American History 102: Writing Assignment

Writing Assignment

Sample Paper for Jon Kasparek's and Dominic Cerri's students (Cable Fall Semester 1998)

Students in the spring semester of 1995 wrote book reviews of recent works in American history to complete the writing requirement for the course. Here is the description of that assignment, dutifully preserved and presented by our History 102 webmasters:

SHORT CRITICAL PAPERS
Goals
To improve your critical thinking and writing skills, we require a brief critical paper, either a book review of an academic history book or a historical analysis of a work of fiction. This assignment offers you a chance to investigate a theme, person, event, or process in American history in greater detail, while also allowing you to display your understanding of the major themes of the course in a setting less rigid than the examination format.
This project should be a critical analysis of the text, which means much more than a simple summary of the book's contents. What we are looking for is an analysis of the work's major points: What is the message of this text? Is the argument plausible, and is it backed up with credible evidence? Is the argument ultimately convincing? Does this work neglect other points of view, and, if so, how does this affect the value of the argument? These are just a few of the questions you should be pondering when analyzing any piece of historical scholarship or fiction. To see examples of first-rate analyses, read some published book reviews. For example, select a historical journal such as Reviews in American History and observe how various reviewers have tackled their assignments.

Option #1: Write a book review of an academic history book (chosen from the lists provided at the College Library Reserve Reading Room or the History 102 Webpage). For this option, you must choose at least one other historical text (a passage of the textbook, a selection from America Firsthand, or an outside article on the same topic, e.g.) to place this work in comparative perspective. This will allow you to better evaluate the author's point of view and conclusions.

Option #2: Write a historical analysis of a piece of fiction (either chosen from the lists or approved by your teaching assistant). Since you are evaluating a piece of fiction, you must consult at least two outside sources (the textbook, an outside history book or article on the topic, etc.) in order to evaluate the accuracy and historical relevance of the novel under review.

Option #3: If you would like to write a paper that doesn't conform to the above choices, please consult your teaching assistant. Your TA may approve an alternative assignment, as long as your essay is based primarily on outside readings relevant to the themes of the course.

Format
To guide you, we have devised the following format:
I. Introduction (one to two pages)
The introduction should introduce the reader to your paper. First, tell us the name of the author and the title of the work. Second, describe briefly the book's thesis (or main argument). The thesis is usually stated clearly in the introduction and conclusion of most books; this is simply the main point(s) that the author is trying to get across in the text. Wrap up your introduction with a brief synopsis of your analysis of this specific work. Be sure to offer a reasoned response; purely emotional reactions, such as "this book was great" or "this book was boring," are not acceptable.

II. Main body (four to six pages)
The purpose of this section is to give the reader a more detailed understanding of the book under review, and can be roughly
divided into two sections:
A. First, you must briefly summarize the contents of the work ("This book tells the story of ..."). In other words, you should inform your reader of the topic of the work. Also, you should detail the thesis of the work you mentioned in the introduction. What is the author's argument, and how is this argument supported and organized?
B. Second, you must critically analyze the work you have just summarized. This is your opportunity to tell us what you thought of this work (and is really the heart of your paper). Is the argument convincing, and why or why not? Was the work organized well, and amply supported with evidence? What are some ways in which you could improve upon this work? Does this piece of work make a valuable contribution to your understanding of American history?

III. Conclusion (up to one page)
This section should summarize the main points of your paper. In other words, this is the point at which you should neatly reassert the main points of your critical analysis. The conclusion should help provide the reader with a sense of closure; you have just summed up in a paragraph what you want the reader to remember.
Each paper should typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins all around. No title page or plastic cover is necessary; simply place your name, the course name, and your teaching assistant's name at the top of the first page, and staple the contents together.

Reading
1.As a first step, read and re-read the introduction and conclusion to familiarize yourself with the author's topic, thesis (central argument), and main points. If you know these things before reading the rest of the book, you can understand the supporting material and evidence more fully.
2.As you read the body of the book, sketch a simple outline that shows the development of the book's thesis. This will help you to judge the author's effectiveness in supporting the central argument with evidence. Is the book's thesis clear? logical? well supported?
3.As you read the book, try to analyze it in the framework of ideas and developments you have learned concerning American history as a whole. Does the argument complement what you've learned in class, or challenge some of your ideas? Does it teach you something new about U.S. history? Did the author neglect information or a point of view that might have changed the interpretation?

Writing
1.Because this is a historical paper, you should describe past events in the past tense ("The merchants of Philadelphia struggled to survive and innovate in the expanding postwar economy."). But when describing what an author has written about the past, use the present tense ("The author discusses the role of the merchant in bringing about economic growth.").
2.Write in the active tense rather than the passive whenever possible ("Henry Ford developed and mass-produced the Model T," rather than "The Model T was developed and mass-produced by Henry Ford.").
3.When quoting from the book under review (and these should be rare if used at all), simply place the page number in parentheses following the quote but before the period ("The customer can have it any color as long as he wants it black" (34).). If quoting from another source, use a footnote.
4.Proofread your paper!!! I do not mean simply spellchecking the document (although this is also a good idea). You should write your paper, set it aside for up to a day, and then read it. Make sure that your ideas are organized into distinct paragraphs that flow logically through the paper. And make sure that your introduction and conclusion summarize your main points clearly and quickly.