HISTORY Essay Assignemnt
Requirements
• 5-6 pages only
• Use Chicago Style, preferably! (details below)
• Use 5 different sources (reliable literature/articles)
Useful Information For Student Papers
In terms of organization, your paper must have three parts: the thesis, the body, and the conclusion, all of which must have a harmonious relationship. That is say that, the progression from the thesis to the conclusion should be a logical one.
Thesis
The thesis is your argument in response to the question or paper topic provided, and what you intend to cover. You must clearly state your thesis up front. For example, if you were an attorney defending a client your first statement in court is that, "My client is innocent." This then is your thesis statement. As part of your thesis, you should proceed to raise the issues you are going to cover by way of evidence to prove that your client is indeed innocent. Ordinarily, your thesis should also include the time period you are going to cover. Remember, depending on the weight of the evidence and individual bias, you can also take the position of a prosecutor, or a judge. Of course, as a judge you must weigh the evidence of both sides (defense and prosecutor) before you render your decision. You can do the same thing with contradictory historical evidence before making your conclusion.
Body
This is where you discuss your evidence. You must present your evidence in an analytical and convincing manner. Evidence from the texts is not to be used uncritically, but should be cross-examined first . Again to use the court example, ask yourself whether your evidence can stand in court. Is it convincing to the jurors? Thus, any evidence you present should be relevant and advance your argument. When you quote or paraphrase from the text, you must accurately provide your source so that the reader can easily check the information. But, your paper should not be full of citations as that takes away from its originality. The quotations you use must be part of your argument. You must employ manageable paragraphs in the presentation of your evidence, each paragraph as a unit of information and if possible, consist of a single point and the supporting evidence.
Conclusion
This is the summary of your discussion. You summarize the main points here and indicate that they support your argument that, to return to our court example, your client is innocent. In fact, this is also the verdict.
NOTE: Make an effort to articulate your ideas as clearly and as grammatically correct as possible, and in your own words. A paper or an essay is a formal work which must avoid contractions and colloquialism. You should give yourself sufficient time to proofread and edit your paper because avoidable things such as spelling mistakes will not be tolerated. Remember your paper should be double-spaced (also see your syllabus for length). For documentation see Turabian, A Manual for Writers... Otherwise, I also accept references made in parenthesis in the body of your paper, e.g., (Mazrui, pp.120).
**But I prefer the Chicago documentation style (footnotes or endnotes) and a reference page of your sources listed in an alphabetical order.
Essay Topics
Answer one of the following topics
1. Since the formation of the Pan-Africanism Movement in 1900 until the beginning of WWII, evaluate the movement's successes and shortcomings in terms of its elevation of African or black political consciousness, indictment of racial discrimination and oppression, and its creation of solidarity among Africans and peoples of African descent.
2. Among the Pan-Africanist groups of Marcus Garvey's UNIA, the West African Students Union, and Harold Moody's League of Colored Peoples, which one had the greatest impact in raising the level of African/Black consciousness and why? Note that this topic requires that first you discuss all the three groups before you indicate your choice.