slavery and it’s impact on contemporary society
*No matter what topic you choose to write on, it must be focused on research and analysis of items that fall with our course subject – The Humanities.
What is a Thesis Statment? It isa statement outlining your theory that is put forward as a premise to be proven throughout the body of your paper.What it is NOT: a question. an exploration. a collection of random facts.
This is an important distinction because this assignment is a college research paper, not a ‘report’. As such, you will be making an argument/proving a point about your chosen topic through citing the research of professionals in an appropriate field (not the place for personal opinion)…thus you must document your research scrupulously—both in text and in a reference page as specified by the APA style sheet.
***NOTE – It is perfectly understandable if you do not know all about your topic when you write your initial thesis for the Proposal assignment. If you need to, do a little preliminary research just to get the lay of the land. Use what you DO know to craft the statement you -think- your research will reveal. Then as you get into your research for real, you can adjust your thesis to fit what you find.
Scrupulous documentation plus high originality, analysis, insight, and fresh applications of ideas are highly prized. Mere reporting, describing, and finding others’ ideas are discouraged, and copying and pasting is j
Proposal Guidelines (WK2 Assignment):
*Please use the form I have placed in Doc Sharing to complete this assignment with.In this Proposal, you will set the goals for your paper. You will explain to me what you are setting out to do. The Humanities is a HUGE subject area, so there should be a topic for everyone. This is not a ‘report’, but a paper in which you must make a point, and back up your argument with research.
Your proposal should address the following and should require about one page of writing:
• (A) the topic you want to write about,
• (B) why it is important enough to write about, and
• (C) the perspective you will be looking at the topic from.
• (D) Your proposal must include a ‘working’ thesis statement IN BOLD…that is, a clear, one sentence statement of what you will prove in your paper. (this is a ‘working thesis’, so don’t worry, it may change a bit as you gather your research materials)
• (E) what information, specifically, you will set out to find in your research materials to prove your thesis (this can change & expand later based on your findings…but you need a starting point).
(I am not requiring sources at this stage of the assignment, however if you do consult any sources, you should include the bibliographic reference in your proposal.)
Read this for: Week 2 & all writing assignments
This part is due 5/13/17 by Sunday 6pm eastern (this is the template needed)
Week 2 Assignment: Template for Research Proposal
• (A) Overall Topic: ______________________________________
• (B) Why do you think this topic important enough to write about?
• (C) What is the perspective you will be looking at the topic from?
• (D) What is your Thesis? (This is, a clear, one sentence statement of what you will prove about the topic in your paper. It is a ‘roadmap’ for your whole project. At this point it is a ‘working thesis’ which means that it can change a bit as you uncover your research materials and gain more information
• (E) What sort of information, specifically, you will set out to find in your research materials that you think can prove your thesis – examples: first person accounts/diaries, explanation in psychology journals, actual works of art/literature, historical documents, government statistics, etc. In a nutshel, what kind of information do you think will help you prove your point? (this can change & expand later based on your findings…but you need a starting point to begin). Contrary to what the course shell says, I am not requiring actual sources at this stage of the assignment, however if you do consult any sources, you should include the bibliographic reference in your proposal.
Read this for: Week 3/4
Annotated Bibliography Guidelines (WK 3&4 assignments)
*Please use the form I have placed in Doc Sharing to complete this assignment with.
Good annotations make for excellent papers. This assignment can be broken into two parts: due at the end of Week 3(5/20/17) 6pm easternwill be two annotated sources (worth 75 points), and due at the end of Week 4(5/27/17) will be an additional three annotated sources (worth 150 points). These will fulfill the required five sources total for your paper. If you choose, you may submit all 5 sources in week 4 rather than dividing them into two submissions. Obviously, should you choose this option, you will not see a grade in the week 3 gradebook until the week 4 assignment is graded.
The quality of the sources you choose to prove your Thesis with is important, and sourcesmust be of a scholarly nature. Do not rely on general internet searches such as google. A scholarly resource is written by a professional in the field or an academician with a Ph.D. or other terminal degree. The material is published in a book, scholarly journal, or other professional context. A key factor in recognizing these scholarly sources is that they (like you) cite their sources in a responsible academic manner.
