Question:
Paper instructions:
The paper has to make use of all the sources in the bibliography attached. The original topic/argument is inside along with the thesis statement, however as professor commented, my argument could not be backed up by the primary sources I provided. Can you help me think of a new argument related to The Opium War that could use all the sources I provided.
IAS 45: RESEARCH PAPER
Topic Due: February 25th
Primary Source(s) Due: March 18th
Thesis Paragraph & Bibliography Due: April 8th
Final Paper Due: April 24th
This course covers many different societies across millennia. This assignment asks you
to choose one crosscultural
encounter to evaluate. While you will need to pick a specific topic,
we encourage you to think expansively. You need not limit yourself to traditional narratives or
actors; race, gender, and class are all important issues in crosscultural
encounters. Below, we
outline the guidelines for this task. It is your job to find a reasonable topic within these
parameters that interests you. Then, through consultation with your GSI, you will narrow down
this topic and look for sources. You will then engage these sources, both analyzing primary
sources and considering them in the context of existing historiography. After becoming familiar
with your sources, you will craft an argument (not a story) using your evidence to support it. Your
paper must be 710
pages (doublespaced,
in 12point
font).
Method: Your paper should make an argument or claim based on the careful analysis of at
least one (and preferably two) primary sources, supported by the use of at least one secondary
source. The challenge here is to formulate a question that is both answerable (not too big) but
will also shed interesting light on one of the big themes of world history we have been discussing
this semester (not too small). You may not use sources assigned in this class nor can you use
sources that are entirely available on the internet, including but not limited to Wikipedia.
Topics: You must limit yourself to topics from the following themes and chronological periods
(broad examples below each).
● New Encounters in the Age of Exploration, 15th to 17th centuries
○ The Spanish Conquest, The Spread of Christianity, Slavery, Old and New World
Exchanges After Columbus, European Missions in Asia
● Industrial Revolution, mid18th
to mid19th
centuries
○ The Market/Industrious Revolution, The Rise of Labor, The Emergence of a
Global Market
● Age of Empire: Colonialism in Asia and Africa, 19th century
○ The Opium Wars, The Meiji Restoration, The Scramble for Africa, India, and
Southeast Asia
● Decolonization and the World Wars: First, Second, and Cold
○ The Russian Revolution, The Emergence of the First, Second, and Third Worlds
