HACC/LDHS HIS 107: 20th Century America
Essay: Expectations, Directions, Writing Hints, and Rubric
I. Expectations:
A. Engage in college level thinking, researching, and writing.
B. Enjoy this examination of a 20th Century American topic of interest.
C. Enhance your recent American history knowledge and scholarly skills.
D. Focus Options:
1) Origin, nature, leadership, conclusion, consequences, and/or significance
II. Directions:
A. Your task is exciting and rather open-ended.
1) It is to develop and prove a strong thesis statement that examines a 20th
Century American subtopic of interest in a meaningful, scholarly manner.
2) For a subtopic, consider various ideas, events, and people.
a. You will narrow it down to the causes, nature, or effects of that
subtopic.
b. I do not want an overview/general essay or timeline of events.
c. I want it to be tightly focused on a subtopic with a thesis statement that
emphasizes what is significant (so what!?). No clichés. No questions. No summary. Not (just) a common fact.
3) A thesis statement
a. Can involve agreeing with some, none, or all of another historian’s
argument(s), perspective(s), approach(es)/method(s), and interpretation(s).
b. It must be arguable (not popular wisdom or a general fact that is not
contentious), clear, concise, and underlined.
4) You choose the subtopic thesis statement, but verify them with the teacher.
5) Perhaps you’ll want to explore….
a. origin
b. nature
c. conclusion
d. consequences
e. significance
f. ????
III. P.R.E.S.T.I.G.E.:
A. In pursuing a topic, consider using “P.R.E.S.T.I.G.E.”
1) It is an acronym that contains the core categories of historical analysis.
2) Each letter represents an area of study (see below).
3) Understanding and using this acronym as a paradigm (model, way, framework) of studying history will systematically help you to organize your thoughts and questions. It is designed to help you brainstorm, organize, remember, and apply the lessons of history.
B. Details:
P. = politics
-power, authority, laws, constitution, government systems, civics, discipline, crime, punishment, military, war, leadership, decision making processes, political parties, etc.
R. = religion
-variety, purpose, influences, beliefs, traditions, values, practices, codes
E. = economics
-theories/systems, policies, currency, influences, interest rates, finance, trade, businesses, commerce
S. = society
-values, beliefs, norms, customs, traditions, behaviors, family
T. = technology
-science, medicine, industry, agriculture, consumer goods, transportation, war
I. = intellectual movements arts
-education, influences, philosophy, theories, reason/logic, music, performing and visual arts
G. = geography
-features, climate, weather, influences, biology, environment, life cycle, resources
E. = eras
-Reformation, Renaissance, Enlightenment, Roaring ‘20s, WWII, Civil Rights Era
IV. Mandatory:
A. Microsoft Word document; "TIMES NEW ROMAN" font; font size 12
B. 1 inch margins; doubled spaced; electronic submission only.
C. 5-7 typed pages (not including the cover page and bibliography)
D. Use at least sixteen (16) scholarly references, eight (8) of which are primary evidence
1) Conduct library/database research for primary sources and journal articles.
2) Do not use wikipedia or other .com sites without teacher approval.
3) Cut and paste the active URL links under your references.
E. All submissions must be formatted to MLA or Chicago/Turabian Style.
F. You must formally compose:
1) A centered, cover page EXACTLY in this manner:
Unique, Specific Title of Paper That Alludes to Your Thesis Statement
Student Name
Lower Dauphin High School
Harrisburg Area Community College
Dual Enrollment/College in the High School
History 107: 20th Century America
Mr. Chortanoff
Due Date (spell out the month)
2) An introduction (with an underlined thesis statement)
3) Body with in text citations (via APA, MLA, or Chicago/Turabian)
4) Conclusion (reiterates your main points and focuses on your TS.)
5) Tables and appendices are optional
6) Bibliography that is properly formatted
V. Beware:
A. Plagiarism is a serious academic offense. Avoid it like the plague.
B. Students are expected to do their own academic work, and when using the work of
others in their papers, to use some acceptable form of citation to give credit for ideas (like when summarizing and/or paraphrasing) and direct quotations (like exact dialogue or sentences). Students who use sources from the Internet and online databases must provide the active URL under the references in the bibliography. Consult a MLA, APA, or Chicago guide.
