Content: For Assignment 1, begin with an introductory paragraph containing a clear and strong thesis statement. This is your precise answer to the research question. Follow your introductory paragraph with a brief background section that provides the necessary context for understanding your question, thesis, and argument (the who, what, where, when, etc. information). Then the body of your essay follows, consisting of clear, orderly paragraphs, developing the various parts of the argument that support your thesis. A conclusion sums up the parts of your argument and findings. Your essay must have proper citations and a bibliography that conforms to academic standards as explained in the Skills Modules.
Use the best available scholarly literature and primary sources on the subject you choose. In researching the paper, you are expected to go beyond the textbooks and other assigned readings from the course. You are to make use of the supplementary materials (books and articles) for refering primary sources.