Click here for a guide to primary sources, assembled by Lauinger librarian Jieun Kang.
Imagine a scenario in which the United States or the Soviet Union had attempted to settle the Moon, Mars, or Venus in the 1970s. Ask yourself:
Remember: this is a history paper, which means that you need to examine historical relationships by analyzing historical sources. But it is also an interdisciplinary paper, because it requires you to draw on disciplines beyond history – including, especially, planetary science. Note that while I expect you to do your best in answering these questions, I am not expecting a particular answer. You will be graded for your reasoning, argumentation, and your use of sources, not for providing the right response.
The trick to completing this assignment will be to craft a thesis – an argument – that effectively combines your answers to these questions. We’ll discuss how to do that in class. The assignment also consists of several steps that will allow me to guide you through the process of writing it – and then let you communicate your findings to your peers.
Annotated Bibliography:
First, find at least one primary source that will help you compose an argument relevant to these questions. For a guide to reading primary sources, click here (if you’ve printed out this syllabus, the link is: http://users.clas.ufl.edu/sterk/junsem/reading.html). Your interpretation of your primary source(s), and your investigation of the history it allows you to examine, should be supported by secondary sources: that is, scholarship written about your topic.
Now, plan out your essay in an annotated bibliography. In your first page, provide a preliminary thesis statement that you will defend using your primary and secondary sources (this should be no longer than a paragraph). Now, list and describe your primary source(s). This should be no longer than a page.
List your secondary sources on the following pages. These sources should cover an issue relevant to the hypothesis you have presented. They should be written after 1960, unless I approve your use of an older source. You should use no fewer than seven books, with one book equalling two articles (in other words, you can use four books and six articles, for example). Each secondary source citation should be accompanied by a short paragraph clearly stating its argument, the strengths and weaknesses of that argument, and how it compares to the positions taken in your other secondary sources. In every source description – including your description of your primary source – explain how the source will help you defend your thesis.
Contact me at least one week before the annotated bibliography due date to confirm your topic with me. I am happy to offer suggestions for where you might look for primary sources.
Essay:
After I return your annotated bibliography with my grade and recommendations, you will begin drafting your essay. I strongly encourage you to meet with me as you write the essay, and to begin writing well before the submission deadline. Your completed essay should be 15 pages long and no more than 4,000 words (see below for formatting instructions). You may include images, but they will not count towards your page total.
Presentation:
After you submit your essay, you will give a short (5-minute) presentation to the class that explains how you answered the questions I posed.
- What social, political, or economic forces needed to align to make such a program possible in either country?
- What world – Mars, Venus, or the Moon – would policymakers, bureaucrats, engineers, and scientists have chosen to settle? What discrete environment in each world would they have targeted for settlement?
- What technical and practical obstacles would the Soviet or American space programs have had to overcome to settle in this environment?
- Would a settlement attempt have succeeded? What would have been the historical significance of the effort?
Remember: this is a history paper, which means that you need to examine historical relationships by analyzing historical sources. But it is also an interdisciplinary paper, because it requires you to draw on disciplines beyond history – including, especially, planetary science. Note that while I expect you to do your best in answering these questions, I am not expecting a particular answer. You will be graded for your reasoning, argumentation, and your use of sources, not for providing the right response.
The trick to completing this assignment will be to craft a thesis – an argument – that effectively combines your answers to these questions. We’ll discuss how to do that in class. The assignment also consists of several steps that will allow me to guide you through the process of writing it – and then let you communicate your findings to your peers.
Annotated Bibliography:
First, find at least one primary source that will help you compose an argument relevant to these questions. For a guide to reading primary sources, click here (if you’ve printed out this syllabus, the link is: http://users.clas.ufl.edu/sterk/junsem/reading.html). Your interpretation of your primary source(s), and your investigation of the history it allows you to examine, should be supported by secondary sources: that is, scholarship written about your topic.
Now, plan out your essay in an annotated bibliography. In your first page, provide a preliminary thesis statement that you will defend using your primary and secondary sources (this should be no longer than a paragraph). Now, list and describe your primary source(s). This should be no longer than a page.
List your secondary sources on the following pages. These sources should cover an issue relevant to the hypothesis you have presented. They should be written after 1960, unless I approve your use of an older source. You should use no fewer than seven books, with one book equalling two articles (in other words, you can use four books and six articles, for example). Each secondary source citation should be accompanied by a short paragraph clearly stating its argument, the strengths and weaknesses of that argument, and how it compares to the positions taken in your other secondary sources. In every source description – including your description of your primary source – explain how the source will help you defend your thesis.
Contact me at least one week before the annotated bibliography due date to confirm your topic with me. I am happy to offer suggestions for where you might look for primary sources.
Essay:
After I return your annotated bibliography with my grade and recommendations, you will begin drafting your essay. I strongly encourage you to meet with me as you write the essay, and to begin writing well before the submission deadline. Your completed essay should be 15 pages long and no more than 4,000 words (see below for formatting instructions). You may include images, but they will not count towards your page total.
Presentation:
After you submit your essay, you will give a short (5-minute) presentation to the class that explains how you answered the questions I posed.