Instructions:
Your research paper will be an original project relating to one of the various subjects in European history from the Renaissance up to the year 1995. The task is to provide a well- researched interpretation of history in which you use at least two primary sources and at least two secondary sources. Primary sources are documents- diaries, journals, letters, newspaper and magazine articles, treaties, birth certificates, etc… -written by a person during the era you are researching. These can be published in books, on the Internet, or can be information which you obtain yourself by interviewing relatives, family friends, or using letters and other documents from your family history. You also must use secondary sources in order to demonstrate how the primary sources you have gathered relate to the topic you are researching. Secondary sources are books or articles in scholarly journals that comment on and interpret primary sources. Bibliographies listed in secondary sources can help you search for primary sources. Encyclopedias cannot be used as a secondary source.

Your interpretation of the topic you are researching should be clearly identified in the thesis statement. That statement should appear in your introductory paragraph. The goal is to prove that thesis is a reasonable interpretation of the past. You will accomplish this by using evidence from primary and secondary sources and organizing that evidence in an easy-to-read format.

The library has excellent services available to assist you during this process. We will have one research paper workshop there or in the classroom.

Chosen/Required Topic:
The 1900s
• • The Russian Revolution
• • Hitler and the Nazi Party
• • Any World War II battle
• • Any aspect of the Cold War
• • The Yugoslavian Civil War 1991 to 1995
Source Location:
The best place to locate sources for this paper is the library. One of the textbooks can be used as a primary source: Sources of The Making of the West has primary sources. (You may consult The Making of the West, but cannot cite it as a secondary source). Some other useful resources are:
• • A Pocket Guide to Writing in History
• • Recommended reading at the end of each chapter in your textbook
• • The Internet (especially through the Cañada College, C.S.M, or Skyline College websites)

The essay must be six pages in length, double-spaced, with a 12 point font, and stapled(!). You may also want to put your name and page number on each page as a header or footer to ensure that your paper will be easy to re-assemble if the staple come lose as sometimes happen. (I recommend you keep paper copies and save your work on your computer frequently: It is your responsibility).

Writing methodology:
Again, you must gather evidence and details to prove your argument when writing this paper. You need:
1) An introduction- The opening paragraph which contains the thesis.
2) A body- The paragraphs where you quote the primary and secondary sources to support your thesis. Please define any complex or technical terms that you have
learned while conducting your research, but that the reader might not understand. If you use the phrase “long tom” for example, explain that a “long tom” was a device to sift gold out of mud. Assume the reader knows nothing about your topic.
3) A conclusion- The last paragraph of the essay where you restate your thesis and summarize the argument.
4) A list of endnotes or footnotes- All the sources you quoted must be in endnote or footnote format.
5) Bibliography- All the sources you used. You can also type, under a separate category after your bibliography, a list called Works Consulted but not used; these may be sources you intended to use but ultimately did not if your research needs changed.
• • Please avoid jargon. Don’t write “Kaiser Wilhelm gave the green light for Austria to start World War I.” when you could write “Kaiser Wilhelm gave permission to Austria for start World War I.”” Also avoid “I,” “me,” “you” (the first person).
• • Finally, you are welcome to include photos or other visual material as part of this paper, but they cannot substitute for text: You cannot submit four pages of text and two pages of images.

Requirements which will be graded and count towards your essay:

Be sure the final draft contains footnotes/endnotes and a bibliography. I will also grade your essay on:
• • A clear thesis
• • Evidence to prove that thesis
• • Organizational writing style
• • Accuracy
• • Use of primary and secondary sources
• • Grammar and spelling
Remember, if you have plagiarized any part of your paper you will receive zero points for this assignment.