Instructions as follows:
This project is the major assignment for the course and is worth 250 points. Ultimately, you will write a 6-8 page paper responding to one of the prompts in the document below. Your paper needs to be double-spaced, with one-inch margins, and in Times New Roman 12 pt. font. You are going to spend a good amount of time working on this, so make sure it is a topic or project in which you are interested. There are a variety of project types that will be allowed for this assignment. Some are traditional research papers (with prompts to guide you), but most are creative ways to approach history and are designed to get you to delve more deeply into a topic or theme that interests you. All the options require outside research. You are going to use the last three weeks of classes (which includes the finals week) to finish your research and complete your project. We will have no other assignments during that time. I will be available by phone, video conference, or email to talk with you about your projects if you have questions, need help, or just want to bounce some ideas off of me. Your topic must fall within the chronological time period of this class (pre-contact to 1865).
Your final research project is due by 11:59 pm on Tuesday, May 10. You will also be submitting a separate annotated bibliography (worth an additional 40points) on sources used for your research project. There is an example of an annotated bibliography along with some suggestions in this research module. Additionally, in week 9 you will need to submit a topic proposal in which you identify which of the research project options you are choosing and what your general topic will be. I have provided a topic proposal sample as well as an annotated bibliography sample. Your topic proposal is due by March 16.
More Instructions:
Choose ONE of the following options for your final research paper, worth 250 points. Please note
that all of these will require research beyond the textbook and lecture notes (but use those, as
well!). You are required to have at least three out-of-class sources. For each of these assignments,
you will need a short (one-paragraph) introduction in which you provide an overview of and
explanation for the project’s interpretation and goals. You will also be submitting a topic proposal
(worth 15 points) halfway through the semester, and an annotated bibliography for any sources
you used (primary and secondary) with your final project. Your annotated bibliography needs to
have 1-3 sentences per source that explains how you used it. Please see the example annotated
bibliography. This will be submitted separately from the research paper and is worth 40 points.
Your topic must fall within the chronological time period of this course (pre-contact to 1865).
Proposed Topic:
HISTORY ROAD TRIP
Create an educational road trip for a visitor to the U.S. that will help them understand a key aspect, theme, or idea in
U.S. history, such as voting rights, slavery, westward expansion, international affairs, industrialization, etc. You
need to include at least five different places to visit, with a two-paragraph summary of why you chose that place
(did an important event happen there or is it more symbolic?), how you would explain its importance in the context
of U.S. history to your visitor, and how it relates to your theme. Include a map and an explanation of why you chose
a specific route to take for your road trip (chronological? ease of travel?).
Instructions for Topic Proposal letter:
For this assignment, you need to identify which of the final research topics from the list provided in the final research project module (the prompts attachment) you are choosing and how you think you are going to approach it. The goal with this is to make sure you are thinking about your topic early enough to really get going on your research. For this topic proposal, you need to do more than just restate which prompt you will be exploring; you need to be specific on how you are approaching it. For example, if you choose the prompt on the historical road trip, you need to identify your theme you are exploring in the trip, and at least a few of the locations/destinations. You cannot just say you are going to research the road trip option. I can provide you book or article suggestions once I know your topic area.
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