Sources that are not acceptableinclude but are not limited to:
• ‘anything’ for Dummies (you are not Dummies.)
• Wikipedia
• Sparknotes
• Digital History
• papers written by other students (even if published online)
• About.com
• Magazines and E-magazines
• Blogs
• history.com
• travel websites
• allabouthistory.org
• educational guides for grade school or high school
• any site that re-posts generic or undocumented information with no academic credentials/authority
• websites that are part of another college course
• newspaper articles
• Khan Academy
• Biography.com
• ushistory.org
*Avoid general search engines like google – they rarely turn up scholarly sources. If you do come across information in an unacceptable, non-academic site that you think is useful, I would encourage you to research the sources that they cite (follow the trail) to see if the original sources of the information might be academically reliable and good to use in your paper… then use those! If no sources are sited – move on.
Please use the form I have provided for you in Doc Sharing entitled ‘Form for Week 3-4 assignment – Annotated Bibliography’ to complete this assignment.
Form – Annotated Bibliography (Week 3 Due 5/20/17 6pm Eastern)
Working Thesis:
This is what you believe your thesis statement is at this point in your research (may be adjusted as your research/writing unfolds.)
•
Annotation 1
Bibliographic Citation:
Use APA style (be sure to include URL if an internet source)
•
Author’s Name & Credentials:
what are his/her credentials (academic degree) – why is this person a credible authority on the subject?
•
Summary:
in your own words, summarize the information you will be using from the source
•
Analysis:
evaluate the merits of the source as it relates to your argument, in other words, how will it support your thesis statement?
•
Critique:
do you agree/disagree and why?
•
Quote:
what is one quote from this source that can be used in your paper?
•
Annotation 2
Bibliographic Citation:
•
Author’s Name:
•
Author’s Credentials:
•
Summary:
•
Analysis:
•
Critique:
•
Quote:
•
Working Thesis:
This is what you believe your thesis statement is at this point in your research (may be adjusted as your research/writing unfolds.)
•
Form – Annotated Bibliography (Week 4 Due 5/27/17 6pm Eastern)
Annotation 3
Bibliographic Citation:
Use APA style (be sure to include URL if an internet source)
•
Author’s Name & Credentials:
what are his/her credentials (academic degree) – why is this person a credible authority on the subject?
•
Summary:
in your own words, summarize the information you will be using from the source
•
Analysis:
evaluate the merits of the source as it relates to your argument, in other words, how will it support your thesis statement?
•
Critique:
do you agree/disagree and why?
•
Quote:
what is one quote from this source that can be used in your paper?
•
Annotation 4
Bibliographic Citation:
•
Author’s Name:
•
Author’s Credentials:
•
Summary:
•
Analysis:
•
Critique:
•
Quote:
•
Annotation 5
Bibliographic Citation:
•
Author’s Name:
•
Author’s Credentials:
•
Summary:
•
Analysis:
•
Critique:
•
Quote:
•
EXAMPLE of entry in an Annotated Bibliography:
(1. Working Thesis – inserted at the beginning of the assignment and in BOLD)
Although measurable skills are important, they are not exclusively important, and in fact lose value when separated from an education in the heart, the spirit, and the abstract qualities that make students fully human and excellent participants in a healthy society.
(2. Bibliographic Citation)
Jack Mezirow (2012). Transformative Learning as Discourse. International Journal of Business & Public Administration. 9(2), 109-124.
(3. Annotation)
Author’s Name:
• Jack Mezirow
Author’s Credentials:
• Jack Mezirow holds a PhD in Educational Philosophy and has extensively published scholarship in the field of Education.
Summary:
• In this article, Mezirow makes a distinction between “instrumental” and “communicative” learning. “Instrumental learning” refers to those processes which measure and gage learning, such as tests, grades, comments, quizzes, attendance records and the like. “Communicative learning,” on the other hand, refers to understanding created over time between individuals in what Mezirow calls “critical-dialectical-discourse,” (p. 92) which is a fancy way of saying, important conversation between 2 or more speakers. Another key idea Mezirow discusses is “transformative learning,” (p. 94) which changes the mind, the heart, the values and beliefs of people so that they may act better in the world.
