1
Description
Paper assignment: you will write a 7-8 page (double spaced) original paper using three
secondary sources grouped topically. You will select the topic of most interest to you and
prepare an analytical paper using the required sources for your topic. Follow the instructions
below on the parameters, topics, and strategies to structure, write, and cite your paper.
Parameters and Instructions
Length: 7-8 pages double-spaced (full pages, not two lines on pg 7)
Due Date: 4/11
Where to turn in Paper: Assignments tab on Brightspace
Grading Rubric:
- Argument: Provide a clear thesis argument for the paper.
- Evidence: Use at least 6-7 topics from the books as evidence examples to prove your
thesis argument (this makes up the body of your paper). - Writing: Use proper writing precepts and make no grammatical mistakes. Use the writing
and grammar guide below as you write and edit your paper. - Citation: Use proper in-text citation for both summary of authors’ ideas and direct quotes.
Use citation section below on how to cite paper books, e-books, and the reader. - Works cited page: must be included (does NOT count as one of your 7-8 pages)
Paper Guidelines, Topic Options, and Required Sources
Choose a topic from list of grouped sources below. Each topic contains three secondary source
books.You must use these sources to complete your paper as they will serve as the evidence
for your analysis about a topic in American maritime history.
There is no prompt for this paper, only the assigned sources arranged by topic. It will be up to
you to decide what your argument will be after reading and analyzing the sources on this topic.
Use the publication information below for easy access your materials. I have included the
CSUM library links for all the books. The library has free ebook access to most of the secondary
sources below through our library website, and there are physical copies of all the books
available on reserve as well. I can’t make enough of a pitch for interlibrary loan as well! The
library staff and I can help you if you do it early enough in the semester. Two topic sources are
100 percent available as ebooks through the library. The others may require you to acquire one
of the sources to complete the topic research. I wanted to offer a range of options based on
interest, accessibility, and cost effectiveness.
2
Potential Paper Topics with their Required Sources
Environment and Fisheries
(100 percent online sourcing via CSUM library)
W. Jeffrey Bolster, The Mortal Sea (Cambridge: Bellknap Press), 2012. ISBN-10: 0674047656; ISBN-13:
978-0674047655
https://csum-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?
docid=01CALS_ALMA71377340630002901&vid=01CALS_MAL&search_scope=01CALS_MAL&tab=ever
ything&lang=en_US&context=L
Matthew Mckenzie, Clearing the Coastline:The Nineteenth Century Ecological and Cultural
Transformations of Cape Cod (Lebanon, NH: University Press of New England), 2011. ISBN-10:
158465919X; ISBN-13: 978-1584659198
https://csum-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?
docid=01CALS_ALMA51438567220002901&vid=01CALS_MAL&search_scope=01CALS_MAL&tab=ever
ything&lang=en_US&context=L
Helen Rozwadowski, Fathoming the Ocean: The Discovery and Exploration of the Deep Sea (Cambridge:
Harvard University Press), 2009. ISBN-10: 0674027566; ISBN-13: 978-0674027565
https://csum-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?
docid=01CALS_ALMA71423553550002901&vid=01CALS_MAL&search_scope=01CALS_MAL&tab=ever
ything&lang=en_US&context=L
Sailors: Roles, Rights, and Race
(100 percent online sourcing via CSUM library)
W. Jeffrey Bolster, Black Jacks: African American Seamen in the Age of Sail (Cambridge: Harvard
University Press), 1998. ISBN-10: 0674076273; ISBN-13: 978-0674076273
https://csum-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?
docid=01CALS_ALMA51437277280002901&vid=01CALS_MAL&search_scope=01CALS_MAL&tab=ever
ything&lang=en_US&context=L
Nancy Shoemaker, Native American Whalemen in the World: Indigenous Encounters and the
Contingency of Race (Chapel Hill: UNC Press), 2015. ISBN-10: 1469622572; ISBN-13: 978-1469622576
https://csum-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?
docid=01CALS_ALMA71370508830002901&vid=01CALS_MAL&search_scope=01CALS_MAL&tab=ever
ything&lang=en_US&context=L
Daniel Vickers, Young Men and the Sea (Yale University Press), 2007. ISBN-10: 0300123663; ISBN-13:
978-0300123661
https://csum-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?
