Thesis Driven History Essay Assignment Paper-HI 254
HI 254 Spring 2018
Assignment 6: Essay 2
Due: Wednesday, May 2, 2018, by 5:00 PM via Moodle
Submission Instructions:
- Submit assignment as an MS Word document on Moodle. Other file formats will not be accepted and students will not get credit for completing the assignment.
Assignment Objective:
History is how we interpret the past. As such, students will have an opportunity to use primary sources to develop their own interpretation of past events and lived experiences in a written essay. This assignment evaluates student ability to find, analyze, and use primary sources to make an argument about the past and to follow a historical topic/theme from 1865-2000. Completion of the assignment relates to learning outcomes 1, 3, & 4 for the course.
Assignment Instructions
- Students are to write a 3-5 page, thesis-driven essay on a historical topic/theme identified in the course materials. The essay must span from 1865-2000 and be grounded in at least ten primary sources. This means the essay should not be a regurgitation of information with the sources mentioned as examples but an analysis of the primary sources to support an argument about the nation’s past since 1865.
- Collectively, the primary sources should span from 1865-2000, with at least two from 1865-1900, 1900-1945, and 1945-2000 (remaining primary sources are student choice).
- Students may use primary sources from the course material, however, students must find at least four sources on their own from an appropriate repository.
- Students must use two monographs as references to provide historical background/context to the essay.
- Essays must use Chicago/Turabian citations with footnotes and a bibliography with correct formatting.
- Essays should be typed in 12-point font, Times New Roman, with 1-inch margins.
This assignment will be evaluated based on the following:
- Contains a thesis statement–Does this essay make an argument of what, why, and how?
- Uses adequate evidence to support thesis.
- Demonstrates evidence of analyzing sources and shows critical thinking about the topic.
- Adheres to the provided instructions.
- Well-written and coherent with minimal mistakes in spelling, grammar, and mechanics.
Students are bound by the honor code and the university’s statement of academic integrity for all assignments submitted either written or typed.
