History paper

Dr. Young HIST 1378 Fall 2020

Third Essay Assignment Option

Due Date: Monday, November 9, at 11:59 p.m. Submit your paper to the Turnitin.com link in the Week Twelve folder on the course Bb page.

Worth 150 points/15 percent of the course grade. Required length: three to five pages (900-1500 words).

PURPOSE: The purpose of this assignment is for you to “do history” by researching protest in the 1960s and the 1970s with the primary documents associated with Week Eleven. After researching in the primary document PDFs regarding radical feminism, you will use your insights and knowledge to craft a response to the question listed below under “task” (top p. 2). SKILLS: The purpose of this assignment is to help you practice the following skills that are essential to your success in this course, in the university, and in professional life beyond the university.

• You will begin by searching out primary source evidence that addresses the problem.

• Be sure to give these documents a close reading so that you can pull as much meaning as possible from them. See the Primary Source Reading Guide handout in your Week One folder for more details on how to undertake a close reading.

• When you are reading the primary documents, you will gain experience in evaluating the views and claims contained in each document. Do the statements made accord with what you’ve read in the other documents? With what you’ve read in your textbook? With what you’ve heard in the podcasts? Considering these questions will help you discern how much credibility to give to each document.

• From this primary source evidence, you will discern the most important facts, historical actors, and events associated with the problem.

• Next, you will compare what you have learned from the primary sources with your textbook and the podcast lectures, which are your pertinent secondary sources.

• Next, you will outline and plan the narrative of your answer.

• Next, you will start writing by describing and interpreting the evidence in a manner that allows you to answer the question posed of you. As you write remember that you are telling a story. The writing should be crisp and compelling.

• All information in your paper will be properly cited. See criteria for the success below for details.

• Finally, you will develop an analytical thesis that is detailed, substantive, and debatable. You will present this thesis in your introduction, develop it throughout the body, and restate it in your conclusion.

KNOWLEDGE: By doing this assignment you will better understand the varieties of protest, both from within government and from the outside. You will need to spend time exploring the distinct moments captured in your readings regarding radical feminism. You will need to appreciate the goals pursued and challenges that hindered progress. What about society were radical feminists protesting? Why? How did each contribute to the evolution of liberalism?

2

TASK: In the decades from the 1950s to the 1970s multiple forms of protest unfolded in American society, from Civil Rights to efforts to expand liberalism and to radical feminism. Some of this protest occurred on the streets and was of the grass roots variety while others existed more within the corridors of power in Washington, D.C. In considering the role of radical feminism within the larger history of social movement protest in the 1960s and 1970s, write an essay that defends or refutes the following statement: radical feminism was a logical companion protest movement to the civil rights movement. In answering this question define how radical feminists saw themselves vis-à-vis the larger feminist movement and vis-à-vis the rest of society, whether the adjective “radical” is properly applied, and whether this movement should be considered as a united, solitary movement. Why? Defend your answer. Be sure to draw heavily on the primary documents assigned for Week Eleven. Use the Podcasts and textbook readings as supplement in developing your answer. Remember that the majority of your examples need to come from the primary documents and that they need to be the basis for your argument. Do not use outside, unassigned sources. CRITERIA FOR SUCCESS:

1. Document usage requirements: Be sure that you use at least six primary documents from the assigned PDF for your essay. For each body paragraph there should be at least two or three substantive points developed from the documents.

2. Permissible and impermissible sources: Completion of the paper assignment requires consultation of no additional sources. You must not use Wikipedia or any other Internet source. Use only your assigned materials: the primary documents, e-book, and podcasts. I instruct the TAs to ignore material derived from unauthorized sources, so using such material will only hurt your grade.

3. Outlining your paper: As you are developing your answer, use the question to help establish your outline. This is not an assignment that can be completed with the five- paragraph paper with introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion that you probably learned in high school. The structure of the question will likely require more body paragraphs than the five-paragraph paper allows.

4. Formatting: Make sure that your paper is typed and double-spaced, has standard one-inch margins, 12-point font, Times New Roman. Put page numbers on your document.

5. Late work: Late work will not be accepted. Plan accordingly.

6. Citation guidelines--quotes: All quotes must be placed in quotation marks and cited using the parenthetical method, i.e. the following example. According to the People’s Party Platform of July 24, 1896: “We recognize that, through the connivance of the present and preceding Administrations, the country has reached a crisis in its national life” (Week 3 doc. readings). You will note that the example contains the following elements: a description of the document in the text and an indication of which week’s reading contains the document in the parenthesis. The expectation is that you will follow this model or something very similar with all of your quotations. All other material must be rendered completely in your own words.

3

7. Effective quoting: Simply quoting a primary document is not necessarily making effective

use of it. You also need to explain what the document means and how that meaning advances your argument. Doing this requires that you draw inferences and synthesize information from multiple sources. In other words, be selective in quoting from the primary documents, and only quote very colorful and compelling language.

8. Quotes and the textbook: Do not quote from the textbook. Save your quotes for the most provocative concepts contained within the original documents!

• Since it is the documents you are analyzing, you are better off spending time with them.

