Once More Leaning On the Crutch of Professionalism

2002-04-25 - 2:31 p.m.

I'm leaving for class shortly, but I thought I'd put this up, as a varient to my postings of previously given tests or quizes. Before anybody says anything, I know I need to write a more substantive entry soon rather than just recycling my professional output, but things have been a little harried around here the last week or so, and something's better than nothing (or at least not worse, is the hope). And I know that some of these topics are a little difficult for high school, and some would be very hard to fit into five pages (or 500, if you've a PhD). What I'm really hoping for is that students come to me with topics of their own of a similarly serious tone, or give a high-school-and-a-half level effort at one of those listed (this is extra credit, designed to help hone skills for social studies work in college, such as footnoting, research methods, and the historical mindset, so the product is less important than the productivity, if that makes any sense at all). That said, here's what I'm handing out in an hour or two:

Topics for 5-page research paper, American History:

Any topic cleared with me in advance

Any essay question given on a test, bonus or otherwise

The colonization story of any future state

Short biographies of any of the following:

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, James Madison, John Adams, Sam Adams, Ben Franklin, Gen. Cornwallis, Benedict Arnold, Thomas Gage, King George III, Squanto, King Phillip, Pontiac, John Hancock, James Oglethorpe, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Townshend

Or any other approved by me. Sam Adams and Thomas Gage are likely to be the most difficult, but are as rewarding as any of the others in terms of interest. You may also choose to examine one facet of any of the above, provided enough detail can be provided to fill five pages well, (the presidency or military career of Washington or the statesmanship, publishing career, or diplomacy of either Jefferson or Franklin for example).

The founding of Jamestown and the early years of that settlement (just prior to our course).

Short survey histories of any of the following Indian nations:

Mohawk, Seneca, Iroquois generally, Cherokee, Fox, Delaware, Ottawa

Or any other approved by me. Must have lived in the areas the east of the Mississippi at some time through the Jackson Presidency.

A brief military account of The French and Indian War, King Phillip’s War, Pontiac’s Rebellion, or the Indian uprising under Little Turtle I'd likely pick one of these, though in real life I did a 25-pager on Franklin's diplomacy.

Native-European relations in French Canada

Old World landings in the Americas prior to Columbus (Leif Erickson is probably the easiest here, though there were other Scandinavian landings, and discussions of possible Roman, Greek, Egyptian, or African interactions, individually or collectively, are fine, so long as they are addressed with an impartial, academic tone). Wheel would do a bang-up job of the "possibles," I'm sure.

A compare/contrast between life in England in a specific region or social/economic group and the colony that they later went to. A chipshot for Padraig, I'm guessing.

A compare/contrast of life for a Puritan who remained in England, fled to the Low Countries, or came to America

A compare/contrast of the government of Great Britain and the U.S. by 1800, (or some other landmark time prior). A compare/contrast between the U.S. or colonies at or prior to 1800 and today is possible, but research into the government of today is expected- vague statements or impressions are insufficient.

A discussion of the diplomacy of the American Revolution, told from the state level, (i.e. the position of America, France, Spain, Great Britain and others on various topics at various times and why- a multi-perspective survey of the diplomacy of the time; this may prove too difficult if you are not comfortable with international diplomacy as a topic generally). If Actionhero was forbidden war, I'd guess this'd be his thing.

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