C. Give credit when and where it is due and you will be fine.
VI. The Planning Process For a Paper: Thinking, Drafting, and Revising
A. Make a reasonable plan to ponder topics, approaches, and availability of resources
B. Use that plan for the ideation, draft, and revision process:
1) Thinking:
a. What interests me?
b. How can I study, explore, or prove an argument about this topic?
c. Do I have access to enough primary and secondary sources?
2) Drafting:
a. After reasonably considering various evidence and sources, formulate a
worthwhile research question, then its brief answer.
b. That is the essence of your thesis statement.
c. Construct an introduction that sets up that thesis statement.
d. Outline the body based on your path & tone set up in the intro.
e. Develop main ideas. Turn them into topic sentences.
f. Explain and use examples to prove your point in each paragraph.
g. Make connections. Use segues/transitional phrases.
h. Cite often and properly.
i. Conclude with a paragraph that reiterates your interpretation.
3) Revising:
a. Re-read the directions, writing aids, rubric, etc—then read your paper—
in parts and then all the way through. Mark it up with +/- comments.
Be objective.
b. Ask someone else to read the directions and your writing.
c. Use these questions:
1. Is my writing clear?
Or are the sentences run-ons, awkward, fragmented, or off topic?
2. Is my writing, in each paragraph and as a whole, coherent?
Or is it a collection of random facts and ideas? Have I not used chronology and logic?
3. Have I proven an argument?
Or have I just summarized something like an encyclopedia article.
Did I move beyond the common sense, common man’s understanding of it? Who agrees with me? Why? Who do I disagree with? Why?
4. Is my evidence substantial and reasonably used to support my
claims?
Or have I relied on the same source too much?
Do I use enough primary and reliable secondary sources?
5. Did I quote too much or too directly?
Is my style and understanding hidden behind all of these large quotes of text and dialogue?
Did I simply re-arrange some quotes or did I digest the evidence and use it bolster my claim (thesis statement) on history?
C. Do your best work. I am here to help, but remember:
1) “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”
2) “A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.”
VIII. History Writing Hints…
A. Good writing…
1) Q: What makes my writing easier to do? What makes it worth reading and
believing?
2) A: Good questions, better research, and your best effort to practice writing.
B. In his memoir, To America, the world renowned historian Stephen Ambrose fondly
reflected on his most influential mentor with these words:
“Solid research, having something new to say, thinking through your topic, mastering the literature on the subject, and more, but above all else he insisted on good writing.”
C. Yes, learning to write well is that important. It takes time, guides, and practice. Here
are some key points for you to understand and apply in this class and beyond it.
D. Don’t use "by" in your writing. It is passive voice and boring. Use active voice.
1) Good: Kade threw the ball. (Active, exciting, concise)
2) Bad: The ball was thrown by Kade. (Passive, boring, longer/wordy)
E. Put the cause before the effect.
1) Put the subject at the start of the sentence.
2) This leads to clarity and concision.
F. Write with an objective, scholarly tone.
1) Don’t use “we”, “us”, “I”, “I will explain that...”, "In this paper, I will....”, or
similar -pronouns and phrasing.
2) Such words/phrases make your paper informal. Leave that tone for
conversations, blogs, and editorials—not academic essays.
3) This is an academic essay, not a piece of flowing, imaginative literature or
personal reflection or summary from an encyclopedia. This is an argumentative essay, so have an argument and prove it.
G. You may use subtitles in the title, but not in the essay.
H. Get to the point!
1) Be mindful that it is not the reader's responsibility to infer meaning from your
writing.
2) Your essay is not literature or poetry. In other words, it is NOT the reader’s
task to figure out what you want to say or what you are ‘getting’ at. That is your job!
3) You have something important to say, so say it right away and have proof.
I. Paragraph construction
1) I hesitate to be overly rigid in formatting paragraphs; however, if I must advise you, we both should see a pattern in your writing that resembles a house:
SHINGLES / Topic Sentence / Transitional word or phrase. Your creation, not a quote. This is the first and main point of the paragraph.ROOF / Explanation/Details / Your further development of the paragraph’s main emphasis. This supports your shingles.
WALLS / Evidence / Historian’s evidence or primary source is examined and cited here. This supports your roof and shingles.
ENTIRE HOUSE / Interpretation / Your analysis and/or interpretation of what that evidence was and why it was important.
J. In other words….
1) First, plainly writeyourmain idea.
2) Second, add details.