• Use the text and lectures to make sure you understand the larger historical context.

9. Citation guidelines--paraphrasing: Paraphrasing well is an art, and paraphrased passages must be cited just like quotes. When you paraphrase you need to substantially change the wording of the original source. It is not sufficient to change a few words and retain the original sentence structure. That approach leaves you open to charges of plagiarism. Instead, you must take the idea from the original source and put it in your own words, which means a new sentence structure and significantly different word choices. See the examples below:

• Original passage: “Work-sharing festivals such as house raisings, log rollings, and quiltings gave isolated farm folk the chance to break their daily routine” (p. 359).

Unacceptable: Work-sharing opportunities including house construction, log gathering, and sewing gave detached farmers an opportunity to change their routine (p. 359).

Acceptable: Farmers merged their social lives with their work lives to gain relief from the monotony of an agrarian existence (p. 359).

Use the same citation format noted above in number 6.

4

GRADE RUBRIC

Grades Thesis and

Argument Evidence Quotations Body

Paragraphs Organization and Style

Length

A’s The introductory paragraph contains a detailed, substantive, debatable, and clearly defined thesis statement. The argument is original and insightful, and is developed throughout the assignment. The paper has a cogent conclusion that restates and expands on the thesis.

Substantial evidence is derived from all assigned sources— especially the primary document PDFs. Typically students will draw from a minimum of two different documents for each body paragraph. The evidence is contextualized, evaluated, and analyzed.

Compelling quotations are taken from the primary document PDFs—and cited per the assignment guidelines. Quotes are not longer than a sentence (four typed lines in a paper). Quotes are analyzed and used to help develop the thesis of the paper.

The body paragraphs are coherent. Each body paragraph begins with a topic sentence that introduces the particular focus of that paragraph. Each body paragraph contains a thorough description and explication of the evidence presented in the paragraph. Said interpretations and analysis are linked back to the thesis.

The essay has a logical and thoughtful organization wherein each paragraph flows naturally from the previous paragraph. Clear connections are made among the different pieces of evidence so as to better understand the thesis. The prose is cleanly written and free of mechanical errors.

The paper meets the required length of the assignment.

Grades Thesis and

Argument Evidence Quotations Body

Paragraphs Organization and Style

Length

B’s Paper typically contains all or most elements of the “A Grade” for thesis and argument, but is not fully developed.

Paper contains satisfactory usage of the primary document PDFs, but does not meet all the requirements of the “A Grade” paper.

Paper contains quotations from the primary document PDFs, but perhaps they are not well-selected or placed, perhaps they are too long, or perhaps they are not satisfactorily analyzed.

The body of the paper contains all or most elements of the “A Grade,” but perhaps minor issues exist with the paper’s body: topic sentences might be weak, there might not be substantial development of evidence, or there might not be additional development of the thesis.

Perhaps the paper has minor grammatical and/or stylistic errors.

Paper either meets the required length or is within half a page of it.

5

Grades Thesis and Argument

Evidence Quotations Body Paragraphs

Organization and Style

Length

C’s Typically, “C Grade” papers have a weak or inadequate thesis. Often the thesis statement, if there is one, does not extend beyond a restatement of the question or a factual statement about the topic of the paper.

Typically, “C Grade” papers provide simple, factual summaries of content and are devoid of analysis, interpretatio n, and context. Summaries may or may not be drawn from the primary document PDFs. A “C Grade” is the highest possible grade a student can earn if the primary document PDFs are not engaged.

Quotations are either minimal or are not contextualized, evaluated, and analyzed.

Topic sentences are either weak or non-existent. The evidence likely is not developed or interpreted. Often paragraphs lack coherent themes.

Perhaps there are significant errors of grammar and/or organization.

“C Grade” papers may meet the length requirement but have substantial weaknesses regarding argument and thesis; use of evidence and quotations; body paragraphs; and organization and style. Alternatively, “C Grade” papers might be solid but too short by a page or more from the minimum length requirement.

Grades Thesis and

Argument Evidence Quotations Body

Paragraphs Organization and Style

Length

D’s Typically, “D Grade” papers lack a thesis or if one is attempted it is nothing more than a weak generalization.

The evidence presented typically is not concrete and specific but instead is overly generalized. Typically, there is little or no use of the primary document PDFs.

There are likely no quotes or the quotes have little connection to the problem being studied.

There are no topic sentences. There are no interpretations or evaluations of the evidence. The paragraphs lack coherent purpose.

Perhaps there are significant errors of grammar and/or organization.

“D Grades” may or may not meet the length requirement.

6

Grades Thesis and Argument

Evidence Quotations Body Paragraphs

Organization and Style

Length

F’s “F Grade” papers do not have a thesis or an argument.

Little or no understanding of the problem being studied is demonstrated. Moreover, there is little or no attention to assigned sources. Often, the paper is off topic or full of factual errors.

Quotations are minimal or are off topic.

There are no topic sentences. There are no interpretations or evaluations of the evidence. The paragraphs lack coherent purpose.

Often there are significant errors of grammar and/or organization.

“F Grades” may or may not meet the length requirement.