docid=01CALS_ALMA71413527140002901&vid=01CALS_MAL&search_scope=01CALS_MAL&tab=ever
ything&lang=en_US&context=L
3
American Whaling in the World
(Igler and Shoemaker fully available online via CSUM library. Dolin book acquisition
required, either available in library on reserve, interlibrary loan, or for purchase online)
Eric Jay Dolin, Leviathan (New York: W.W. Norton), 2008. ISBN-10: 9780393331578; ISBN-13:
978-0393331578
https://csum-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?
docid=01CALS_ALMA71420479970002901&vid=01CALS_MAL&search_scope=01CALS_MAL&tab=ever
ything&lang=en_US&context=L
David Igler, The Great Ocean (Oxford: Oxford University Press), 2013. ISBN-10: 0199914958; ISBN-13:
978-0199914951
https://csum-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?
docid=01CALS_ALMA71378189720002901&vid=01CALS_MAL&search_scope=01CALS_MAL&tab=ever
ything&lang=en_US&context=L
Nancy Shoemaker, Native American Whalemen in the World: Indigenous Encounters and the
Contingency of Race (Chapel Hill: UNC Press), 2015. ISBN-10: 1469622572; ISBN-13: 978-1469622576
https://csum-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?
docid=01CALS_ALMA71370508830002901&vid=01CALS_MAL&search_scope=01CALS_MAL&tab=ever
ything&lang=en_US&context=L
Warfare in the Age of Sail
(Symonds and Magra fully available online via CSUM library. Daughan book acquisition
required, either available in library on reserve, interlibrary loan, or for purchase online)
George Daughan, If by Sea: Forging of the American Navy from the Revolution to the War of 1812 (Basic
Books), 2011. ISBN-10: 0465025145; ISBN-13: 978-0465025145
https://csum-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?
docid=01CALS_ALMA71430398780002901&vid=01CALS_MAL&search_scope=01CALS_MAL&tab=ever
ything&lang=en_US&context=L ;
Christopher Magra, The Fisherman’s Cause: Atlantic Commerce and Maritime Dimensions of the
American Revolution (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), 2012. ISBN-10: 1107403979; ISBN-13:
978-1107403970
https://csum-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?
docid=01CALS_ALMA71373021190002901&vid=01CALS_MAL&search_scope=01CALS_MAL&tab=ever
ything&lang=en_US&context=L
Craig L.. Symonds, The US Navy: A Concise History (Oxford: Oxford University Press), 2016. ISBN-10:
0199394946; ISBN-13: 978-0199394944
https://csum-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?
docid=01CALS_ALMA51485520060002901&vid=01CALS_MAL&search_scope=01CALS_MAL&tab=ever
ything&lang=en_US&context=L
4
Gender and Maritime Society
(Druett and Shoemaker fully available online via CSUM library. Norling book acquisition
required, either available in library on reserve, interlibrary loan, or for purchase online)
Joan Druett, Hen Frigates: Wives of Merchant Captains under Sail (New York: Simon and Schuster), - ISBN-10: 0684854341; ISBN-13: 978-0684854342
https://csum-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?
docid=01CALS_ALMA71383930350002901&vid=01CALS_MAL&search_scope=01CALS_MAL&tab=ever
ything&lang=en_US&context=L
Lisa Norling, Captain Ahab had a Wife: New England Women and the Whalefishery, 1720-1870 (Chapel
Hill: UNC Press), 2000. ISBN-10: 0807848700; ISBN-13: 978-0807848708
https://csum-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?
docid=01CALS_ALMA71395503550002901&vid=01CALS_MAL&search_scope=01CALS_MAL&tab=ever
ything&lang=en_US&context=L
Nancy Shoemaker, Native American Whalemen in the World: Indigenous Encounters and the
Contingency of Race (Chapel Hill: UNC Press), 2015. ISBN-10: 1469622572; ISBN-13: 978-1469622576
https://csum-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?
