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Civil War Research
Paper
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For your research paper you should choose a topic that interests you. It needs to address an historical issue or theme that falls in the period 1830-1880. As a research paper it should follow all the general rules of academic writing: clear argument or thesis statement; specific historical material properly cited; strong transitions from point to point; a tight analytical framework that unites the different material to support your argument; and proper grammar and clarity of prose. Your assignment is to write an eight-to-ten page paper. As with any academic work it is expected that it will be original—all your own words—unless you have properly cited the material using the MLA format. You should use five different sources, at least one of which has to be an article from a peer-reviewed journal. In choosing your other sources you will be giving the reader a sense of the critical thinking you brought to bear on the assignment. Look closely at your sources and choose wisely. To help you in that regard, the library has put together a Civil War research guide. |
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Module three: submission of proposed topic and possible line(s) of argument. |
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Module Four: submission of refined thesis and working bibliography. |
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Module Five: submission of rough draft early in module if so desired. |
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Last day of class: email paper to instructor |