Overview
The First World War cannot be studied without discussing the battles and combat. Adopting an exercise used by the Canadian War Museum, the aim of this assignment is for you to learn about the major conflicts that Canadians took part in, to better understand how the nature of warfare was changing. In doing so, you will also learn how to hone your research skills, write in a thorough yet concise manner, and incorporate both primary and secondary sources into your writing.
You will complete the following research tasks:
Pick four battles that Canadians fought in during the war. A simple internet search can help you with this task.
For each battle, discuss the key details, especially the parties involved and the outcome, and Canada’s role. Remember to include the five “Ws”: Who, What, Where, When, and Why. Include as much relevant information as you can. This information will largely be found in secondary sources.
What is each battle’s significance to the war and significance to Canada? Why did you choose each battle?
Include with your information some primary source material about the chosen battles (AT LEAST one primary source per battle). This could include pictures, interviews with veterans, diary entries or letters, film, memorials, maps, etc. Include a short paragraph discussing what each primary source is and why you chose it to document that battle.
For more information about the difference between primary vs. secondary sources, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpP9B29Ny4M
At the end of your assignment, include a bibliography of all sources used. Please format the bibliography according to
Cite Your Sources: Chicago Notes & Bibliography
Organizing Your Research Paper
Please organize your paper in the following fashion:
Discuss each battle separately. For each one, complete the following
Identify the battle and why you have chosen it.
Discuss the key details (as outlined in the instructions above).
Discuss the battle’s significance to the war and significance to Canada (as outlined in the instructions above).
Identify and discuss the primary source(s) you have chosen (as outlined in the instructions above). Include copies of the primary sources you are citing; if possible, include images or specific pages as clipart; when a source in its entirety cannot be included in your paper, please provide a working URL for the source.
Provide a full bibliography ( formatted according to the Chicago Manual of Style) that contains citation information for all primary and secondary sources consulted/cited to ensure that you are not plagiarizing information.
For this assessment, you may consider using the following sources for research:
Canadian War Museum’s online exhibit, “Canada and the First World War”
The Canadian Encyclopedia
The Memory Project
Veterans Affairs Canada
Library and Archives Canada
Canadian Letters & Images Project
Newfoundland & Labrador in the First World War
Indigenous Soldiers – Foreign Battlefields
Your assignment should follow these specifications:
Format: Use Chicago Manual of Style for both formatting and referencing. Visit Cite Your Sources: Chicago Notes & Bibliography from the University of Guelph Library’s Learning Commons to learn how to format your paper and reference your sources using the latest edition of the Chicago Manual of Style.
Style and organization: This is an academic paper and should be written using academic language; first person may be used moderately, if necessary. Headings may be used to divide and organize the various sections of your paper.
Length: Aim for 6-8 pages of writing (or, 1500 to 2000 words).
Font: Choose any style that is easy to read, 12-point font and double line spacing.
Pagination: Remember to number your pages.
Margins: The left and right margins should be set to 1”.
References: Footnotes or endnotes should appear throughout your paper. A separate Bibliography page containing citations for the sources you have referenced is required. Ensure that you are not plagiarizing information. If submitted without footnotes or endnotes, your assignment will automatically receive a grade of 0.
If you have any questions or concerns about researching and writing this assignment, please post in the Ask Your Instructor forum in the Discussions tool or email the Instructor or Teaching Assistants.
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