docid=01CALS_ALMA71370508830002901&vid=01CALS_MAL&search_scope=01CALS_MAL&tab=ever
ything&lang=en_US&context=L
Maritime Technology: Economy, Travel, and Society
(Stone fully available online via CSUM library. Fox and Sheriff book acquisition required,
either available in library on reserve, interlibrary loan, or for purchase online)
Stephen Fox, Transatlantic: Samuel Cunard, Isambard Brunel, and the Great Atlantic Steamships (Harper
Perennial), 2004. ISBN-10: 006095549X; ISBN-13: 978-0060955496
https://csum-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?
docid=01CALS_ALMA71417402030002901&vid=01CALS_MAL&search_scope=01CALS_MAL&tab=ever
ything&lang=en_US&context=L ;
Carol Sheriff, The Artificial River (New York: Hill and Wang), 1997. ISBN-10: 0809016052; ISBN-13:
978-0809016051
https://csum-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?
docid=01CALS_ALMA71406272360002901&vid=01CALS_MAL&search_scope=01CALS_MAL&tab=ever
ything&lang=en_US&context=L
Joel Stone, Floating Palaces of the Great Lakes (University of Michigan), 2015. ISBN-10: 047205175X;
ISBN-13: 978-0472051755
https://csum-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?
docid=01CALS_ALMA71389813000002901&vid=01CALS_MAL&search_scope=01CALS_MAL&tab=ever
ything&lang=en_US&context=L
5
How to Structure and Write an Analytical History Paper
Thesis: A thesis is the central argument of your paper. It will come generally as the last few
sentences of your first introductory paragraph. The thesis will sum up your argument for the rest
of your paper. Think carefully about you thesis. Brainstorm the ideas surrounding your general
argument first, then look at the evidence before you make your final thesis statement. Every
following paragraph in your paper should be considered a mini-thesis—in other words, it will
support one specific part of your argument. The topic sentence of each new paragraph will point
directly back to your thesis statement. The body of each paragraph will take your evidence,
through analysis and quotes, to support your paragraph topic and thus your thesis statement.
Evidence: The point of this paper is to get you to think critically about the historical evidence
presented to you. The historians in your book use primary sources to make their arguments,
and you’ll use their books to bolster your own thesis. Your job is to see how these sources can
prove the larger story of American history on which you are writing. Above all, I want to stress
that you need to makes these papers in your own words, and not just use large passages
quoted or summarized by the authors of the book or primary documents.
Writing: This is not a lengthy research paper. You have to pack a lot of information and analysis
into those few pages. Do not waste my time or yours by saying nothing. Use the space allotted
to you to persuade me of your argument. Demonstrate to me that you read your books, provide
key analysis from these sources, and persuade me of your argument.
As for writing precepts, I have already mentioned the importance of the thesis and the structure
and purpose of paragraphs. You should format your paper in a traditional way—introduction,
body, conclusion. Do not skimp on proper grammar and basic writing rules. Use the writing and
grammar guide as you write and edit your paper. You will be penalized heavily for silly and
sloppy mistakes. Do not rely on your spell check for the obvious misspellings that happen.
How to Cite this Paper
Historians approach any topic first and foremost through primary source evidence. For our
purposes, your evidence will only come from your three secondary source history books,
so please cite those materials accordingly.
MLA Citation: For this paper I will accept MLA Style in-text citation. This means when you cite a
source you will insert a parenthetical reference at the end of the sentence in which you use
ideas or a direct quote. You must cite the books every time you use a direct quote or
summarized information from the source. Remember that in addition to your in-text citation,
a Works Cited Page must be included and does NOT count as one of your 7-8 pages.
Source Formatting: You will be working from history books that may be an ebook or paper
printed book. Your citation may look a little different depending on a printed book or e-book. All
possible parenthetical citation are posted below. You must cite your paper with these citations.
Print Book Citation: Use (Author pg number). Ex. Woody Holton demonstrates the value of
political history through his deep analysis of Native Americans’ roles in the American Revolution
(Holton 23).
6
E-Book Citation: Use (author, chapter, paragraph). Kindle locations or vague arbitrary location
numbers are not acceptable, please make sure to get the reader to your source. Ex. Carol
Karlsen argues that family disputes involving property and inheritance sometimes resulted in
children accusing mothers of witchcraft (Karlsen Ch. 2, paragraph 23).
Reader Citation: Use (Reader, Unit, and page of PDF). Ex. Peter Wood explores African
expertise, labor, and skillset in cultivating rice in the Carolinas (Reader Unit Two, PDF 18).
