MrDz--home

Mister D|z World . . .

The American Experience Research Projects

In both quarters of this course, you are responsible for completing a Research Project. Your project may involve writing an essay, writing a story, reading a challenging book, or teaching a class. It may also, if you choose, be a project which involves demonstrating, performing, or making something. (See the descriptions of possible activities which start on the next page.) You are free to pick any topic---people, events, arts, or ideas---which concerns a significant aspect of post-war American history or society.

All projects must start with completing a “Project Proposal” form. To do this, you will have made some choices---about your topic, and what kind of activity you will do. The proposal should be as detailed as you can make it: the more I know about what you hope to do, the more I may be able to help.

All projects, even non-written, must include a page of references, indicating the sources of information which you have used.

All projects, when submitted, must also include the “Project Proposal” which was completed and returned earlier.

All projects must follow the guidelines described for the kind of activity you have chosen. Study these guidelines closely---you can easily lose points by forgetting some very easy things.

GRADING. Research projects count as 40% of your total course grade. Grades will be based on: (1) how well your RP follows the criteria for each type of Activity; (2) the difficulty of the your project; and (3) how well the RP satisfies the goals described in your “Project Proposal.” In addition, you may---if you wish---include your own written ASSESSMENT of how well you’ve done. (In other words, you can try and grade your own project!) If your own assessment of your work is thorough and thoughtful, it can add up to 10% to your grade, and may well influence my own thinking on your grade. See me for more details.
Research Project Activities

1. Researched Essay


Choosing one of the topics from the list provided, you will write a 3 - 5 page typed essay---excluding cover and reference pages---which argues a position connected with the topic. (Please note that this is NOT a “report” which simply describes something; this is a thesis paper. If you’re not sure of the difference, see me!) All essays should consist of the following:

a simple cover page
an introduction with a clear THESIS STATEMENT
a main body, supporting your thesis with details from your research
a conclusion, echoing the introduction and summarizing your argument
a page of references

The starting point for an essay is to do some general reading about a topic. As you read about a topic, your objective is to come up with a thesis statement. A good thesis statement is a position that can be argued and supported with details from your research. A thesis statement should not be so obvious that there is nothing, really, to argue (e.g., BAD: “Richard Nixon suffered a great personal setback when he was indicted for the Watergate coverup") Nor should your thesis statement be so obscure or bizarre that it could never be proven (e.g. BAD: “Colonel Wirtz felt homicidal only on cloudy days when he had not eaten breakfast.”) Some of the best thesis statements are those in which you take a position on an established disagreement among serious historians (e.g. GOOD: “Despite its economic disadvantages, the South could still have won the war if Lee had adopted a more realistic military strategy.”)

STYLE. Papers should be typed, double-spaced, in a font roughly the size of what you are looking at now. If you absolutely cannot submit a typed paper, make sure that the handwriting is very neat and legible. Spelling, grammar and overall appearance will be part of the grading criteria. Observe good margin rules: about an inch all around, a little more on the left. Use white or near-white 8-1/2 x 11 paper only. Include a cover page that includes title, your name, class period, and date. Keep it simple: one staple on upper left corner, and do NOT use plastic binding, covers, or folders.

2. Historical Fiction

Write a SHORT STORY, in the first or third person, that involves any of the suggested topics for a unit. You may make up any sort of plot that you wish: an adventure, a love story, a comedy, something based around a specific historical event, whatever you prefer. Historical fiction is distinctive because the characters are placed in a realistic historical setting. You will be graded mainly on how authentic (realistic) your story details appear to the reader.

All, some, or none of the characters in your story can be actual people. All, some, or none of the events in your story can be historically known events. If you are inventing characters and events, however, you must try to make them authentic: they should seem to be people and events which might really have existed in the time and place of your story. You should aim to create a strong sense of what life was like during a particular historical event or period.

As an alternative, you may write your historical fiction as a LETTER or series of letters, or as a DIARY. If you do, the style of your language becomes very important: you should aim to “sound like” real historical characters. Your research, therefore, should include reading “period” literature to become familiar with the speaking and writing style of the times.

Your historical fiction piece must be at least 3, and no more than 6, pages in length. Follow the “STYLE” guidelines for Activity One, above.

3. Teach a Class                              [partners o.k.]
                                                      [limit: one project]

For any topic, prepare and teach a lesson for the class. The lesson should take no more than 20 minutes. Your lesson should include (1) an introduction to the topic (2) some kind of presentation (e.g., video, posters, handouts, models, etc.); and (3) some kind of activity which can both help teach and help you assess what the class has learned (e.g., role playing, question-and-answer, a quiz, a short assignment, group discussion, etc.) Your introduction should make clear to the class what you intend to teach, why it is important, and what you expect them to know at the end.

Once you have scheduled a lesson date with me, this date is firm. If you have a partner and he or she is not present, you will be expected to go ahead with your lesson, anyway. You are free to hand in any or all of the materials, notes, etc., used in your lesson; you MUST, however, hand in (1) your PROJECT PROPOSAL, and (2) a REFERENCE page. Your own ASSESSMENT of the class, should you choose to do one, can be submitted the next school day.

4. Do or Make Something    [partners OK]

For any topic, DO or MAKE SOMETHING which brings it to life. Suggestions: write and produce a video based on historical events, characters, or settings; live performance or audio tape of a skit, song, interview, etc.; posters or collages; drawings; paintings; sculpture; dance; music; scale models; mock trials . . . and so on. If you have some familiarity with the Internet, you might want to make a WWW site dedicated to one of the unit topics. Be inventive! Feel free to think of something not mentioned here.

Here, it is very important that you are very careful with your PROJECT PROPOSAL. Describe what you are going to do in as much detail as you can. (Example: if I have accepted a proposal which says you are going to demonstrate an authentic 60’s-style “Be-In” then your grade will be almost completely based on how realistic your “Be-In” is.)

When you submit your Activity Four project, you must also include the following written material: (1) cover sheet; (2) reference page; (3) PROJECT PROPOSAL which was earlier submitted and accepted; (4) your own ASSESSMENT of the project, if you choose [this may be submitted on the following day if you gave a performance of some kind.]

5. Reading

You may choose, as your project, to read a book. The book you choose may be either non-fiction, or, with my approval, an historical novel. In either case, the book should be a significant and challenging work. I have many suggestions for suitable books, and you may also find ideas by browsing in the library or consulting with the librarians. As with other projects, the book should involve something connected with American life in the post-war era.

You will keep a reading “log” in which you note pages read during each week and a brief description of content. This log will be submitted to me on Fridays; it can be quite brief---one page, for example. When you are finished reading, you have a choice. You can write a brief (three page maximum) book review. Or, you may schedule a conference with me, at which we can discuss your reactions to the reading.