Assignment 1:
The Research Paper
In the place of a traditional final essay exam, this course will end with your submission (in ASSIGNMENTS) of a research paper. Given the "paper's" analytical requirements, this is, for all effective purposes, a Term-long effort and should be treated with that type of commitment, focus, and discipline. Some guidelines follow.
(1) Send instructor some comments in reference to the precise topic of your research paper, and include a potential thesis statement. (The latter may be revised as your project proceeds). The topic must, of course, fall within the 1945-Present chronology of this modern American history course. Topic approval, recommendations, research/writing tips, and a reiteration of the grading rubric/criterion vis-à-vis your specific project will be forwarded to you as soon as possible.
(2) Eight double-spaced pages is the requested approximate length, using Times New Roman font, and the Chicago Manual of Style can be employed. The noted length is in regards to your narrative, and does not include any title page, footnotes, and bibliography.
(3) Both a Bibliography and Footnotes are expected. Assure that you include at least three primary source references and at least three secondary source references.
(4) Take advantage of "spell check," and adhere to good grammar.
(5) For the grading rubric/criterion approach, see the comments above in DISCUSSION BOARD ANALYSES AND PARTICIPATION, the MID-TERM ESSAY EXAM, and in your specific topic approval correspondence from this professor.
Assignment 2:
Section A (worth 30% of the full exam grade)
Select THREE of the following, and provide a short analytical narrative for each selection. In other words, examine the significance, impact, or historical contribution for each of the three. That means introductory comments with a thesis statement are provided for each pick, the facts/data of that selection are discussed, and an appropriate conclusion, as you see it, is made. Note sources if/when necessary.
(1) John Foster Dulles
(2) The Tet Offensive
(3) The Voting Rights Act
(4) The "Red Scare"
(5) The Marshall Plan
Section B (worth 70% of the full exam grade)
Select ONE of the following. As in the case of Section A above, be analytical; i.e., argue persuasively, integrate the relevant, significant course material, and conclude accordingly. Note sources if/when necessary.
(1) As America's fortunes grew in the years after the Second World War , so did the debate over how the country must "win the Cold War." To some, winning the Cold War meant World War III and nuclear holocaust. To others, it meant challenging the communists in Third World settings, like Korea or Vietnam. To still others, accenting Cold War issues overseas kept the country away from pressing domestic problems like civil rights. Assess the Cold War scene from the Truman era through LBJ's "Great Society." Was it "winnable?"
(2) America emerged from the Second World War as the world's most powerful economic superpower. The level of consumerism, and even leisure time, was unprecedented. Yet, ironically, poverty, racism, sexism, and environmental destruction also remained in place at the same time. Was democratic capitalism itself to blame? Employing the historical evidence, what, do you see, is the problem here?
Assignment 3:
Research Paper Annotated Bibliography
Write an annotated bibliography. This will list and describe a minimum of 10 primary and secondary sources, with specific requirements detailed below, that you may use in your paper.
The annotated bibliography should involve a variety of primary and secondary sources, including at least two primary sources and articles from at least two academic journals; it should not include encyclopedias (including Wikipedia), dictionaries, or non-professional websites.
Each annotation should include a full, properly formatted Chicago style citation, 1-2 paragraphs detailing the basic argument of the work, the type of evidence used to prove the thesis, and an explanation of the value of the information to your paper.