Students will prepare their paper for Ms. Lamarre’s history course in accordance with these instructions. As a general rule, students should use the MLA (Modern Language Association) style. You are required to use the GMC Electronic Library to access books and articles in scholarly journals to research a specific issue in history and present an ethical argument (which may be either positive or negative). Do not Google search!
The paper should begin with a thesis statement. The thesis of the paper must address an ethical issue regarding a person or historical issue that occurred during the period/era covered in this class. The student many chose to support either side of the ethical issue based on his/her research for the paper. The paper must address who, what, where, when, and why to justify the student’s ethical position. The body of the report should be between three and five pages, double-spaced, and typed with one-inch margins. There should be a Works Cited page listing the sources researched and cited in the paper.
Students will use the following guidelines in preparing their reports. 1. On the first page of the paper list your name, your instructor’s name, the course and date in the upper left hand corner. The report’s title should be centered; do not underline or put it in quotation marks; write it in Title Case, not in all capital letters. A title page is not necessary, so begin typing the body of the report under the title. 2. The report should be paginated: use a header that includes your last name, a single space and page number using Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.). This header should be flush right, one half inch from top, and numbered consecutively. 3. Prepare your paper on a computer and print it in black ink on standard white 8.5 X 11-inch paper. 4. Double-space the entire paper and use 12 point font size and Times New Roman font style. 5. Do not put an extra return at the end of a paragraph. 6. Use parenthetical references (citations) in the text of your report for direct quotes, paraphrasing, and generally to indicate where you got your information. *If you do not cite your sources you are committing plagiarism!! 7. List all references shown in the text on the Works Cited page.
The topic for your paper must be an ethical issue concerning history during the era/period covered in the course and must be specific. “The Civil War” or “Slavery” is too general for a five-page report. A list of possible topics will be posted in MOODLE. Select from that list. You may report on one of the many innovative ideas or issues of social advancement in history. As an alternative, you may prepare your report on one of the ethical lapses in history. The text of your report must be a clear and concise narrative summary of the relevant information, to include the following: Who – provide the names of the principal people involved. What – explain the event or describe its characteristics. When – give the significant date, year or time period. Where – include the geographic location(s), i.e., a city, state or region. Why – what prompted the action/why did the person commit the act?
Your report will be graded on several criteria. First, does it contain the required information, i.e., who, what, when, where and why? Second, you will earn up to ten points for historical accuracy. Third, are parenthetical references used to give credit to your sources of information when they are quoted, summarized or paraphrased? You will earn up to twenty points for proper use of parenthetical references. Fourth, did you use scholarly sources? You will earn five point for each scholarly source used, with a maximum of fifteen points in this category. Fifth, was the Format Guide followed? You will earn up to ten points for using the correct format in your paper. Sixth, did you include an ethical question, take a position, and back it? You will earn up to fifteen points for addressing an ethical issue and stating your opinion.
Finally, remember to introduce your thesis in the first paragraph. In the next three to five paragraphs you must report information on what happened (i.e., describe the issue), who was involved (i.e., names of the people), when it occurred (i.e., date or time period), and where it occurred (i.e., geographic locations). Explain why the event or person was important and what effect it had on history. The information reported should be the basis for your thesis. In other words, your thesis is not just your personal opinion; it is your opinion based on the information you discovered in your research and are reporting in your paper. Your concluding paragraph should clearly state your opinion on the ethical issue addressed in your report and explain why the issue in question is ethical or unethical.
The report should be organized in such a manner that it makes sense on the first reading. Inform your reader – Always write as though you are giving these facts to the reader for the first time. Keep it chronological – Write your history essay in the order in which the events actually occurred. This will keep it organized and cohesively written. Write in the past tense – The topic you’re writing is historical, so make sure your essay is written in the past tense. Read through your rough draft to make sure your verbs and language are in the past tense to convey the proper historical accuracy. Address historical figures appropriately – When you write your history essay, use the whole name of an historical figure the first time you mention him or her; after that use the last name. Ms. Lamarre is available during office hours and the English instructors are available at the writing center to assist/review your papers. I encourage you to take advantage of these resources.
Students must do their own work, give credit to their sources of information, and not plagiarize. You will submit your paper through Turnitin where it will be checked for plagiarism
