what ways does this event or action mirror other events or actions?” or “How did roles for women change during this time?” You will then conduct additional outside research of both primary and secondary sources that relate to the topic and themes/questions you asked above. Once all research is conducted, write a paper on an element or theme of the book and additional research that heightened your interest. The paper should represent both the book and the additional research you gather after reading the book. You should gather and use at least 5 different primary sources and 5 different secondary sources. For example: Perhaps after reading The Specter of Salem you want to learn more about the religious control of women in Puritan society, or you want to explore further what life was like for women put on trial during the colonial period. You would then do some additional research on how women were portrayed in the courts, newspaper, and literature, and then write a paper on Puritan control over women or on women’s lives during various trials of the colonial era using the primary book you selected as the springboard for discussion. Any combination of research is acceptable, as long as the analysis is historic, academic, and the content is not offensive to others in the classroom or elsewhere. The historical analysis must display critical thinking and a clear understanding of the historical time frame. If you do not understand the concept of the combination book/research or have other questions please do not hesitate to ask. Sources to use: You must present in your paper at minimum fifteen (15) citations of sources of the information you used to write the paper. Any less will receive a deduction of 10 points per citation. You will use the Chicago Manual of Style for all citations (see www.chicagomanualofstyle.org for help). Any deviation from this will result in final grade reduction of points for the assignment. Heavily or entirely internet citations will not be considered an effective effort at scholarly research and analysis. Keep that in mind when preparing the paper. Possible sources include: The historical book you chose (must have at least 5 citations) Lecture notes (optional) Textbook (optional) Primary Sources – Journals, Newspapers, Other historical texts and sources (must have at least 5 citations total from at least 5 different sources) Secondary Sources Articles, books, academic websites, films (must have at least 5 citations total from at least 5 different sources)
