History paper

Social Justice Analytical Research Essay Guidelines

Assignment Background Throughout history, movements for social justice have riveted communities. Ordinary citizens participated in, fought for, rebelled against, and stood witness as battles for political power, religious and cultural inclusion raged throughout the nation. Schoolhouses, courtrooms, pulpits, presses, pop culture and political arenas served as battlegrounds for racial, ethnic, environmental, religious, gender and economic equality. Communities followed as the accusations and arguments played out, fully aware that these challenges carried profound consequences not just for the individual actors, but also for local communities, the nation and, in some instances, the world. Assignment Description For this analytical research essay assignment, you will select and research a social justice issue relevant to the chronology/themes of the course and then explore the cultural, political, religious, economic and material values that normalized power and privilege in a particular time/place. Through careful research/examination, you will uncover evolutions in community values/norms, notions of authority, justice/injustice and equality/inequality and write a 5-7 page analytical essay based on your research. Your essay must include a minimum of 4 primary sources and a minimum of 4 scholarly secondary sources. All students are required to submit a preliminary research proposal, an annotated bibliography, and a completed 5-7 page essay. Assignment Instructions Requirements:

• Complete Research Proposal Form (submit on Canvas) • Annotated Bibliography (Submit on Canvas) • 5-7 page research paper (not including Title Page, Images and/or Works Cited page) • 12 pt. font, Times New Roman • Double-spaces • One-inch margins • Parenthetical Quotations with Works Cited Page or Footnotes. • Use the citation style (Chicago, MLA, APA) relevant to your major. • Minimum of four (4) primary and four (4) scholarly resources must be used and cited to

inform your analysis. Encyclopedia sources, popular magazines/periodicals, Wikipedia and similar sources do not count as scholarly sources).

• Final essays must be submitted electronically to Canvas. • Students must keep a paper and electronic copy of their essay for their own records until

the final grade for the course had been submitted. Step 1: Research Proposal: Before you begin research and writing your essay, you must complete the Research Proposal Form on Canvas. Do not move beyond the preliminary research stage until your research proposal is approved.

Step 2: Research: Once your topic has been approved, continue researching your topic. This is a research essay so all essays must incorporate both primary material (minimum of 4) and

scholarly secondary sources (minimum of 4). There are numerous types of primary materials that you may use such as court transcripts, diaries, journals, art, propaganda, literature, eye-witness accounts, newspaper articles, public debate about the issue, arrest records and cultural references from the time. Many archival materials have been digitally preserved and are readily available online. You must also include a minimum of four (4) scholarly secondary materials such as peer- reviewed scholarly articles published in academic journals and/or monographs (books). Your secondary sources must be current, written by experts in the topic you are researching, and published by an academic press or its equivalent. Remember, you cannot use sources such as HISTORY.COM, Cengage, Britannica, youtube, KhanAcademy.com, PBS, Wikipedia, etc. . . . If you have any questions regarding sources or need help finding materials, please let me know and I will be happy to assist you. Also, please remember that CSM has an excellent Library faculty who will prove to be very helpful if you go to the reference desk and ask for assistance. The CSM library also provides students access to excellent online academic journals/databases where you can find full-text articles. In addition to primary and scholarly secondary materials, you may also choose to cite secondary materials such as documentaries and popular film to explore how your topic is portrayed/understood in a more contemporary context. However, you can only use these sources in reference to their influence in shaping historical narrative and influencing popular opinion regarding your topic. These sources do not replace the required primary & scholarly secondary sources.

Step 3: Annotated Bibliography:

Once your proposal is approved. You should begin your research. As you research, make sure to take notes on the material. You will need these notes for your annotated bibliography. Please read the following guidelines on how to do an annotated bibliography.

Annotated Bibliography Guidelines

“An annotated bibliography includes a summary and/or evaluation of each of the sources you are using. For this assignment, your annotations should include the following summary, assessment, reflection.

• Summarize: Summarize the source. What are the main arguments? What is the point of this book or article? What topics are covered? If someone asked what this article/book is about, what would you say?

For more help, see our handout on paraphrasing sources.

• Assess: After summarizing a source, evaluate it. Is it a useful source? How does it compare with other sources in your bibliography? Is the information reliable? Is this source biased or objective? What is the goal of this source?

For more help, see our handouts on evaluating resources.

• Reflect: Once you've summarized and assessed a source, you need to ask how it fits into your research. Was this source helpful to you? How does it help you

shape your argument? How can you use this source in your research project? Has it changed how you think about your topic?

Why should I write an annotated bibliography?

