In this project you will be writing an 8-10 page paper that will look at a particular war (or wars), NOT INCLUDING the US War in Iraq (2003-2012) or Afghanistan (2001-current.)

Your paper will essentially research the competing causes of war and use RESEARCH to determine:

1) the best causal argument for that conflict(s),

2) how the various explanations are competitive in the literature on the particular case, and/or

3) how the various causes or different causes of similar or different cases help contribute to the theories and general explanations of WAR.

Each paper must use film and film critique as key components of the explanation. IT is essential that you run the wars through both the ideas presented in the readings from the class AND the historical-theoretical ideas of the causes of war literature.

This literature is both general (causes of war, causes of major war, etc.) and specific (Origins of WWI, WWII, French Revolutionary Wars, A Rumor of War, The Guns of August, etc) It is important that you use standards in the field and not random mentions of your cases-do ACTUAL RESEARCH. Your research should include a minimum of 15 sources beyond what has already been assigned.

1) Every paper will look into a specific war or set of conflicts and identify the major belligerents, background history, and chronology. Some summary will be necessary.

2) Each paper will research the nature and potential causes of these problem/issues and make some clear arguments as the primary thesis of the paper. Craft a research question: what WAS the cause or the impact of something SPECIFIC!

3) Each paper will research the conflict and use a minimum of 15 sources-preferably academic journals, scholarly texts, and official state and private documents.

4) Each paper will be 8-10 pages. No LESS than 8 pages will be accepted. More than 12 pages will be read with the question: does this REALLY need to be longer than 12 pages?

5) Each paper will include a SEPARATE works consulted page or document--bibliography. This does NOT count to length. All papers must incorporate a minimum of 15 academic journals, books, official websites, primary documents, or otherwise salient sources.

6) Each paper will cite appropriately any and all worthy information...footnotes are preferred. Papers should have citations

7) Papers should be formal essays, clear, precise, direct, and proofread.

8) All papers will be typed, double spaced, 12 point font,with a cover page.