The Pluralism Project at Harvard University
Final Paper Topics: Pluralism in Washington State
Western Expansion/Hajduk/Fall 2000
This assignment requires each student to analyze primary sources and secondary sources. (Primary sources are documents produced in the time period under study by a participant in or observer of events. The interpretations of other historians are secondary sources--sources produced, usually after the period under study, by people who were not participants in the events they describe and analyze.) The writing of this essay will allow students to improve their abilities to read carefully, understand, and draw conclusions from historical sources. It also offers students the opportunity to develop a more meaningful understanding of historians' interpretations of the history of the Pacific Northwest.
*Remember that the CD-ROM On Common Ground contains much valuable information about these topics and will be an invaluable resource for you as you begin your research.
Requirements:
• 6-7 page paper, double spaced, 11/12 pt font in Roman Times with proper margins and a title page.
• You must use at least 5 different KINDS of sources with at least TWO primary sources.
• You must include properly formatted footnotes or endnotes with an accompanying formal and properly formatted bibliography. (I prefer Chicago style, but will approve others prior to paper due date.)
• This paper should include a lot of YOUR voice and YOUR conclusions. It should not be a "cut and paste" effort from the variety of sources that you read. This paper needs to be carefully organized and it needs to defend a position that you state clearly in your thesis.
• Documentation is very important and any evidence of plagiarism will result in an automatic "F" on this assignment with no option of a re-write!
• Grammar, syntax, paragraph structure, etc. are all very important and will be reflected in your final paper grade!
Work Schedule and Due Dates:
• Tuesday, December 5: Paper topics due with explanation about WHY you want those particular two topic choices!
• Tuesday, December 12: Bibliography in progress due (properly formatted!)
• Thursday, January 4: Outline due of paper
• Friday, January 12: FINAL PAPERS DUE!! (No exceptions and if you are absent you MUST turn these papers in anyway by 3:10!)
1. We examined the roots of both Chinese and Japanese immigration issues, but the stories do not simply "end". The richness of the stories that continue to unfold and the stories are equally important as were those about the early establishment of these communities. Choose to analyze either the Chinese Americans or Japanese Americans' stories Post WWII here in WA State. Examine the economic influences, politics and social arenas that these stories unfold in. Also include a discussion about what kind of relationship the U.S. has with each nation (China or Japan) presently and how this might affect the lives of all people living in WA State.
2. There are many peoples' stories that we have not examined in this course. Blacks, Sikhs, Mormons, Norwegians, Koreans and Lebanese communities exist in WA state and their stories are an important part of the larger history of WA State. Choose ONE of these groups of people and unfold the story of their contributions to PNW history. Explain the arrival of these groups, the early days of settlement, obstacles they faced, reasons for celebration, primary influences and contemporary roles.