The instructions for this paper are below and the paper will be on 4 sources (2 primary and 2 secondary) that detail how the discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia transformed its development. You may personally select these sources. Below the instructions I will attach an excerpt with more information on the topic that must be researched. Please include every aspect mentioned in the instructions and in the excerpt on the topic when searching for the sources that you will write about (the relation between Saudi Arabia and Venezuela and what Saudi Arabia did different to maintain economic prosperity while Venezuela has experienced economic collapse will be important), and remember that this paper is purely describing these sources and how they will be used in a final paper on the topic.
Write a 4-5 page paper* describing at least two primary and two secondary sources you have discovered through original research.** Describe the sources and how you intend to use them. The best format is likely to be a paper written in two sections, one for each type of source.
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For the primary sources please consult the “primary source guide” for examples of the sorts of questions you should be asking from them. Additionally, how do they relate to your topic? How can you use them in conjunction with primary sources used in class? (if applicable).
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For the secondary sources please also explain how these relate to your topic, each other and, if applicable, sources on similar topics among the course readings. Another way of framing this is to examine what debates these scholars are engaged in. Make sure you choose sources you can use together.
This research topic will be on how the discovery of oil in
Saudi Arabia transformed its development. This is a topic that is of great
interest to me because we all know that Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s
leading oil producers, 2nd only to Venezuela in the size of their
oil reserves. However, unlike Venezuela, Saudi Arabia is a wealthy country
(Venezuela used to be too before their economy collapsed), so I would like to
learn how did Saudis live and how did the nation function prior to the discovery
of oil, how was this leveraged to transform the nation’s economy and lifestyle,
and what is Saudi Arabia doing differently from Venezuela to avoid falling into
the same situation Venezuela has found itself in which has lead to a large
scale migration crisis. My preliminary research is limited to when oil began to
be drilled in Saudi Arabia (1938), and the base of its economy prior to this
(herding, agriculture, and tourism from pilgrimages to Mecca by other Muslims).
In addition to preliminary research, I have pre-existing knowledge of
Venezuela’s economic situation and how it lead to a large scale migration
crisis that affects a multitude of nations in the Americas and across the
ocean.