Overview
1. Topic Selection
Choose a topic that explores a significant theme, event, or figure in world history from 1500 CE to the present. Your topic should reflect cross-cultural interactions, global developments, or comparative civilizations. Avoid overly broad topics; focus on a specific question or issue that allows for in-depth analysis.
2. Examples of Acceptable Topics
- The impact of European colonialism on indigenous societies in Africa or Asia
- The role of the Silk Road in cultural and economic exchange
- Comparative analysis of revolutions: French vs. Haitian
- The influence of Enlightenment thought on global political movements
- Industrialization and its global consequences
- Women's roles in nationalist movements in the 19th and 20th centuries
- The Cold War's effect on non-aligned nations
3. Paper Format
- Length: 6-8 pages (not including bibliography)
- Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt
- Spacing: Double-spaced
- Margins: 1 inch on all sides
- Citation Style: Chicago (footnotes or endnotes) or MLA (in-text citations), as directed by your instructor
- Bibliography: Minimum of 5 scholarly sources (books, peer-reviewed articles, primary sources)
4. Research Support
- Use academic databases such as JSTOR, Project MUSE, or your college library's catalog
- Wikipedia is not acceptable as a source, though it may be used for initial exploration
- Primary sources are encouraged and should be critically analyzed
- Consult with your instructor or librarian for help locating sources
- 5. Suggested Topics
- Global trade networks and their transformations (1500-
- 1900)
- The spread of Islam in Southeast Asia
- The Atlantic slave trade and its legacy
- The Meiji Restoration and modernization in Japan
- Decolonization movements in Africa and Asia
- The global impact of World War I or II
- The rise of global feminism in the 20th century