History Essay

Papers (30%): Each student will submit a 6 to ten page paper, due at the end of the course. The paper will require both primary-source analysis as well as outside research, based on the following assignment: Select a primary source from any period in Brazils history up to 1889, on any topic. Write an analysis of that primary source, making an argument about what it demonstrates to you as a historian. You will need to (1) use specific examples from the primary source in question to demonstrate the validity of your argument; (2) draw on secondary sources to broaden your knowledge of the document and its context, as well as to provide such context for your reader. You will also want to relate your own argument to those made by the secondary sources you consult. (For example, if you were to make an argument about a particular musical genre based on a song, you would need to respond toagreeing or disagreeing, or perhaps tweakingthe arguments of scholars who have written about that genre. Likewise, if you were to make an argument about racial attitudes based on a poem, your argument and your paper must take into account previous scholarship on race and on that poem.) Examples of potential primary source materials include: laws and constitutions; government proclamations; political speeches; songs, poems, or other works of art; intelligence or military documents; memoirs; and many other forms. You should plan to select your primary source as soon as possible so that you can locate, read, and incorporate secondary source materials into your research and writing. For this assignment, you must consult only academic secondary sourceswebsites, journalistic accounts, and other non-scholarly works are not appropriate. You should plan to consult at least three books and four to five articles. Students should keep in mind that their papers will not be accepted should they fail to conform to the following standards: word-processed; double-spaced; in 12-point, Times New Roman or Cambria font with standard (1-inch) margins; and proofread until free of spelling and grammar errors. Citations should be formatted in accordance with the Chicago Manual of Styleuse footnotes and a list of sources. To learn more about Chicago-style citation, please see a reference librarian