Analysis:
• On the one hand, he is right: there are some people who cannot fully engage because their crisis is so long and deep, they are prevented. One thing is certain: if we gave as much attention to the non-instrumental forms of intelligence–like goodness, compassion, forgiveness, wonder, self-motivation, creativity, humor, love, and other non-measured forms of intelligence in our school curriculums, we’d see better people, actors in the world, and interested investigators than we currently have graduating high school.
Critique:
• I don’t think Mezirow should make the blanket assumption that everyone in unfortunate circumstances is incapable of entering the discourse meaningfully
Quote:
• Mezirow continued to refine his thinking and his model of perspective transformation, which he came to characterize as “a structural change in the way we see ourselves and our relationships” (Mezirow, 1978, p. 100).
You will complete a Bibliographic Citation (2) and Annotation (3) for each one of your references. Your Annotations should be in the neighborhood of 200-250 words – with the bibliographic citation & double spacing of the annotation, you can count on about one full page of text per source.
Writing your annotations in this assignment will give you the understanding you need to form a good argument for your paper. Summarizing the information in your own words during this step of your work is required and will help you avoid plagiarism later…and if you put the work into it, this step will make writing your final draft infinitely easier.
Read for Week 6&8
Research Paper(WK6 6/3/17 6pmEastern Assignment – Draft Due
WK8 6/17/17 6pm eastern Assignment – Final Paper Due)
All of the assignments thus far have been in preparing you to write the research paper you will submit as your main Course Project.
As you prepare to submit your course projects Drafts, here are some tips and reminders that will help you do well:
• Writing should be in 3rd person and be objective. There should be no 1st person references to yourself (‘I believe’, ‘I think’, personal stories/anecdotes, etc.), neither should it speak directly to the reader (‘when you look at this you will see’, ‘you might think’, etc.). This is a formal research paper in which a thesis is stated and then the argument is backed up by the use of scholarly writings.
• Do not use passive language (‘it is known’, ‘it has been seen’, ‘history has shown’, etc.). There must be a real and specific subject carrying out the action, and if you are stating it, you should be able to prove it.
• Do not use broad stereotypes or platitudes (‘most people think’, ‘everyone knows’, ‘throughout history’, etc.). These are based on assumption and are usually un-documentable. Be specific in your writings.
• To avoid plagiarism, in-text citations are required for all references including those paraphrased. For direct quotes, quotation marks are also required. If you need help on citation of specific types of sources in the APA format, a quick google search of ‘APA Format’ will bring up the OWL Guide which is a fantastic reference.
• If you have trouble with spelling and/or grammar, be sure to leave enough time to have someone else help proofread your work for you. Spelling and grammar are worth 25 points (20% of possible points). This is an area where I loathe deducting points, but all too often have to simply because students have not paid attention to things like noun/verb agreement and tense.
• Papers may have no more than 30% similarity rate. Should your paper come in above that number, you may edit and resubmit as many times as you need to until the due date – you can see exactly what text is word for word on the Originality tab of TurnitIn. If anyone has questions about how this works, I have put a short guide in Doc Sharing that outlines how to use it. If you have read that and are still having trouble, please contact me as soon as possible so we can arrange a call and I can help.
• Please be sure to highlight your thesis with bold text.
• Do not include a cover page.
• Do not include your annotations. This information can be used, but needs to be incorporated into your argument logically and eloquently with good transitions rather than copied and pasted in the format you have already submitted.
• Note* – the length requirement for the draft is 5-7 pages and the requirement on the final paper is 9-10 pages. This is a structure set up by the school rather than me. Personally, I think it makes more sense to write the whole thing for the draft, receive feedback on it, and then edit as necessary, rather than trying to add 50% new material -after- feedback. You are more than welcome to submit the whole thing at the draft phase and then simplymake appropriate edits for the final if you like.
REMEMBER, THE FINAL PAPER IS DUE BY MIDNIGHT ON SATURDAY OF WEEK 8.
