thesis paper

16-18 pages (double space, 12 point font, 1 inch margins). Each paper should a.) make an argument b.) critically review the associated secondary literature, and c.) use primary sources to support your argument. About two thirds (2/3) of the paper should be devoted to discussing and analyzing primary source material you have uncovered. This paper is worth 450 points (45 percent of the total grade). Introduction: this may take two to three pages Anecdote, historical event, or detail to hook the reader Introduce topic Introduce thesis (overall argument) and discuss implications of thesis (occasionally the thesis can go after the Background or be incorporated into the Literature Review) Background: this is a short section that can lay out chronology and the basic and usually undisputable facts Literature Review: This usually takes two to three pages or perhaps more. This is the section where you discuss what other scholars/historians have written about your subject (the secondary sources). You need to do some picking and choosing here and this section shouldn't be too long, but it should be fair to those you analyze and it should show how the field has developed over time. Use this section to set up your argument. What have scholars before argued or found out? And how is what I am exploring build on this or perhaps go in a new direction? Body: this section is the longest and most comprehensive part of the paper. It should comprise about two-thirds of your total paper length. It should mostly deal with your analysis of primary sources. Each paragraph should, in some way or another, connect back to your overall thesis. Conclusion: this section shouldn't be more than two pages. This final section can restate the thesis, refer back to the topics or themes in the introduction, explain where historians/scholars can go from here now that you have proved point X, etc. What is the topic of your thesis paper? History What specific aspect of history is your thesis focusing on? Civil rights in the south What is the main research question or objective of your thesis regarding civil rights in the South? Analyzing social movements and strategies