In this essay, you will explore and write a focused interpretative argument about a specific topic in the history of a specific Chinese diaspora through the library and online research. Your goal will be to expand on the history of Chinese railroad workers overseas (Primarily North America) You may choose any relevant country, time period, theme, and a group of Chinese or their descendants that expands the investigation of histories of Chinese diasporas and ethnic Chinese living outside of China.
Using the attached primary source reading, analyze it in-depth, and critically explore its themes. Also, find three academic secondary sources readings and one additional primary source reading of your choice. (So in including the attached one, 5 sources in total, 2 Primary, 3 secondary)
(Primary sources – first-hand evidence or direct testimony from the past, or a cultural artifact like a film or a novel created in the past that reflects some aspect of past cultural or social experience.)
(Secondary sources – interpretations of the past. Academic secondary sources are scholars interpretive arguments about the past, such as journal articles, book chapters, and books.)
Write your essay in interpretative argument form.
Begin with an introduction paragraph with a clearly stated thesis argument about the historical meanings of your focused topic and how specifically your essay expands on what the course explores. (1/2 to 2 page)
Then develop various points of your argument in a series of paragraphs that analyze the meaning of your primary source and what you discovered in it and your other sources. Read critically and keep in mind that all sources have strengths, limitations, and particular viewpoints. Explain to the reader why you chose these sources, and critically analyze their points of view as you use them. Then discuss in essay body paragraphs various aspects of what you have discovered in your historical research and analysis. (3 pages)
Conclude with a discussion of the broader implications of what you discovered. How do they add to our larger understandings of Chinese diasporas? Based on what you learned, what questions would you suggest historians research more in the future? (1/2-2 page)
