The assignment—which should be 750-1000 words long, overall—should include the two following parts. First, a topic overview of approximately 250 words in which you discuss essential information regarding your topic—for example, where it happened, when it happened, what happened, who was involved, etc.—and provide a main argument, or thesis, that explains which particular aspect of your topic you anticipate focusing on, and illuminating, in the Research Essay. You will not be required to explore this thesis for the Research Essay, if it turns out you would like to focus on something else for that assignment. The topic overview must include detailed examples drawn from all three of the sources analyzed in the second part of the assignment, about which more will be said. Also: it should be accompanied by footnotes formatted according to the Chicago Manual of Style (see the Citation Guide on blackboard for instructions and examples). The citations must include specific page numbers explaining where, in particular, you found the information you have discussed.
The Essay Preparation Assignment should not be “aspirational.” That is, it should not simply pose a series of questions, or mention several broad themes, that you hope (or aspire) to address in the Research Essay. Instead, it should demonstrate that you have attained substantial knowledge regarding your topic, and have developed a clear focus on which you can, and will, build in the Research Essay, i.e. a thesis.
The second part of the assignment is an Annotated Bibliography. Here, you will examine three sources on your topic. One of these sources must be a scholarly monograph, or book, while another must be a scholarly journal article. The third source can be either another monograph or another journal article—the choice is up to you. Each of the annotated bibliography entries must be between 150 and 250 words in length and should explain, in a detailed manner, a) what the source is about; and b) how, specifically, it will benefit your Research Essay. More precisely, each annotated bibliography entry must engage meaningfully with whichever source you’re discussing. By “meaningfully” I mean that you must integrate into each entry at least two specific pieces of information—e.g. a quote, a statistic, a paraphrased statement—drawn from the relevant source. Including more than two specific pieces of information in the various is perfectly fine, if you wish to do so.
Each entry should begin by providing citation information on the source you will be writing about that conforms to the Chicago Manual of Style as well as the relevant/corresponding library call number, for hard copy sources, or web address, for electronic sources. The entries themselves should provide specific examples drawn from the various sources, detailed analysis expressed in your own words, and citations mentioning page numbers. Submit the assignment electronically, via blackboard, preferably as a ‘pdf’ file. The first page must provide your name and the course code. Whether this information appears on a standalone title page, or on the first page of the essay itself, is up to the individual student