The final project is due Thursday, October 10th, by 11:59 pm AZ time. This is a firm deadline, as grades for the course are due soon after. For the final project, you will write a research paper that explores genocide comparatively and engage four primary and eight secondary sources.
The essay will explore a significant theme, issue, or topic using at least two genocides as case studies/comparisons covered in this course. It should be 1800-2200 words. Citations need to comply with the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition. The text should be double-spaced and in 12-point font. The paper will be submitted through Canvas and should be in Microsoft Word format.
Historical comparisons are more complex than they may appear at first, and doing so concerning genocide and mass atrocity is no different. While the results of genocide often look tragically similar, each one occurs within a unique and particular context. Like any solid historical comparison, this essay should demonstrate a good grasp of the local or regional historical contexts being analyzed and a critical attentiveness to their connections, similarities, and differences. However, your essay needs to go beyond just denoting the differences and similarities. You MUST make an argument about what they tell us (this is where using a central course theme – nationalism, colonialism, modernity, etc, or a combination of themes – helps!).
Since this essay is relatively short, it is best to focus on a specific theme, topic, or issue that you can articulate clearly. The basis for comparison should arise from carefully reading and analyzing primary sources relevant to the theme, topic, or issue you are comparing. Primary sources include oral histories, media (contemporary radio, newspaper, and television), diaries, speeches, sermons, court/tribunal records, etc.
If you have trouble thinking of a topic, here are some ways to start:
- Review the prospectus and the bibliography and engage the instructor’s response.
- Look through the suggested readings the instructors have compiled and search databases like the USHMM or the Shoah Foundation to see if there are other testimonies or primary sources that will help you expand on this topic.
- Write what you are trying to compare in 1 or 2 straightforward sentences. The simpler you can express it, the better. The more explanatory sentences, the better, too – something with a “because” is usually the sign of a strong argument.
- Consult your four primary sources; what do they say, and what do they leave out?
- Use at least eight appropriate and relevant secondary scholarly sources to contextualize the contents of the primary source materials more robustly. These also allow you to connect your comparative analysis to scholars’ arguments about these genocides. The secondary sources should be peer-reviewed (think a historical book or article in a reputable journal). If not, you should not consult online sources heavily unless they are from solid .edu or .gov sites. Do not cite online encyclopedias, Wikipedia, and history.com, even though you might use these (using them is not recommended!)
Grading will be based on the following instructions:
Having a clear, specific, and explanatory thesis
Developing an argument that explores two genocides based on a common theme, topic, or issue (or several).
Incorporating appropriate and substantial primary and secondary sources into the central argument.
Properly formatting and correctly citing sources. You should have at least eight peer-reviewed academic sources and four primary sources (testimonies count as primary sources).
I am writing in a clear and grammatically correct style.