INSTRUCTIONS

A-LEVEL OBJECTIVE: RESEARCH TERM PAPER

Hist 1302

Introduction

The term referential is used as a classifying label for informative, exploratory, and interpretive writing. In all three of these types of formal, rule-bound discourse, the emphasis is on the content of the writing, that is, on factual truth conveyed by the writer, rather than on the author's personal opinions and style or on the writing's intended impact upon readers. For historians, writing's main purpose is to present facts about the past, and to do so comprehensively. This is called informative writing. But the facts must also be arranged logically in order to "prove" that the events presented really happened. Historians are not born with historical facts in their heads. They obtain them from research into historical source materials (primary and secondary sources as defined below). Factually comprehensive and logically organized discourse, based on research into sources, is the purest form of informative writing.

Other types of writing may also be classified as referential writing. One is called exploratory writing. Exploratory writing sets forth tentative, reasonable conclusions, but not necessarily a logical proof. This may be the case because of insufficient factual data or time, implying that a more complete presentation of the facts will come later. Interpretive writing explains the facts or draws inferences from the logical connection of the facts (See the "B-Level Objective" document).

But in all three cases of referential writing, the writer's purpose is usually to prove an objective “truth.” To achieve that purpose, the writer begins with a premise, or a research question, and then presents facts in a logical pattern to "prove" the premise or answer the question. The most common pattern for presenting the facts in historical writing is narration. This is where facts are lined up in chronological order, leading to a logical answer to the research question, or in other words, to a conclusive truth. For example: Fact A + Fact B + Fact C = the Conclusion X ("the truth"). Of course, the strength of the writer's argument stands on the truthfulness and relevance of the facts presented. And according to venerable rules of scholarship, the truthfulness of factual evidence is established by citing the authoritative sources from which the facts are taken.

Objective

In accomplishing the A-Level Objective of this course, you will become, at least for a time, a practicing historian. You will write history using the purposes and patterns of referential writing (verifiable facts leading to a logical conclusion). You will do this by preparing a research paper on a topic, stated as a question (the premise), that relates to the material covered in this course, that is, the history of the United States since 1877.  Or to put it another way, you will try to solve a mystery using factual clues to prove "who dunnit." Your research into both primary (original) and secondary sources will put you into almost direct contact with real people—whether they be generals, politicians, homemakers, farmers, merchants, laborers, professional people, etc.—who made the United States history we now study. The research paper that you write will contain (1) the premise stated as a research question, (2) the pertinent facts, and (3) your conclusion based on those facts. This can be a meaningful, satisfying, perhaps even fun, undertaking.

Specific Assignment

Topic: Choose a topic from the following short list of topics that fit within the subject boundaries of this course (from 1877 to the present).

·         How did industrialization make the United States either more or less democratic?

·         What caused the great agrarian insurgency of the late nineteenth century?

·         How did rural values clash with urban values during the 1920s? Provide five examples.

·         In what ways was the United States more or less democratic after World War II than before?

·         Where and how did the United States succeed in reclaiming a position of world leadership during the 1980s?

·         Why was it easier to win the war against Saddam Hussein than to win the peace?

Basic requirements: (1) The body of your paper (that is, everything except footnotes and bibliography) must be approximately 500 words. It must be free of spelling and grammatical errors and must be written in a style appropriate for referential writing. (2) Your research paper must be based on at least three primary sources and three secondary sources. (3) Your paper, including the words you use, must be entirely yours. Using other people's words and ideas is stealing. It's called plagiarism, and plagiarism will not be tolerated.  To enforce the rules against plagiarism, all papers will be sent through a powerful national screening system that compares the wording in A-level papers with sources and other students’ papers. Any matches, and the sources of...