MAGNIFIED
Fall Semester Research Paper at the Intersection of Diversity, Identity and History
The Lab mission statement pledges that "[w]e ignite and nurture an enduring spirit of scholarship, curiosity, creativity, and confidence. We value learning experientially, exhibiting kindness, and honoring diversity." Progressive schools often ignite curiosity about learning with their youngest students by inviting them to prepare family trees or family heritage projects in which they interview family members to deepen their knowledge about their cultural identity. In AT Modern European History, we believe the key to mastering investigatory research is to nurture your own spirit of scholarship by diving deep into complicated arcs of history deeply personal to you and your family. Therefore, what key historical events have altered the trajectory of your family's history? Why? How come?
During decades of teaching AT Modern European History, your teachers have encountered countless students with curious and sophisticated questions about their own backgrounds, usually from stories passed on in their families. Examples include turning points in the histories of Ethiopia, India, China, Ukraine, Romania, Israel, Russia, Italy, Greece, Germany, Ireland, and Ellis Island. Other students chose topics more closely tailored to other aspects of their identity, such as gender, occupation, or religion (e.g., feminist art, mechanical applied science, or Islamic cultural influences). Many of these papers have gone on to be published in InFlame (e.g., Chinese nationalism, Italian-Jewish life, partition of India). Linked here. Such personal, investigative works are popularly published as well. For example, see Alex Wagner's new book on her Burmese-American history and identity.
Your teachers will use real samples to model best practices in historical research, using Angie Miller's brand-new book It's A Matter of Fact: Teaching Students Research Skills in Today's Information Packed World. Each of us will use actual research topics to model research skills:
- British pledge of independence to Assyrians in the Ottoman Empire during World War I
- the genocide of Armenians and Assyrians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I (sample scholarly article written by Ms. Gerst's brother, as well as another here). Here is a video clip of another scholar discussing his own family's "secret."
- the ideological diversity of the revolutionaries in the Iranian revolution of 1979
- push and pull factors which led to Greek immigration through (and after the closure of) Ellis Island (sample recollection from Mr. Janus's father)
- the role of the Royal Scots in quashing anti-imperial resistance movements in India and China in the 19th century
Of note, we will expand your research sources to include those found in Regenstein Library and using Boolean search filters to locate and narrow electronic, subscription database sources in an efficient and effective manner. Using Miller's book, we will teach you what is better than Google. To ensure that you are not procrastinating, we will assign your annotated bibliography and your research paper through Google Drive using Schoology: this means that we may peek at your progress at any time during the Unit (November 8-December 13) through a mere click of keys on our own computers. Having enrolled in an AT class, you committed yourself to independent and responsible work habits. Calendar the dates below.
Schedule and Due Dates
(Week 10, Nov. 8-10): homework over three day weekend: Using THIS handout and THIS model, presearch to explore two topics.
Monday, November 11
Your "Moving From General to Specific" Research Topic for two potential topics is due in class. Your teachers will advise you as to which topic is more likely to yield source materials accessible to you.
(Week 11, Nov 11-15): 4 class work periods will be provided to
Friday, November 15 deadline (you may turn this in as early as you complete it)
Your first four primary and secondary sources are due in the form of annotated bibliography. These should come from a variety of media, including books, electronic subscription databases, and .edu web sources.
(Week 12, Nov 18-22): 4 more class work periods will be provided to
find 4 more sources and finalize your annotated bibliography
Friday, November 22 (3:05 pm deadline) (you may turn this in as early as you complete it)
Your full annotated bibliography, totalling eight primary and secondary sources, is due. At this point, you must have at least two relevant primary sources, two books, two electronic subscription databases, and two .edu web sources. Your other two sources are up to you. You may have more than eight sources. You should also write a no-nonsense, self-assessment explaining exactly what steps you took to acquire NEW research skills over the last two weeks and your rough working thesis (not your polished, final catena-like thesis). Sample annotated bibligraphies may be found HERE and HERE.
NO STUDENT WORK THANKSGIVING BREAK
Your job is done for now, relax and enjoy family time! This week is for your teachers to comb through your work so far to provide you with feedback on Monday, December 2. We will not contact you or your families over break. Nor will we provide you with information regarding the format of the research paper, so as to protect against you starting this paper before school resumes.
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