HIST 350- Project 2 Research Paper Read about M7A1: Project 2 Research Paper This assignment addresses the following outcomes: · Write a research paper that integrates evidence from primary

HIST 350- Project 2 Research Paper

Read about M7A1: Project 2 Research Paper

This assignment addresses the following outcomes:

·         Write a research paper that integrates evidence from primary and secondary sources to explore a political, social, military, and/or ethical issue in World War I.

Throughout this course, you have explored political, social, strategic, and ethical questions related to World War I through multiple methods: analysis of primary and secondary sources, as well as by playing educational game games. These games allowed you to explore the decision-making of key wartime leaders and practice the skill of historical empathy—learning to think and make judgments from the lens of the past rather than through our present day mindset. In this project, you will apply the lessons you learned to a research project which will integrate the evidence from these sources and tools into one cohesive argument.

You will submit this project in three stages throughout the course:

Module 3: Choose a topic. Due Sep 13thFor your Project 2 Research Paper you are to select a topic related to the content explored in the games: The July Crisis: Be the Kaiser (The Inevitability of WWI), The True Cost of War: Be the General (Trench Warfare and Stalemate), Making the World Safe for Democracy: Be President Wilson (US Entry into WWI). 

Choose one of the listed options as a jumping-off point to develop a topic. Then, in no less than 50 words, write up what your topic choice will be in a word document and submit it to the dropbox here for your instructor. Check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors. 

Your submission should include the following:

·         Your topic choice

·         Your initial thoughts about the topic, including your preliminary thoughts about your argumentative thesis statement

·         Any questions or concerns you have for your instructor

1)      Module 5: Annotated Bibliography and Outline. Due Sep 20thSelect at least six sources that you will use in the Project 2 paper and create an Annotated Bibliography. At least two of these sources must be primary sources. Two sources may come from the assigned course materials like Neiberg and the online primary resources, but at least four must be outside sources.  

This assignment will address the following outcomes: 

a)       Locate and organize primary and secondary sources for an Annotated Bibliography.

b)       Draft a thesis statement and outline for your final project.

Annotated Bibliography

For outside material, you can find scholarly secondary sources from the Excelsior College Library (Links to an external site.) or a primary source from the Excelsior College Library (Links to an external site.) (see this tip sheet (Links to an external site.) [PDF, file size 229.53 KB]) or from this list of pre-approved primary source websites in Global History (Links to an external site.). You should NOT use non-scholarly websites such as Wikipedia or History.com. If you have questions about appropriate sources, please contact your instructor.

For each source you should write a one to two paragraph (200-250 word) annotation.

Unlike a traditional bibliography, an annotated bibliography explores the sources rather than merely references them. According to the staff of Cornell Library (Links to an external site.), an annotated bibliography should begin first with a proper citation, then:

"a concise annotation that summarizes the central theme and scope of the book or article. Include one or more sentences that (a) evaluate the authority or background of the author, (b) comment on the intended audience, (c) compare or contrast this work with another you have cited, or (d) explain how this work illuminates your bibliography topic."  This should be done for each of your sources. 

The Annotated Bibliography should be formatted using either APA or Chicago style.

Outline with a Thesis Statement

In the same word document as your Annotated Bibliography, create an outline that shows the development of your thesis statement and how you will use your sources. 

Directions for writing a strong thesis statement:

Your thesis statement should be one to two sentencessummarizing your overall argument. You should base your argument on the topic you chose in Module 2, and it should reflect your own thoughts. A good thesis statement contains the following:

·         It addresses a “why” question rather than just what or when.

·         It is argumentative and reflects original thinking

·         It is narrow enough to be something that can be “proven” in a paper, but broad enough to encapsulate several different issues that you will explore in your body paragraphs

·         It appears at the end of your introductory paragraph, it is reinforced through specific evidence in everybody paragraph, and it is re-stated in your conclusion

Resources for creating a thesis statement:

·         Excelsior Online Writing Lab (OWL) on creating an Argumentative Thesis  (Links to an external site.)

·         Purdue OWL on Developing Strong Thesis Statements (Links to an external site.)

Directions for completing an outline:

Your outline should be detailed enough to show the development of your topic, including bullet points for supporting points for at least four body paragraphs of the paper, and your conclusion. Your outline should be approximately½ to 1 page long in outline format with headings and subheadings organized by body paragraphs that build on your thesis statement, which should appear in the introduction. The outline should not be written in paragraph format. For information on how to create an effective outline see the resources below:

Resources for outlines:

·         Excelsior Online Writing Lab (Links to an external site.) (OWL)

·         Purdue Online Writing Lab (Links to an external site.) (OWL)

·         Creating an Outline for a Research Paper (Links to an external site.) [Video, 6:26 minutes]

Check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors.

Turnitin®

This course has Turnitin® fully integrated into the course dropbox. Once submitted, your assignment will be evaluated by Turnitin® automatically. You will be able to view an Originality Report within minutes of your first submission that will show how much of your work has been identified as similar to other sources such as websites, textbooks, or other student papers. Use your Originality Report as a learning tool to identify areas of your assignment that you may not have cited appropriately. 

2)      Module 7: Project 2 Research Paper. Due Oct 4th In Module 7 you will submit your completed research paper according to the directions listed below:

For your Project 2 Research Paper you are to select a topic related to the content explored in the games: The July Crisis: Be the Kaiser (The Inevitability of WWI), The True Cost of War: Be the General (Trench Warfare and Stalemate), Making the World Safe for Democracy: Be President Wilson (US Entry into WWI).

. Please choose one of the following question prompts as a jumping-off point for an argumentative analysis:

·         Which nation was most responsible for the outbreak of World War I and why?

·         The Schlieffen Plan: why did it fail?

·         The use and ethical ramifications of poison gas during World War I.

·         The ethical ramifications of unlimited submarine warfare.

·         The tactics of trench warfare on the Western Front: what military tactics proved most successful and unsuccessful in budging the stalemated lines on the Western Front?

·         The use and effects of propaganda during World War I.

·         Evaluate Woodrow Wilson as a wartime president. What were his strengths and weaknesses?

·         Compare and contrast wartime preparations in the United States and Germany.

·         Another topic of your choice in some way related to the historical concepts explored in one of the three games (make sure to clear this with your instructor)

Your Project 2 Paper should be between 6-7 pages (1500-1750 words) in length not including the title page and references.  

Your paper must include at least six sources. At least two of these sources must be primary sources. Two of the six sources may come from the assigned course materials like Neiberg, M (2005). Fighting the Great War: A Global History. Harvard University Press), The Neiberg textbook, Mulligan, W. (2011), The Origins of the First World War, Mombauer, A. (2014), The July Crisis, The English Translation of the Austro-Hungarian Ultimatum to Serbia (1914), The Willy-Nicky Telegrams (1914), and view The World Prepares for War, and the assigned online primary resources, but at least four must be outside sources.

·         An introduction paragraph with a clear thesis statement outlining your overall argument

·         Body paragraphs with specific evidence from your sources to support your points

·         In-text citations and references in APA or Chicago style

·         A conclusion paragraph that synthesizes the information you present and summarizes your main points

Check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors.

Turnitin®

This course has Turnitin® fully integrated into the course dropbox. 

Once submitted, your assignment will be evaluated by Turnitin® automatically. You will be able to view an Originality Report within minutes of your first submission that will show how much of your work has been identified as similar to other sources such as websites, textbooks, or other student papers.