Hist 112, Pennock, F 09 Paper
Choice #2
Civil Rights
Movement Paper Assignment
25% of grade, Due Nov 30
(Note: you may only
turn in this paper for credit if you need not turn in a paper on Arc of
Justice)
Choose
ONE of the following topics on which to write a well-organized,
well-written argument paper of 5 to 8 pages in length. The typed paper
should be double-spaced with one-inch margins, 12-point font, and no extra
spaces between paragraphs. No outside research is required for the paper,
although I recommend using other materials assigned for the course to help make
sense of Coming of Age in Mississippi.
All
students are required to submit their papers electronically to an online
plagiarism detection program called Turn It In by Dec. 1. Each student has to
set up an account at the Turn It In website.(Instructions
for doing so are included at the very end of this page.)
Unless
you have a terrible emergency that you inform me of right away, a paper will be
deducted one letter grade (10 points) for every day it is late, including
weekend days.
At the end of the book, Anne Moody expresses
deep ambivalence about the future of the civil rights movement. Why? (what accounts for her ambivalence?) Do you think that her
frustration and uncertainty misrepresents or accurately represents the civil
rights movement during the 1960s? In other words, is her memoir a fair and
reliable primary source for understanding the movement, or is it too skewed?
(In this paper, you need to address all parts of the question. You must
consider the overall civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s and consider
how Moody’s account matches up with it.
Remember, her account is a primary document that shares one perspective.
What shapes her perspective? Analyze the
book like you would any other primary document.)
OR
Discuss
the following statement in light of your historical understanding of the Civil
Rights Movement. (Do you agree or disagree
with the statement, and why?)
Between 1945 and 1965, the anger and activism of individuals
like Anne Moody and the organizational efforts of such groups as NAACP, SCLC,
CORE, and SNCC were less important to the success of the Civil Rights
Movement than were actions taken by the federal government.
(Think about “top down” versus “bottom up” change in
American society. What are the pros,
cons, and results of each?) I want to see you integrating Moody’s book with
other information and materials from the course in order to make your argument.
You are to make an informed
argument about the topic you choose based on evidence. The key to a good paper is a strong thesis, or argument. You should state your thesis clearly and concisely
in your introduction, and then develop the argument in the body of your paper.
(A thesis can be more than one sentence long.) Make sure that the information
and interpretations in the body of your paper relate to your thesis. The thesis should address all parts of the
question. Lay out all your
arguments in the beginning and develop them in the body of the paper. Don’t surprise your reader with a new
argument halfway through the paper.
A good essay requires a
judicious balance between evidence
(facts) and analysis
(explanation). A paper that contains a
lot of facts from class materials but lacks a clear thesis is not a good
essay. You must consider how the information you include fits
into the larger picture -- why is a particular fact significant? On the other hand, an essay that has a clear
thesis but lacks sufficient details is not much better. You must support your generalizations with
specific examples/facts.
One of the keys to writing
with both evidence and analysis is good “paragraphing.” This means that you should think carefully
about how you structure your paragraphs, and I recommend beginning and ending
each paragraph with an analytical statement that relates the topic/evidence in
that paragraph to larger themes/arguments in your paper.
Important: This paper should
not consist of a summary of the book(s). Refer to the story, but do not spend
much time “re-telling” it. Your focus
should be on analyzing the book in order to support your argument/thesis. Your tone should be scholarly – not too
informal or personal.
Use of sources:
Citations:
When using specific factual
information from The American Journey, Coming of Age in Mississippi, and/or
on-line documents, you should put the abbreviated title and page number in
parentheses immediately following the sentence or sentences. You need a citation even if it is not a
direct quote.
For example: Anne Moody questioned
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s leadership of the movement
(Coming of Age, 350-3). Note that the
period comes AFTER the end parenthesis.
I will repeat that bit of
information again because students normally don’t get it: You need a
citation even if it is not a direct quote.
** For the purpose of this
class, you do not need to include a citation for information derived from my
lectures or from class discussion.
Quotations:
Use
quotations selectively and only when they provide relevant evidence. This paper should be about your ideas and
arguments. In other words, do not use
too many quotations and always make sure you analyze them and make it clear to
your reader why you’re featuring a particular quote. When you use quotations, do not isolate them.
Instead, introduce them and integrate them into your sentences. A quotation should never stand alone.
Wrong: Upton Sinclair portrayed Abner
Shutt as naïve.
“It passed Abner’s comprehension how any man
or woman could fail to be grateful for such divine compassion on the part of
Mr. Ford” (Flivver King, 30).
Right: Upton Sinclair portrayed Abner
Shutt as naïve.
