Honors Modern World History Research Paper

 

The Task:                  Each of you will produce an original research paper on a topic of your choice from world history. The list of possible research questions/topic suggestions below is meant to both give you ideas and to help you to understand what I am looking for with respect to a potential topic’s relevance.

 

The Process:              You will need to have a topic approved by Mr. Ames by the beginning of class on Friday, September 19. Once you have selected a topic, you will need to complete research in order to write intelligently about your topic. You will need to form a research question that is answerable in a solid thesis statement. You should support your thesis with both your ideas and documented support, and you should also include concessions to another viewpoint. Your final product should be a well-written, thoroughly documented research paper that describes the topic and your theories about its impact on the world today or policy implications for the international community.

 

You will have at least one night each week, between now and the project due date, that will be “homework free,” which you are expected to use to work on this project.

 

Paper Specifics:         This is a major piece of research work, and counts heavily toward your third quarter and course grades. Therefore, you should put some serious effort into all phases of the project.

 

Page Length:          6 - 8 pages, exclusive of Works Cited, cover page, and any illustrations.

 

Acceptable Page Format:

10 or 12 point font, Times New Roman. 1" margins top and bottom and both sides. The paper should be double-spaced, printed in black ink, spell checked, proofed, and THOROUGHLY documented in accordance with MLA guidelines, and YES, YOU DO NEED A WORKS-CITED page. The paper should have all MLA required page headers and number - in the proper format.

Sources:                     Minimums - 4 primary sources and three secondary sources

All of you may use one encyclopedia (NOT Wikipedia) as a reference source only.  It will not count toward either primary or secondary source totals.

 

Applicable Due Dates:

          Topic Selection/Research Question and Approval:          Friday, September 19

            Annotated Bibliography Due:                                                 Friday, October 10

            Thesis Paragraph Due:                                                            Monday, October 13

            Outline of the Paper Due:                                                      Monday, October 27

            Final Paper Draft:                                                                   Monday, November 24

 

 

 

Potential Topics/Research Questions:

J                  What advantages are gained by a country “pegging” its currency to the US dollar? What are the implications for that country? For the US? (China, Argentina and others)

J                  The AIDS epidemic in Africa

J                  What happened to Somalia? How can the world solve Somalia’s problems? What is its future?

J                  Is there a viable Middle East peace plan? What has been tried, and what hasn’t?

J                  Is there another country (or other countries) that should play a major role in shaping the future of the Middle East?

J                  What happens when the oil runs out? What are other countries doing about finding alternative energy sources?

J                  Genocides in the 20th century, and their implications for countries today - especially the Holocaust, Cambodia, Rwanda, and Bosnia.

J                  What should the world do about atrocities or injustices being done in another country? If it is to react, what should be done and who should do it?

J                  The whole issue of reparations - for the Holocaust, for slavery, for the environment, etc.

J                  Extreme poverty in some countries - is it inevitable? What can and/or should be done about it in Haiti, Bangladesh, Tanzania, etc.

J                  The Kyoto Environmental treaty - is it a good one that the US should sign, or should it be revised in accordance with American and Russian demands?

J                  Can the European Union work, given the vast differences and history between some of its member nations?

J                  Is NATO obsolete?

J                  Is the CAFTA free trade agreement currently being proposed between the US and Latin America a good idea? Compare the proposal to other agreements such as the EU and NAFTA.

J                  Is the UN relevant to the modern world?

J                  Are the member nations of the UN following the vision presented by the founders in 1945, or could they be doing more to promote world peace?

J                  The impact of large influxes of money into poorer nations of Africa as oil is discovered and drilled. (Chad, Nigeria and others)

J                  What is the impact to the global economy of the US’ huge trade and government deficits?

J                  The impact of the media on issues in various countries?

J                  Alternative education - does another country have a better system than we do?

J                  Which is more responsive to the needs of the people, American style republican democracy or European Parliamentary government?

 

 

Guide Questions: These are fairly generic, and your research should suggest other, more topic specific questions.

J                  What is your specific research question?

J                  What is your answer - your thesis?

J                  What are the specific issues at stake? (This can be answered in a summary of your topic.)

J                  Why is this a relevant topic for the world, or at least the major players in the topic?

J                  Who are the major players and why do they (or should they) care about your topic? Who benefits from the status quo? Who might benefit if the system/process were to change?

J                  Whom does the issue affect? What do they feel about it?

J                  What is the impact to any solution that you prescribe? Think in terms of culture, money, and practicality.

J                  What might be a good solution - based on your research?