College Prep: Writing History Research Papers (Chicago Manual of Style)

Are you considering studying history in college?  Are you looking to improve your writing skills?  

In this class, students will learn how to craft, research, write and cite a 6-8 page research paper on a historical topic of their choosing.   This class uses the Chicago Manual of Style citation system, which is commonly used by historians.  There will be several written assignments leading up to the final paper.

Week One: Choosing a topic.  How do you choose a topic for a research paper?  How do we find the balance between a topic that is interesting and a topic that is easy to research?   Homework for this class:  Students will write a short essay about the topic they want to research for their final paper and why they want to research it.  It's okay if you change your mind!  This is just a warm-up.

Week Two:  Finding sources.  How do we research effectively in the information age?  How can we tell good sources from unreliable ones?  Homework for this class: Students will come up with a preliminary bibliography for their paper.  A trip to the library is encouraged this week.

Week Three: Citation citation citation!  How do you cite?  When?  This class is all about showing where you found your information.  There will be a Chicago Manual of Style citation exercise for homework this week

Week Four: Outline and structure.  Students will learn how to write an outline in order to give their essay shape and structure.  Homework: Create an outline for your final paper!

Week Five: Using the outline to guide your paper.  Students will start using their outlines to write their papers.  There is no formal lecture or instruction this week.  Instead, treat it like an office hour to ask questions and get guidance on your paper.  Homework: Start writing!

Week Six: Keep writing!  Class this week will be another "office hour" type session,  where students can ask questions and get input on what they have written so far.  Homework: Finish the rough draft.  Please submit the rough draft 24 hours before class on Week 7 to allow the teacher to read and make suggestions on your paper.

Week Seven: Review, revise, edit.  Students will receive their rough drafts with comments and we will go over what students can do to improve their essay.  This can be done individually or as a group peer review, depending on the students' comfort levels.  Homework:  Take the suggestions and write a final draft!  Please submit the final draft 24 hours before class on Week 8.

Week Eight:  Students will present their papers to the class and we will discuss and critique each one.