The purpose of this assignment is to identify and employ the components of historical research and analysis by completing an original research paper. You will have to choose a topic in American history between 1865 and 2019 that addresses a social justice theme (see handout and course resources for more information on the concept of social justice). Learning Outcomes: By the end of this assignments, students will be able to: 1. Identify and employ the components of historical research and analysis and produce a clearly organized, thoroughly developed writing assignment which expresses defensible conclusions based on historical analysis. 2. Identify the way historians frame questions in order to study the past. 3. Identify the arguments of historical interpretations. 4. Recognize patterns of continuity and change over the course of time. 5. Construct a clear, concise thesis statement in response to a problem or questions about Modern American History. 6. Evaluate and interpret primary and secondary evidence in multiple forms (textual, visual, statistical, archeological/material culture) from a course text, an online research database, and/or an online course resource lab to support a thesis statement. 7. employ proper citation of both primary and secondary sources using reference guides provided in class or found online. 8. Compose written conclusions drawn from historical research.
