History 305

Devine

Fall 2006

 

Primary Source Assignment

 

A first draft of this essay is due on Sunday, December 3rd by noon. No drafts will be accepted after that time. If you do not turn in a complete first draft (not just topic sentences or a few paragraphs, but a five-page draft), the highest grade you will be able to receive on the final assignment is an A-.  Those who submit a draft will have 4 points added to their quiz average for the semester.  Those who submit a draft will also have the benefit of feedback and a second chance to make their essay stronger. (This generally results in the final product getting a higher grade.) Your first and second drafts will be graded by the same person.

 

The second draft of the essay is due Monday, December 11th by 11:59 pm.  You may email your essay to me as an attachment, turn it in to the History Department office (Sierra Tower 610) during business hours, or hand it to me in person.

 

I prefer you email me the paper since this is the best way to ensure that your paper does not get lost.  When emailing, send a copy to yourself on the “cc” line. If you receive the email, it’s likely I did as well. I will send you a confirmation email when I receive your paper, however, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY (and not the email server’s) that I get it.

 

(“But I sent it to you – didn’t you get it?” will not be a legitimate excuse for a late paper.) 

 

How Long? 

To meet the minimum standard, you must write a 1750-word essay. This translates to about five FULL pages. Please do not extend your essay beyond seven full pages.

 

Format?

• Typed, double-spaced, 12-point font with one-inch margins all around.  Margins can be set by using the “File” menu in MS Word and choosing “Page set up.”

 

• Please number your pages (use the “Insert” menu on MS Word and choose “Page numbers…”)

 

• Give your essay a title that reflects what the paper is about. (Something more revealing than “Primary Source Assignment”) Clever titles will be duly noted.

 

How to cite?

 

If you are quoting directly from a source, cite the author and page number in parentheses within the body of the text, i.e. (Tarasov, 47). All direct quotes from sources MUST be in quotation marks and must be cited. Paraphrases of ideas drawn from sources MUST also be cited.

 

Bibliography page

 

Each paper must also have a bibliography page (not included in the page # or word count total).  On this page, you will cite each article you reference in the body of your paper.

 

Follow this format for citing:

 

Author, last name first. Article title in quotation marks. Magazine title underlined. Date (month, year).  For example:

 

Tarasov, Andrei. “The Magical Bip-Bip of the First Sputnik.” Soviet Life (October 1964).

 

If you have any questions or are in any way unsure about what you are being asked to do, be sure to speak with me or one of the teaching assistants via email or in person.

 

Choose ONE (1) of these two approaches to the assignment:

 

1)     Select one article from the Soviet magazine and one article from the American magazine.  These should be articles that lend themselves to comparison, either because they address similar issues or focus on similar subject matter.  Read each article closely, then write an essay that compares and contrasts the two articles. 

 

Use the following questions to guide your analysis:  How can the reader tell one article is written by a Soviet writer (or from a Soviet point of view) and the other by an American writer (or from an American point of view)?  Do the respective authors tend to emphasize certain points or take a certain tone?  Are either or both articles attempting to persuade the reader to adopt a particular point of view?  In what ways, if at all, have attempts to appeal to the reader influenced the content of each article (that is what is said, and what is not said)?  Do the two articles approach their subject matter in a similar fashion?  Pick at least one theme or aspect from each article that particularly strikes you or piques your interest.  Does it support or undermine what we have learned in class?  Ultimately, your essay should indicate whether or not the differences between the two articles outweigh the similarities.

 

 

2)     Skim through an entire issue of each magazine.  You do NOT need to read every word of every single article or advertisement.  Simply browse through the magazines, taking notes about their similarities and differences.  Then, write an essay that compares and contrasts the content and style of the two magazines. Use the following questions to guide your analysis: What major differences strike you?  How are the two magazines similar?  How do considerations of audience appeal influence the content of each magazine?  How is the magazine’s point of view (American or Soviet) reflected in its style and content?  What sorts of attitudes about the Soviet Union reveal themselves in the American magazine (if any)?  What sorts of attitudes about America reveal themselves in the Soviet magazine?  How do your conclusions square with what we have learned through course readings and in-class discussions?