Instructions
Most history essays begin with a proposal. Accordingly, this assignment will be a start to the written assignment due at the end of Week Six. For this assignment, you will need to start your research. Identify a topic of interest to you and relevant to the class, American History Before 1877 .
After you have identified a suitable, then work through the following form. Formulate three research questions and start your research. Formulate a thesis statement – an argument. Then find three scholarly sources that will support your research into the topic. These are required to be one primary and two secondary sources. And they should be individually identified as primary or secondary sources. The selected items are also required to be formally cited with cites correctly formatted according to the style guidelines you choose – APA, MLA, or Chicago Manual of Style.
For a brief presentation on primary sources — an important distinction — see this Seaton Hall University site (open in new window)
You are required to use the following format for this assignment and submit your proposal as a Word document. The blank format is also attached, as is a sample essay proposal that you should review and are required to use as formatting guidance.
Name:
Topic:
Possible Research Questions:
1. 2. 3.
Thesis Statement: This is usually one to two sentences that summarizes the point of the paper. It states the argument of the paper and includes your conclusions.
Sources:
1. Proper citation according to MLA, APA, or Chicago Manual of Style format: One paragraph summary including one weakness and one strength.
2. Again, proper citation (by this I mean complete citation protocols) according to MLA, APA, or Chicago Manual of Style format. Significant points will be deducted for failure to apply complete citation protocols. To this end samples of complete citation formatting can be seen at the university library site:
3. Finally, as reflected in the example proposal I provided, your evaluation of the selected items must include identification of (and your personal evaluations/comments on) one strength and one weakness of each of the works you select. Note that the comments are to be address to each of the identified source document…not the subject of the proposal.