Lecture Citation: If you must cite lecture, identify the professor and day of lecture (m/d/y). Ex.
Professor Metz explained that enslaved people made up 20 percent of the population of
America by 1770 (Metz 10/2/2020). Cite lecture sparingly.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism and Academic Integrity: I take plagiarism extremely seriously. If you are unclear,
plagiarism is intellectual theft. It is the conscious or sometimes unintentional use of scholars’
ideas and writing without acknowledging their source. Plagiarism is very serious, and I will not
tolerate it. That is why any kind of academic dishonesty or plagiarism will result in automatic
failure of the assignment, and depending on the severity of the plagiarism may mean automatic
failure of the entire course. Action may also be taken to the Academic Integrity Board. If you
have any doubts in your writing assignments or exams about what might be plagiarism, do not
hesitate to contact me or see me after class or in office hours. I am happy to help and to clarify.
In addition, students may find the complete Academic Integrity Policy available at the following:
https://www.csum.edu/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=ae78af01-0291-4d0fad97-060861e514d2&groupId=42499.
For quick reference, however, here are examples of plagiarism that will result in failure:
·Quoting the author’s work and not citing with (Author, #)—you must be able to distinguish your
analysis from the author’s work.
·Using the same quotes and ideas from book reviews found online—just because you cite the
page number and author doesn’t mean you did the reading or the work.
·Using the same quotes and ideas your colleague used in a past semester’s paper with your
own “analysis”—again, just because you cite it does not mean it’s your reading or your work.
·Using the same quotes and ideas you yourself used in a past semester’s paper—an original
paper requires you use new perspectives, ideas, and evidence for every course you take.
Your term papers will be submitted to our assignments tab on Brightspace, and will be screened
through turnitin.com as part of the assessment process.
7
Writing and Grammar Guide
Here are some of the most common writing and grammar errors and how to fix them. Edit your
papers carefully using these writing precepts:
PV: Passive Voice
Passive voice writing hides subjects and action verbs. Try as much as possible to keep your
subject and action verb together: (subject+action verb). Ex: The cherry tree was chopped down
by George Washington. Fix: George Washington chopped down the cherry tree.
IC: Intruding Clause
Intruding clauses are added descriptive snippets of information placed in between a subject and
action verbs. Fix intruding clauses by placing that extra information before or after the subject+
action verb. Ex: Ira Katznelson, looking at southern Democrats, examines policy in the New
Deal. Fix: Looking at southern Democrats, Ira Katznelson examines policy in the New Deal.
IQ: Introduce Quote
Whenever you introduce a quote, identify the quote’s origin. Inserting a quote without
introducing it causes confusion in your writing. Ex: “Grassroots organizing helped Orange
County conservatives attain political success in the 1960s.” Fix: According to Lisa McGirr,
“Grassroots organizing helped Orange County conservatives succeed in 1960s politics.”
HC: Homonym Confusion
Homonyms are two or more words spelled differently and with different definitions, but sound
the same phonetically. Examples include to, two, and too; there, their, and they’re; lead, led.
Avoiding this problem requires real editing, as spell check will not catch these errors.
Avoid “to be” Verbs:
Avoid verbs like was, were, has been, and would have been. These phrases are not only boring
but serve as the prime cause of passive voice writing.
Checklist of other Writing Issues to Avoid:
Under 100: spell the number
Over 100: use the number
Years and Dates: use the number (ex. 2016)
Centuries: spell out. Ex: twentieth century
Percentages: use the number and spell percent. Ex: 15 percent
Past vs. Present Tense: make sure your writing reflects the time period you reference. Do not
use present tense to describe the past, and do not use past tense when describing the present.
Book Titles: You must italicize or underline book titles. Ex: Fear Itself or The Fight to Vote
Page numbers: you must number your term paper pages
Parentheses: Avoid parenthetical asides ( ) when writing. Just say what you want to say.
Unnecessary Familiarity: Do not use I, me, we, us, our, or you in an analytical paper.
Novel Confusion: Do not use the term novel for your books. Novels are fiction, your term paper
books are fact-based. Describe them as books or monographs.
NO BLOCK QUOTES. Seriously. They are completely inappropriate for a paper this size.
0 comments