Research Paper

The World at War

The entirety of this class will be directed toward a single research project. Each student will write a research paper predominantly based on sources read during this course, but supplemented with outside research. In the process, you will write mini-papers for units 1 and 2 that should act as a foundation for the research paper.

The research essay mixes a typical take-home essay with a research paper. Students will receive three possible questions to choose from. They will then write an essay that answers the question using texts read during class and outside research.

Where to Find Secondary Sources

Where to Find Primary Sources

Minimum Requirements

  • Length: A minimum of 2,500 words (around 10 pages), including footnotes.
  • Secondary Sources: A minimum of 8 scholarly secondary sources
    • At least 5 secondary sources from course readings.
    • At least 3 secondary sources from outside readings.
  • Primary Sources: A minimum of 7 primary sources.
    • At least 4 primary sources from course readings.
    • At least 3 primary sources from outside sources.
  • Citations: Use Chicago-style citations, either footnotes or in-text citations. See this page for information on Chicago-style citations.
    • Remember to cite all information that is not common knowledge, including ideas, arguments, and direct quotes. Even if you paraphrase, you must still cite the source.
  • Thesis: A clear, well-developed, and insightful thesis statement that addresses the prompt.
  • Structure: A clear introduction, body paragraphs that support the thesis, and a conclusion that summarizes the main points.
  • Feel free to borrow from or include parts of your unit essays, but they must be revised to fit within the the context of the final essay. Simply dropping in the two unit essays and adding space for unit 3 is unlikely to receive a good grade.
Note

You will NOT have the opportunity to rewrite this essay.

Research Essay Questions

  1. What were the intellectual and cultural developments in Europe that led to or contributed to the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany and its exclusive nationalist ideology? Track the origins of these ideas to at least the beginning of the first World War.
  2. How did the nature of warfare change during the first half of the twentieth century? What were the social, political, and economic effects of these changes on the states and societies involved in the wars?
  3. How did the relationship between states and societies change during the Great War and its aftermath? What were the long-term effects of these changes on the Second World War?

Essay Rubric

Criteria 5 pts. 4 pts. 3 pts 2 pts 1 pt
Content Essay demonstrates a mastery of the class content Essay demonstrates a good understanding of the class content Essay demonstrates a basic understanding of the content Essay demonstrates a limited understanding of the content Essay demonstrates little to no understanding of the content
Organization Essay is well organized and clearly planned out. Contains strong topic sentences that align closely with the content. Essay is mostly organized and easy to follow. Topic sentences and content mostly align Essay is somewhat organized and/or somewhat difficult to follow Essay is poorly organized and difficult to follow Essay is not organized and very difficult to follow
Writing Essay is written exceptionally well and clearly articulated. No errors in grammar or spelling. Essay is written well. It is fairly clear. Contains very few errors in grammar or spelling Essay is written with a few errors in grammar and spelling. There are times when clarity is an issue. Essay is written with several errors in grammar and spelling. Clarity of the message is an issue. Essay is written with many errors in grammar and spelling and the message is lost frequently.
Citations and Use of Evidence Essay contains proper citations and references. Each body paragraph contains at least one citation. Use of evidence is compelling toward the argument. Essay contains proper citations and references, but not all body paragraphs contain citations, or vice versa. Or the evidence is not compelling for every paragraph. Essay contains citations, but they follow an inconsistent pattern. Not all body paragraphs contain citations and/or evidence is consistently not compelling. Essay contains very few citations and references. They do not follow discernible pattern Essay does not include any citations or references.
Argument & Persuasion Essay contains a strong and substantive argument in the introduction that synthesizes class material and is persuasively substantiated. Essay contains a strong and substantive argument in the introduction that synthesized the class material, but it is not persuasively substantiated throughout the essay. Essay contains a weak argument in the introduction or the argument is primarily summary, but it is substantiated throughout the essay Essay contains a weak argument and is not substantiated throughout the essay. Essay lacks a discernible argument
Meets Requirements Essay meets all requirements of the assignment N/A N/A N/A Essay does not meet all requirements of the assignment.

Grade Correlation

Score Grade
30 pts 100%
29 pts 97%
28 pts 93%
27 pts 90%
26 pts 87%
25 pts 83%
24 pts 80%
23 pts 77%
22 pts 73%
21 pts 70%
20 pts 67%
19 pts 63%
18 pts 60%
17 pts 57%
16 pts 53%
15 pts 50%
14 pts 47%