To show how Shutt worshiped Ford and believed
he was a benevolent “god,” Sinclair wrote: “It passed Abner’s
comprehension how any man or woman could fail to be grateful for such divine
compassion on the part of Mr. Ford” (Flivver King, 30).
You
must use quotation marks around words that are not your own (this includes
texts found on websites)! You must provide citations with page numbers for both
ideas and words that are not your own. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism, a
very serious offense that will earn you an F.
[Note: if you want to use
footnote style citations instead of the parenthetical (or MLA) citations
described above, that is perfectly acceptable. We call this Chicago Style citation,
and it is the style that historians prefer. Here’s a website
that shows how. (Your word processing program should have an option in the
“insert” menu that will allow you to create foot or endnotes.)]
Bibliography:
Formal bibliographies are not necessary.
However, if you use out-of-class materials, including websites, you must include a bibliography. (Note: use of out-of-class materials is not
necessary for the purposes of this paper and will not elevate your grade.)
Writing Style
This is a college-level paper
and I have high expectations for college-level writing. Presentation of ideas is very important for
effective communication. Your writing
should be formal, but not awkward or overly verbose (wordy). Strive for
efficiency and clarity.
PROOFREAD YOUR PAPER! I also highly recommend that you have someone who you
respect and trust for his/her critical opinion read over your paper. A second pair of eyes can be very helpful.
Word processing spellcheckers will help, but they will not catch mistakes such
as “they’re – their – there” or “would of” (instead of “would have”) or “lead –
led” or “your – you’re.” Also, sometimes
your spellchecker will suggest a word that is not even close to what you want,
and you click “replace” without thinking twice.
This often is humorous for me, but it reflects carelessness on your
part.
The
University runs a
I
am also happy to consult with you as you are writing your paper.
Other quick writing tips:
*Structure each
paragraph around one main idea. Think carefully about clear organization and
logical structure of your ideas.
- Book titles (and film titles) are underlined
or italicized. Use quotation marks around article, chapter, speech, and most
short document titles.
- A book of nonfiction – an autobiography --
is not a novel. A novel is a book of fiction. (In other words, Coming of Age
is not a novel.)
- Maintain a consistent verb tense - I
recommend past tense. A common
error that students make in papers is to switch back and forth between present
and past tense.
- Make sure your pronouns match their
antecedents (e.g. singular or plural.)
- Write in complete sentences. Do NOT use
fragments, and do not write run-on sentences.
- You may use first tense (“I”) sparingly, but
do not use second tense (“you.”)
Avoid wordiness and
redundancy. Write as clearly and
efficiently as possible.
Punctuate correctly – use a
writing style guide if you have doubts.
Grading
System
I use the following criteria when grading your papers:
F: No introduction,
no thesis. Failure to
respond to the specific assignment. Superficial
content with no indication of sources.
Plagiarism. Poor structure.
Significant grammatical and typing errors. Failure to understand
material.
D: Weak, vague, or irrelevant thesis. Significant conceptual or
factual errors. Argument is undeveloped, and paper contains poor
organization. Ignores relevant evidence. Uses many generalizations without evidential support. Inaccurate citations.
Significant grammatical and typing errors.
C: Weak thesis. Some confusion of facts or interpretation. Argument is insufficiently developed, and the
organization contains weaknesses. Many grammatical and typing errors. Ineffectual
writing using unclear or awkward sentences, wordiness, and passive voice.
B: Strong introduction
containing a clear thesis. Good
understanding of material. Well-developed argument with some
originality. Coherent organization with each paragraph developed around
one main idea. Evidence is accurately
cited. Occasional stylistic or grammatical problems. Good conclusion.
A: Strong introduction with clear, original thesis. Mastery of material and
sophisticated analysis. Evidence of independent and extended thought. Persuasive reasoning and
well-chosen examples that are linked clearly to thesis. Coherent organization,
well-developed paragraphs, fluid structure, clear transitions. Engaging, sophisticated writing style. Evidence is accurately cited. No grammatical
or typing errors. Good conclusion.
How to submit your paper
to TurnItIn.com:
(you must submit your
paper by Dec 1. I will not grade your paper until it is submitted to this
website!)
Go to www.turnitin.com. At the top right of the page, click “New
User.”
(Actually, before you start
the log-in process, you may want to watch the Training Video, which is short
and helpful.)
Enter the Class I.D.: 2920121
Enter the class password: history
Follow the instructions to
create a user profile (kind of a pain)
After
logging in, click on the class name (HIST 112).
See assignment labeled “Coming
of Age Paper.” Click the little submit button.
Upload the file that contains
your paper. (click browse, find your file, double
click it)
After submitting your paper
you will get a receipt # (it will also be emailed to
you.)
I will be able to see who in
the class has submitted their papers and when, and then I tell the program to
run a test on all the papers.