Research Paper Assignment
The research question is How Chinese laborers and businesses related to Chinese Exclusion Act?
The paper should be divided into three parts:
Part A: The Search Story
Part A establishes your research question and explains why you wanted to know more about this particular topic. This part provides the reader with a clear sense of what you knew about the topic going into the research, what you expected to find, and how your research process led you to a new understanding of the topic.
i. Hook the reader's attention: in the first one-two sentences, use an attention-grabbing opener to explain why it was important for you to find out more about this particular topic.
ii. Explain what you already knew about the topic: Briefly describe what you knew about the topic before starting your research.
iii. Explain what you wanted to find out about the topic: What specifically did you want to find out more about? You can start with a broad sentence which explains why the topic is important to you and what motivated your search. Then, be specific about the research question. What did you end up searching for?
iv. Explain how the sources you found either answered the question you asked, or led you in a new direction: You don't have to go into detail about the sources yet, that will come in Part 2. This part should end with a statement about how the sources you found helped you to answer the question.
Part B: The Search Results
Part B should be the most substantial part of the paper. Here, you are reconstructing your research process and discussing the results you found. It is important for me to understand not only what results you found, but how you found them. How did the research process affect your question? Did the sources you found reveal a new angle on the topic which you ultimately found more significant than your original question? How did you interact with the sources you found?
Note: You are required to find two primary sources which help to answer your research question. Primary sources = documents, images, objects, books, etc. written or created in the time period under study.
i. Establish where you started your research. Be honest. Did you start with a Google search using key terms from your research question? That's okay! What kinds of sources did you find first? If you clicked on an article from Wikipedia, Britannica, History.com, or another encyclopedia-type website, why? What kinds of information did you find and where did it lead you next?
ii. Establish, step-by-step, how you found the two primary sources which helped you to answer the research question. Which websites did you consult? How many sources did you read? How did the sources you found change or shape the research question? In these paragraph(s), I really want to know what your thought process was while conducting the research. Did you find too many sources? Did you not find enough? How did you change your search terms or research question to uncover a relevant source?
iii. Present an overview of the two primary sources you found. In one paragraph per source, describe the source and analyze how it helps to answer the research question you posed. In these paragraphs, utilize the skills you've developed from the first two primary source projects to analyze the source.
Part C: Reflecting on Your Research Question
In Part C, reflect on the search process in general. How did it change your understanding of the research question or topic? How did change your understandings about history and/or historical documents? End the paper with a clear and bold argument based on your findings. Essentially, use the primary sources to answer your research question.
i. Reflect on the search process: What did you learn about your topic from the search process? What did you learn about historical research? How did the research process change your understanding of the topic? How did the research process change the research question?
ii. Answer your research question: How do the primary sources you found answer your research question? Is this the same question you started with? Why/why not? The essay should end with a clearly and boldly articulated historical argument based on what you found in your research.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
(1) The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
(2) The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
(3) Also include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.