HIS 223 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric
Overview
The final project for this course is a narrative research paper and should be centered on some aspect of military modernization in Western societies. You will construct a fully-researched, thesis-driven narrative containing both primary and secondary sources. You will use these sources to shed light on your chosen topic without propagating any historical fallacies. Please refer to the Historical Research and Methods Library Guide for assistance in conducting your research.
While you should address one of the issues listed below as you select your topic, your task is to narrow your focus to a manageable question that can be answered in a coherent, thesis-driven fashion (the impact of industrial-era social changes on the Prussian vs. Austrian armies in the mid-19th century, for example, or the role of Vasily Chuikov’s command style and tactical approach in the battle of Stalingrad). Your topic should relate to one of the following:
A turning-point battle or campaign
The part played by generalship or command ability in a given conflict or battle
The success or failure of a given state or society as it modernized, or attempted to modernize, its way of war
The impact of a particular technological innovation on strategic thinking or the combat experience
The role of war in changing socio-economic/racial/gender norms, or the role of socio-economic/racial/gender changes in shaping the composition or character of a given army
The increased impact of war on civilian populations
Questions of military ethics and/or war crimes
You will strategically organize your paper to put together a highly effective response to the issue presented by your topic and present:
A Compelling Introduction
Identify your topic, clearly outlining the structure of the argument, defining key terms, and clearly stating the thesis.
An Organized Body
Follow through your thesis in the body of your paper. Ensure that you use effective transitions for every component of your argument. The body of your paper should flow logically, arguing the thesis from your introduction with highly effective examples and facts that support each element and claim in your thesis. The body will also include effective source evidence from your research in the form of highly relevant quotations and concise paraphrasing.
A Powerful Conclusion
This is where you pull it all together. Your conclusion will not only effectively restate your thesis, but it will pull all your claims together. Your conclusion should clearly relate how the issue represented by the thesis is important and what bigger question it raises, and/or identify possibilities and implications for additional research.
Review the grading rubric below to identify all aspects of the proficiencies that differentiate an exemplary paper.
Milestones
Milestone One: Topic Selection
In Module Two, you will submit a topic selection and at least one primary source as Milestone One. This milestone will be graded using the Milestone One Rubric.
Milestone Two: Introduction, Outline, and Bibliography
In Module Five, you swill submit the second milestone of the final project. This submission will consist of the introduction, outline, and bibliography for your final project. This milestone will be graded using the Milestone Two Rubric.
What to Submit
Your narrative should be a minimum of 6 to 8 pages (not including cover page or resources) and properly footnoted with a minimum of 6 quality resources in the Turabian style, guidelines for which can be found as a resource in the Module One Resources folder. Follow these formatting guidelines: double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and citations in Turabian format. Please note that you will also be developing a companion assignment, an annotated bibliography (see Annotated Bibliography Guidelines and Rubric document), which will help guide you through the research phase of this project.
Some possible topics could be:
An analysis of the Combined Bomber Offensive in Europe during WWII.
A study on Josef Goebbels to examine the origins, methods, and objectives of Nazi propaganda throughout the Second World War.
An exploration of the Great Naval Race between Germany and Britain leading up to WWI.
An analysis of Napoleon’s ascent to military prominence following the coup d’état of 18 Brumaire.
An analysis of the transformation in the roles of women in Britain, Germany, the Soviet Union, and the United States due to the war. Investigate the social, cultural, or political barriers that restricted women’s full societal participation before the war. Examine how working in armaments factories or serving in the military altered the life experiences of Western and Soviet women. Consider if and how the life experiences of Soviet women shifted post-war. Analyze how women’s participation in combat varied based on the prevailing gender attitudes in the major combatant nations and the role of desperation.
I would also need to know which sources are primary and which sources are secondary.
