You should choose a country that authentically interests you. You mentioned countries in the beginning of the semester that you wanted to learn more about because of familial connections, cultural connections, academic interests, economic interests, professional interests, or travel
interests. You may want to work on a topic relevant to that county. However, you do not have to go with one of the countries you mentioned at the beginning of the semester.
So, before you commit, really spend some time think contemplating what intrigues you and what might be relevant to you, in some way, in the future. Again, the county you select is important since, in some respects, it will determine what you decide to focus on for your research.
RESEARCH TOPIC/FOCUS Your research topic must have a very clear and specific focus. All to often, students try to do research topics on very a broad subject. What is problematic is that it forces you to say very little about a lot of things. You do not want to do that. Instead, you want to do deep learning and research on a very narrow topic so that you can have a great deal of meaningful things to say that take you beyond the superficial. Just remember, you must come up with a topic relevant to the themes/chronologies of this course.
Here is an example of how to narrow a topic:
Example: Initial proposal: Too Broad: Slavery in Brazil. That is way too big. Instead, you could the narrow the focus by exploring the ways that confraternities helped African diaspora communities survive the ravages of enslavement by researching the confraternity of the Focused Topic: The Role of the Brotherhood of Nossa Senhora in Do Rosario in the 19th century.
Example: Initial proposal: Too Broad: WWII. This is way too big. Instead, you could examine the impact of Japanese occupation of Guam and the impact that had on family life. Focused Topic: The Impact of Japanese Occupation on family in Guam.
We will do a brainstorming topic to help one another think of topics and I will provide a list of ideas that might inspire you to come up with a topic. You find interesting. Once you decide on your topic and country, you will begin your research. For this final research project, you will be required to use a minimum of 4 primary sources and a minimum of 4 scholarly secondary sources. Primary sources are sources are first-hand accounts from people or institutions that had direct connection with the topic at the time. Primary sources can include laws, government documents, any type of official government or business documents such as census record, datasets, economic reports, newspaper reports, speeches, diaries, letters, interviews, art, literature, music, dance, poetry, photographs that capture an event. The key is that the sources was a witness, if you will, of your topic. Scholarly secondary sources are sources created by expertise in the field they are researching. What distinguishes scholarly secondary sources from other sources is that they are created by experts with credentials and that they create original research. Another important distinction between a scholarly secondary source is that it is referred. That means the scholarship has been evaluated by other experts in that specific field of inquiry. So, sources like textbooks, HISTORY.COM, Wikipedia and many summative sources that you will find ARE NOT SCHOLARLY sources and often not written by experts and/or are intended only to provide a general overview. These are NOT the sources to use for this project. Also, it is very easy to find lecture notes, PowerPoints, lectures that professors give in their undergraduate courses—typically these are summative so please do not use these either. You can use them in the pre-research phase to familiarize yourself with the topic BEFORE you get started on the actual research. So, where can you find scholarly sources? One of the best places to search is in the academic journal database available online from the CSM library. I in the academic database, I strongly recommend Jstor.
Just a heads up—all the academic databases do not have the best keyword search engines so it takes a good deal of time and patience. Spend the bulk of your time on the research phase of your project. Good research takes time and you have a month to work on this.
To accompany this research essay, you will have a complimentary InfoGraphic assignment that you will share with the class via Canvas.
HOW TO START?
Research Question(s): Research should always begin with a guiding research question rather than an assumption, argument, or conclusion. If you already know the answer to this question, there isn't much point in doing the research? Instead, you want to begin your work with a clear question(s) to guide your research. This question, will, by the time you complete your research, develop into your thesis statement. A thesis statement makes an argument. An argument involves logical reasoning, research, and empirical evidence; it is not a mere opinion.
These questions will also help focus your research.
Writing: Once you complete your research, you are ready to start writing your essay (or creating your podcast or graphic novel or virtual art exhibit). After you have completed this component of the project, you will create a infographic using the free version of Canva (or a comparable software) that you will share with your peers.
DELIVERABLES: COMPONENTS OF YOUR CASE-STUDY PROJECT:
• Research Essay (4-6 pages) or a Podcast or a Multimedia Project Or a Virtual Art Exhibit: you can do a traditional academic essay that is 4-6 pages, double-spaced that includes citations and a bibliography. Or, if you prefer, you can do a podcast, a virtual art exhibit, or a graphic novel instead of an essay. However, it must incorporate all your research in a meaningful and engaging manner and have content that is equivalent to the content that would go into a 4-6 page essay.
• An infographic (visual representation) produced with Canva or some other software that you will share on with your fellow historians that visually explains your research/findings. There is a free version of Canva. There may also be AI visual programs that you could use to create an infographic, but you will need to guide using the chat function to help it create what you want.
INDIVIDUAL OR COLLABORATIVE:
You may work individually or in a group (no more than two people in a group) for this assignment. For the research part of the essay, you will submit one essay for the collective. However, each group member will be required to complete their own unique Infographic.
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