To learn about your topic: Writing an annotated bibliography is excellent preparation for a research project. Just collecting sources for a bibliography is useful, but when you have to write annotations for each source, you're forced to read each source more carefully. You begin to read more critically instead of just collecting information. At the professional level, annotated bibliographies allow you to see what has been done in the literature and where your own research or scholarship can fit. To help you formulate a thesis: Every good research paper is an argument. The purpose of research is to state and support a thesis. So a very important part of research is developing a thesis that is debatable, interesting, and current. Writing an annotated bibliography can help you gain a good perspective on what is being said about your topic. By reading and responding to a variety of sources on a topic, you'll start to see what the issues are, what people are arguing about, and you'll then be able to develop your own point of view.

To help other researchers: Extensive and scholarly annotated bibliographies are sometimes published. They provide a comprehensive overview of everything important that has been and is being said about that topic. You may not ever get your annotated bibliography published, but as a researcher, you might want to look for one that has been published about your topic.” https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/01/

Step 4: Analyze your material. Here are some examples of the types of questions that you might explore:

• What were the historical circumstances surrounding the case/movement/issue/event? • What were the wider social, political, religious, economic, and social issues of the time--

i.e. what factors caused this issue/case/movement to come to fruition? • What were the issues at stake? • What was the controversy? • Who was agitating for change and why? Who opposed change and why? • Why was the case/issue important? • Why was the public interested in the case? • What was the outcome of the case/issue? What factors drove the outcome of the case? • How did people react to the outcome of the case/movement/issue and why? • What was the impact of this issue at the time; how did the decision of this case/issue

impact other issues/movements; what were the long-term social, political, religious, economic, and social implications of this social justice movement?

• What where the legacies of this episode of history and why should we care about it today?

Step 5: Format Your Essay. I. Title Page: Original, creative and descriptive title, name, date, course II. Introduction that includes a clear thesis.

III. Body of the Essay: presents  your  information  and  develops  your  analysis  and   argument.  It  does  not  matter  how  many  paragraphs  your  essay  has,  just  make  sure   to  use  proper  paragraph  formation.  A  paragraph  consists  of  a  block  of  material   about  a  particular  subject  of  about  a  specific  point  and  contributes  to  the   development  of  the  argument  of  the  paper.  Typically,  a  paragraph  is  5-­‐8   sentences.      

• It  is  important  that  each  paragraph  builds  on  the  previous  paragraph  in  a  logical   manner  that  supports  your  argument.  Outlining  your  essay  before  you  begin  writing   often  helps  the  overall  organization  of  your  work.  Each  paragraph  should  begin  with   a  topic  sentence  that  indicates  what  subject  the  rest  of  the  paragraph  will  discuss,   what  issue  it  will  explore,  or  what  point  it  will  make.  By  reading  just  the  topic   sentences  of  the  paper,  your  reader  should  be  able  to  get  a  summary  of  the  subjects   you  are  addressing  and  the  position  your  are  defending.        

• The  remaining  sentences  in  each  paragraph  provide  more  detail  or  evidence  about   the  main  topic.  Typically,  paragraphs  in  formal,  analytical  essays,  are  5-­‐8  sentences.        

• Each  paragraph  within  a  section  should  also  be  clearly  related  to  the  one  before  and   the  one  after,  creating  an  even,  logical  flow.  If  the  link  is  not  readily  apparent,  you   should  include  a  transitional  sentence  that  makes  the  connection  to  your  next  point.    

• Since  the  essay  is  only  5-­‐7  pages,  Do  Not  use  subheadings/subsections.      

• Each essay will vary by topic but most essays will include the following: Contextualize your topic identifying the relevant issues surrounding the social justice issue you are studying, analysis of arguments, analysis of outcomes; analysis of public opinion. Analysis of the most important factors (social, political, cultural, economic, religious, racial) that determined the outcome of your topic. Legacies of the issue then and now.

IV. If you do not use footnotes, please include a citation page (bibliography) so your parenthetical citations will be easily identified: Be sure to cite title, author, publication, date and URL if available. You may use the citation style that is used in your major or that you are most familiar with. All citations must include author, title, publisher and date. If you are using a full-text article from an academic database, you must include this information as well as the link. Do not simply copy and past a lengthy http address—without the relevant bibliographic information, this is useless to your reader. V. Conclusion: pull together the main points, reasserts the thesis, and may relate the topic to broader historical or contemporary issues. DO NOT BEGIN YOUR CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH with “In conclusion. . . .” Since it is the last paragraph of a short essay, it is unnecessary to state the obvious. While “In conclusion,” is not grammatically incorrect, it is not a particularly elegant or original way to end your essay.      

