Western Civilization Research Paper

Western Civilization Research Paper

HISTORY 101: Western Civilization Research Paper

 

Common Core Standards for Literacy in History:

• Conduct a sustained research project to answer a self generated question; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject; demonstrate an understanding of the subject under investigation (11-12.WHST.7).
• Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the specific task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation (11-12.WHST.8).
• Draw evidence from the informational texts to support analysis, reflection and research (11-12.WHST.9).
• Write routinely over an extended time frame, with time for reflection and revision (11-12.WHST.10).

 

Requirements for the Written Paper

 

Format:                     MLA: pagination, heading, citation formatting (shorter vs more than 3 lines)

 

Citations:                 Parenthetical

 

Works Consulted Page:             Primary and Secondary Sources (Minimum of 10)

 

Paper Length:                 10 – 15, excluding Works Consulted Pages

 

Meeting:    All students must have research questions, topics and theses approved

 

Topic:    Your topic must fall within the time frame of History 101: Western Civilization: 3000BCE – 1350CE.

 

Your work must be your own. If you’re thinking about buying a paper on line or shamelessly copying and pasting, please consult your inner conscience, the Riverdale Student Handbook, or the PSU Challenge brochure, before you do.

 

Sample Essential Research Questions:

 

To what extent did Hellenism influence the establishment of the library at Alexandria, Egypt, circa 3^rd century BCE?

 

To what extent did bisexuality affect the dominant  social structure and hierarchy in ancient Sparta, circa 500 BCE?

 

When, during the 20^thcentury did the evidence connecting obesity and poverty become conclusive and why?

 

What factors and programs of assistance determine whether or not a person is able to escape poverty?

 

Why is there so much resistance, particularly within the United States, to the United Nations and the work it does in the world?

 

Justification for research paper requirement:

 

1. Undergraduate History courses at PSU require it
2. The academic research writing process is critical to ones success in higher education

 

Scoring Breakdown:

 

1. All papers must include an introduction that does not begin with general statements about the world or the injustice of life. Statistics, quotations, and/or reenacting an historical scene are all far better prospects than an esoteric question or tired expression (5 points).

 

2. Your concise, detailed and SPECIFIC thesis should be the concluding sentence of your introductory paragraph (10 points).

 

3. All aspects of the prompt, or essential research question must be addressed in the paper completely, clearly and specifically with reference to credible and scholarly (no wiki answers or wikipedia) sources, both primary (20 points) and secondary(10 points). A significant amount of weight will be placed on your ability to draw from a number of sources, avoiding the dependency on 2 or 3.

In order to support the assertions/contentions stated in your thesis you should have at least THREE (10 points each, 30 total) thoughtfully presented examples. Introduce, present and justify your examples using a DDS approach (30 + 30 = 60 points total).

 

4. Papers must be thoroughly edited and proof read by at least one person outside of History 101, addressing conventions and language fluency (10 points)

 

 

5. A range of resources must be cited throughout the paper…

 

• Properly formatted parenthetical citations within the text

 

and

 

• The properly formatted works consulted page/s, with at least 10 (two must be print/book/journal) sources, on its own sheet/s of paper, which follows the concluding paragraph of the text . SEVEN MUST BE CITED WITHIN THE TEXT (10 points)

 

6. A conclusion that does not SUMMARIZE your main points. Historical connections to any of the material that we’ve discussed? How does the focus of your research inform our understand of the time period within which the person, place or set of circumstances occured (5  points)?

 

Point total:    100

 

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Due Diligence: An Investment in Your End Game

Although your final paper will not be submitted until Friday, November 13,  there are several requirements you must meet in between. See point totals and due dates below:

 

Meeting:                                            /10

Topic and Essential Question

Wednesday, October 12

 

List of 5 Sources:                                        /10   

Using MLA format you will submit a list of 5 sources, in alphabetical order. For each source you will include a 3-5-sentence description of how the source will be useful to you; in particular, the part of your research question it addresses, the summary of its main arguments, and any background information it provides that increases your overall understanding of the issue.

NO LATER THAN Friday, October 14 (via google classroom)

 

Detailed outline:                                        /10

See outline format on Western Civgoogle drive

Monday, October 24

 

Rough Draft/Writer’s Workshop:                                /10

The rough draft must include all elements of the paper and students must bring 2 copies with them to the workshop

Monday, October 31

 

Abstract and Reflection:                                    /10

A 150-200 word summary of the work: topics, assertions, conclusions

Must be completed by Wednesday, November 9 for full credit

Point Total: 50