English 10A

Research Paper

Introduction: “A research paper is an exercise in interpretation and argumentation. Your task is partly to find out something about the past. But it is also to construct a persuasive interpretation, one that uses evidence and analysis to convince readers of a thesis. History research is an effort of argumentation as much as tracking down facts.” (http://history.berkeley.edu/faculty/Carson/fall02/138/research1.html)

Assignment: All of the suggested topics relate to events in 20th century world history. The students will select a topic from the list provided and gather research material from the sources listed below. The students will write a 3-5 page research paper, double-spaced (using Times New Roman 12 point font size), with a Works Cited page.

Approved Sources

Newspapers / Periodicals / Other Sources
The New York Times
The Washington Post
The Washington Times
Los Angeles Times
Chicago Tribune
The Wall Street Journal
The Boston Globe
Houston Chronicle
The Atlanta Journal
Constitution
St. Petersburg Times
Tampa Tribune
The Huffington Post / Time
The Atlantic Monthly
U.S. News and World Report
Harper’s Magazine
National Review
The New Yorker
Newsweek
The New Republic
The Weekly Standard
The American Conservative
The Nation
The Economist / Floral Park Memorial databases
BBC
Sources approved by Ms. Blanc for current events

If you find information from a source that is not on the list, you must get my approval.

Guidelines: After gathering research materials, the students should write a clear, concise thesis statement. For example, if the student chooses to write about nuclear weaponry, the thesis statement may be, “The threat of nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan is the greatest danger in global affairs.” Or, if the student chooses to write about globalization, the thesis statement may be, “The benefits of globalization have failed to reach the world’s poorest countries.”


Topics

Political Conflicts
● Impact of Cold War on Latin America or Africa
● Effects of World Wars on areas outside of Europe
● Tiananmen Square
● Apartheid
● Revolutions in Mexico, Russia, China, and Cuba / Ethnic/Religious Conflicts
● Revolutions in Iran (impact on women’s rights)
● Modern day ethnic conflicts in the non-western world
● Religious fundamentalism
● Patterns of resistance and religious responses
● Tibet
● Chechnya (Russia)
● Falun Gong (China)
● Arab-Israeli Conflict / Colonization
● Patterns or results of decolonization in Africa and India
● Legacies of colonialism and patterns of economic development in Africa, Asia and Latin America
● Reduction of European influence / International Organizations
● League of Nations
● United Nations
● International organizations and their impact on the global framework
Environmental Issues
● Global effects of the Western consumer society
● Rural to urban shifts
● New forms of urbanization
● Deforestation
● Green/Environmental movements
● Demographic and environmental changes / Migration/Movement of People
● Changing migration patterns
● Changes in birthrates and death rates
● Africans heading towards Europe / Nuclear Weapons
● Nuclear weaponry
● Major forms of twentieth-century warfare / Global Issues
● Different proposals or models for economic growth in the developing world and the social and political consequences
● Globalization of science, technology and culture
● Globalization of diplomacy and conflict
● Global balance of power