Cold War Research Paper

We will be writing research papers over topics within the Cold War between 1955 and 1979. These papers will be written during class time. The only work you may have to do outside of class is work that you do not finish in-class (i.e. revisions), or work you cant do in-class due to absence. In this assignment you will demonstrate quality writing and evidence-based historical reasoning. Paper Requirements A cover page with your name, hour, the date, and the title of your paper Four pages in length (not including the cover page or bibliography) 1 margins 12 point Times New Roman font Double-spaced Chicago-style bibliography with at least three primary sources and six sources total o We will use an online bibliography generator on the Purdue OWL web site. o You will use footnotes in your paper to show what sources you use throughout your argument.1 Write in a formal tone: do not say pissed off, do not use texting abbreviations, do not write from the first-person perspective (meaning, do not use the words I, me, or we), and do not call the reader you. Choosing a topic You will first choose which decade you want to explore: 1955-1959, 1960-1969, or 1970-1979. This will guide you as you begin researching potential topics. After you find a topic you likeand I highly encourage you to choose a topic that you are interested in, otherwise this will be a LONG couple of weeks!then you should begin finding sources on that topic. After you have your sources, you will begin forming your argument. Your thesis statement will summarize the argument that your evidence supports (more explanation on thesis statements is below). Paper structure We will discuss this in class. Take notes on each item below as you read your sources and find evidence you can use. The structure you will use will be: 1. Introduction (including thesis) (I recommend that you write this last!) 2. Historical background 3. Main topic itself 4. Short-term impacts 5. Long-term impacts 6. Conclusion (including restatement of thesis) (I recommend that you write this after your intro!)
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Do not plagiarize on this assignment. If you use what a source says word-for-word, throw quotes on it and tell where you got the quote. If you use an idea from a source, but you dont quote it word-for-word, you still need to tell where you got the idea from. Plagiarism will result in a score of zero.

Notecards You will use notecards or notebook paper to keep track of evidence from different sources. You must use a minimum of six sources total on this assignment, and three of those must be primary sources. Your notecards must include the evidence that you want to use in your paper. What is a thesis statement? A thesis statement summarizes the argument that your paper makes. Thesis statements frequently include the word because, in order to, due to, etc., in order to relate the evidence used in the paper and the argument the author makes. Thesis statements are usually only one sentence long. Thesis statements do not: Just state facts Begin with In this paper, I will show Happen before you do research and find good-quality sources Peer editing You will edit your partners paper according to the rubric that your paper will be scored on. These will be passed out in class before you begin writing. Revisions You will revise your paper after you receive feedback from one of your peers and after you have a short conference with a teacher. Presentations You will present your papers in class after you are finished writing. All papers will be due on the first day of presentations. In your presentation, you will simply explain the argument that your paper makes and what evidence you use to support that argument. Your presentation should be 3-5 minutes. There is no need to bring outside materials (i.e. handouts, a PowerPoint, etc.) for your presentation, although if youre super-passionate about your topic and you want to bring presentation materials, then you may do so!

Progress Checklist Note that a teacher must check off each step before you move on! 1. Choose a decade (10 points): 2. Choose a topic (10 points): 3. Notecards (5 points each): 4. Thesis statement (15 points): [ P[ ] ] P[ ] P[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]

Steps 1-4 are due on Thursday, April 10. 5. Rough draft progress checkpoints on April 11, 14, and 15 (10 points): / 10 / 10 / 20

6. Rough draft due at beginning of class on April 16 (20 pointscannot be made up): 7. Peer editing process on April 16 (20 points): 8. Revisions on April 17 (10 points): / 10 / 20

9. Papers are due at the beginning of class on April 21 and are worth 100 points. 10. Presentations on April 21 and 22 (15 points): / 15

TOTAL: 245 points