Students will analyze a major battle, campaign, or theme related to the First World War.
See possible essay topics below. Term papers should be between 7 and 8 pages in length, and be drawn from some of the most important works relevant to the topic. You must
make use of a reasonable number of different sources—at least SIX monographs, or the
equivalent in academic articles (about two articles are equivalent of one book). The
course textbooks do NOT count toward this total. In most cases you will also be able to use primary sources. If you wish to use an internet source, you MUST have it approved by the
instructor first. Papers must conform to the Chicago Manual of Style, use Times New
Roman, font size 12, and be double-spaced.
Topic – The Canadian Corps
Rough thesis:
Canada joined the war as the Canadian Expeditionary Force, a single division under British command. By the war’s end, the Canadian Corps was firmly established and recognized
as an exceptional military force. The decentralized command structure encouraged junior officers to take initiative, meaning they were better prepared to adapt to rapidly changing dynamics on the battlefield and make tactical decisions without having to rely on
communication with higher command which had the potential to be delayed or
misinformed due to the ever-changing circumstances of trench warfare. Their success
was spurred on by their use of tactics such as the creeping barrage, which required unity among infantry and artillery.