All students in HIS 3308 are required to compose a 5-6 page (1,250-1,500 word) final paper based on individual research. This is a high-impact practice assignment, which develops students skills at undergraduate research. This is also a problem-based assignment, which requires students to utilize both the knowledge they have learned in class and the knowledge they have gathered through their own research to analyze, explain, and provide a solution to a complex, real-world problem or scenario.
o In consultation with the instructor, students will first select an aspect of the history of war and society that was covered in class this term, and which they wish to learn more about. Students will then research this topic, drawing on class readings, lectures, discussions, and additional outside research. Finally, they will write an analytical paper that communicates the ideas and information they have learned, using their research and the evidence they have gathered to support their arguments.
o Though the topics each student chooses to write about will vary, each paper must engage with at least two of the following themes: the ethics of war and ethical questions arising from war; civic engagement and its relation to war; war and its relation to civic life, politics, or government; competing ideas about war in a particular society; or the impact of war on local and global communities.
o In addition, students must choose a topic with a connection to at least one UN-defined region of the world. This will assess their ability to evaluate the impact of individual choices on local and global communities affected by war and conflict in the past and present and to communicate those ideas and that information to diverse audiences.