3) Third, move on to support the point with evidence from historians or primary sources.
4) Fourth, explain the meaning, significance, and/or make connections.
K. Who?
1) At least the first time you use a resource, be sure to introduce (or at least
acknowledge the relevance of) your sources/authorities; for example, in an essay on analyzing the ineffectiveness of the Nazi regime’s preparation against the Allied D-Day invasion in 1944, I would write:
Stephen Ambrose, the distinguished WWII historian and biographer, argued that “the Atlantic Wall must therefore be regarded as one of the greatest blunders in military history” (Ambrose, 577).
L. Basics
1) In short, my goal is for you to compose meaningful topic sentences and then
prove, expound, support them with evidence and reasoning.
M. UNDERLINE YOUR THESIS STATEMENT.
1) This will focus you (and the reader) upon your main point.I like thesis
statements that start with “Although”.
2) A thesis statement is a firm/assertive, concise, and arguable statement you
plan to prove with evidence and reasoning in the body of the paper.
N. Borrow ideas and quotes from experts and witnesses. Don’t steal them.
1) MLA, APA, or Chicago/Turabian is mandatory. Please learn it and use it.
2) For example, after your quoted AND/OR paraphrased sentence(s)
put(Author’s last name, page number)to complete an in text citation.
3) I require you to paraphrase and reduce quotes as much as possible instead of
quoting too much.
4) The rule is to only directly quote what you can’t say better yourself in a
paraphrase.
5) Don’t quote too much from one source in the same paragraph. Rely on several
sources, when available and reasonable.
6) Typically, you should have at least one citation per paragraph. Never should
you use a cited statement as a topic sentence.
7) Do not use a direct quote to start your paragraph. Your topic sentences should
be of your own creation.
O. Style Matters.
1) Use transitional words/phrases like "On the other hand," "Although," "Furthermore," "In addition to", “Moreover,” “However,” etc.
2) Be careful of your word choice, punctuation, and vary your sentence structure
(some simple, a few complex)
3) Do not use clichés. Rarely, if ever, should you use metaphors.
4) Don’t pose questions. You are supposed to be qualified to give answers to this
topic, so just give answers in an assertive tone.
P. PRDR: Ponder, Research, Draft, Revise (aka Edit, Proofread, Re-Write).
1) Repeat, as needed
2) Take time to do your best work.
3) Have someone else read these directions and then your paper.
Q: Anything else?
HACC/LDHS: History Department
PRESTIGE Essay: Learning Outcomes Rubric
Course and First Essay Goal: To train students to research, analyze, and synthesize a variety of evidence, so they may infer reasonable conclusions about history and then compose a substantive research paper based on the historical method. This is an academic essay that relies on a thesis statement and stands on evidence, logic, reason, explanations, and connections.
For each competency, I will provide a number inside each block that indicates your level of mastery.
*Quick reminders: don’t pose questions—give answers. Clichés—No. Metaphors—Few, if any. Paragraph starting with quotes—rarely. Introduce your authorities/sources—the first time.
Competency / Mastery: ExcellentPossible Points: 12-11
(12= 100%; 11 = 92%) / Mastery: Good (10); Some (9-7); Minimal (6-1); No (0)
Possible Points: 10-0
(10 = 83%; 9 = 75%; 8 = 67%; 7 = 58%; 6 = 50%)
Student frames historical question(s) / The paper addresses a significant historical question that is clearly stated. The questions’ significance is satisfactorily demonstrated; the student is explicitly conscious of the role of periodization in forming the question; the question is of manageable scope and logically formulated. / Good: The paper addresses a significant historical question that is clearly stated. The student makes an effort to demonstrate significance and to employ periodization. Question is of manageable scope, posed with minimal logical flaws in question framing
Some: The paper addresses historical question that can be identified with some difficulty. Significance of question unclear; minimal grasp of periodization; serious logical lapse in question framing.
Minimal: Significance of question not demonstrated; question of inappropriate scope or illogically presented; no grasp of periodization
No: No identifiable historical question
Student employs a broad range of resources / Makes thorough use of all relevant online and print databases to identify primary and secondary literature; uses classic and most recent secondary literature; no major secondary sources omitted; all available primary sources identified. All sources in bibliography thoroughly used in text. / Good: Makes good use of relevant online and print databases; some omissions in secondary or primary source a base. A few sources in bibliography not fully used.