Week 1 history

• First, pick an event or topic in US history that you are interested in (needs to be at least 10 years ago). I know choosing a topic that interest you might seem obvious, but it really does make the writing and research much easier.
• Second, conduct some preliminary research so you have the background and can get some ideas on how to narrow the topic and research questions
• Third, think about what interests you on the topic/event for your research questions. The research questions should be narrow rather than broad as this is a 4-6 page paper.
• You must offer background for your event and why it is significant, meaning why is the event important in history?
• You can use any of the events and scholarly articles (the links to journal articles) that we cover in our weekly themes for your projects. 

Once you 

have decided on a topic, you will then refine your choice into a focused research question.  A good research question is imperative for it will set the boundaries for your paper, and help guide your efforts.  In developing a research question, you should ask yourself questions such as:

 

• What happened?
• Who was involved?
• Where did the event take place?
• Why did the event occur?
• When did the event occur?
• How did the event happen?
• What was the outcome, if any?
• Is there an element about this topic that has not yet been explored?