Parameters: Write a 1-2 page paper on one of the following questions. Use your lecture notes, textbook, and academic secondary sources to help you write and back up your arguments. For the secondary sources, they MUST be academic books and/or scholarly articles (use JSTOR and Ebscohost to find the articles); do NOT use random websites (this includes History.com, Wikipedia, and PBS) or book reviews and encyclopedias.
Formatting: Please write in Times New Roman Font (black), Size 12, double spaced paragraphs with normal margins (and staple if necessary). Do not use excessive spacing. Also, cite all outside information properly- use either Chicago Manual of Style footnoting or MLA in-text citations.
Question 1:
How did Gandhi's independence movement succeed against the British in the 1920s and 1930s?
Question 2:
Why did Japan commit atrocities against the Chinese in Nanjing in 1938?
Objective: Choose a primary source from a pre-set list on Isidore, and write a paper explaining the context of the source, utilizing 2-3 secondary sources. This is not a book report- it is a paper that analyzes your topic in order to explain both its importance and historical context. You will write a 1,500 word paper (5 pages or longer) for this assignment, including footnotes and a bibliography.
This is to showcase how well you can critically understand history, read texts, and analyze sources to determine what is important about its historical context. It is important for you to conduct research in order to find proper sources and utilize them effectively. You are also looking to write a narrative, and build up a thesis statement and defend it in your paper.
The ability to make a cohesive argument is important for writing history. It is not enough to merely write, for instance, that Gandhi is important because we know that he is; you must show how he came to lead the Indian Independence movements with his non-violent protests, and how successful it was in creating India.