VI. 12 pt. font; Times New Roman; one-inch margins, minimum of 5-7 pages in length. You will not be penalized for going over the page length.

 

  Excellent     Good   Average   Unacceptable   Formatting   &     Presenta-­‐‑   tion  

Cover  page  with  relevant  info,   including  an  original,  descriptive   title.  The  essay  is  formatted   correctly  and  consistently.  If   visuals  are  included,  they  enhance   the  reader’s  understanding  of  the   topic  and  the  quality  is  excellent   and  includes  appropriate  citations.  

Cover  page  with  relevant   information  and  title.     If  visuals  are  included,  they   are  interesting,  good   quality,  relevant  to  the   research  and  cited.  Some   inconsistencies  in   formatting  and  other   requirements.      

Most  relevant  information   present.  Several   inconsistencies  in   formatting/citations.      

No  Cover  Page  or  incomplete   cover  page.  No  original  title.   Does  not  meet  the  assigned   formatting/length.    

Structure   Thesis  is  clear,  easy  to  identify,  and   appropriate  to  the  research  project.   The  thesis  is  supported  by  the   content  of  the  paper.  There  is  a   logical  flow  to  the   topics/arguments.   Conclusion  follows  clearly  from   the  arguments  presented.  

Thesis  is  clear  and   appropriate.       Thesis  is  fairly  well   supported.   Paper  is  fairly  well   organized.   Conclusion  follows  from   the  rest  of  the  paper.  

Thesis  is  fairly  clear.     Inconsistent  support  for   thesis.   Paper  weakly  organized.   Conclusion  is  acceptable.  

Thesis  unclear  and/or   inappropriate  for  the  research   topic.       Thesis  not  supported.   Paper  is  not  logically   organized.   Conclusion  does  not  follow   from  the  rest  of  the  paper.  

Chronology /Themes  

The  topic  is  very  relevant  to  the   chronology  and  themes  of  the   course.      

The  topic  is  relevant  to  the   chronology  and  themes  of   the  course.  

The  topic  is  somewhat   relevant  to  the  chronology   and  themes  of  the  course.  

The  topic  is  not  relevant  to   the  chronology  or  themes  of   the  course.  

Research   The  research/evidence  is  based  on   appropriate  primary  and   secondary  sources.   The  bibliography/citations  are   complete  and  consistent.  The   evidence  used  reflects  multiple   views.  Sources  of   information/interpretation/conclusi ons  are  cited.    

Most  evidence  is  based  on   appropriate  primary  and   secondary  sources.  The   bibliography/citations  are   complete.     The  evidence  used  reflects   multiple  views.  Most   sources  of   information/interpretation/ conclusions  are  cited.  

Valid  sources  are   inconsistently  used.       The  bibliography/citations   are  inconsistent.  Sources   for  material/ideas  are  not   cited.      

The  evidence  seldom  comes   from  valid  sources.  Sources  of   information/interpretations/c onclusions  are  not  cited.     The  bibliography  is  missing   significant  information.    

Arguments   Interpre-­‐‑ tations   &Critical   Thinking  

Arguments/points  are  pertinent  to   the  topic.       Arguments/points  are  logical,   supported  with  evidence.   The  key  arguments/points  have   been  made  –  no  major  points  have   been  left  out.   Well-­‐‑developed  analysis  and   synthesis.  

Arguments  /points  are   pertinent  to  the  topic.       Arguments/points  are  fairly   logical  and  reasonably   supported.   Most  key  arguments   /points  have  been  made.  

Arguments/points  are  not   consistently  pertinent,   logical,  or  supported.   Few  key  arguments/points   have  been  made.  Little   analysis  and  synthesis.    

Arguments  /points  not   pertinent.   Arguments/points  rarely,  if  at   all,  logical  and  supported.   Almost  no  key  arguments   have  been  made.  Little  more   than  summary.    

Style/   Grammar  

Language  and  style  appropriate  for   intended  audience.   Sentences  are  grammatically  correct   and  clearly  written.    No  words  are   misused  or  unnecessarily  fancy.     Technical  terms,  words  from  other   languages,  and  words  from  other   historical  periods  are  always   explained.  Paper  is  free  of   grammatical  and  spelling  errors.  

Language  and  style   appropriate.  Contains  no   more  than  a  few   grammatical  errors,  which   do  not  adversely  affect  the   reader’s  ability  to   understand  the  author’s   arguments/points.      

Language  and  style  only   fair.    Paper  has  numerous   grammatical  and/or   spelling  errors.        

Language  and  style  use  is  not   appropriate  for  a  college-­‐‑level   research  essay.  Main  points   not  discernible  because  of   grammatical  and/or  spelling   errors.