the paper should be analytical in nature, using our assigned primary source (first-hand or eye witness account) readings by Sajer and Sledge.
It should use these readings to compare and contrast the combat experiences of two men during World War II.
each graduate student will write a paper (10 pages). The paper will be double spaced and typed using 12pt font and inch margins. Note: a graduate student is not a graduating BA or BS undergraduate student. Only graduate students write the paper, not undergraduate students.
Topic: the paper will explore the following topic: the experiences of combatants in different theaters of war focusing on the Frenchman Guy Sajer (Eastern Front) fighting on the Axis side and the American Eugene Sledge (Pacific) fighting on the Allied.
Question: the paper will answer the following question: to what extent did the combat experiences of Sajer and Sledge differ?
Thesis: the first step in writing the paper is to formulate a thesis statement. Your thesis statement is a single sentence that directly answers the question above. It should move beyond claiming that the Sajer and Sledge were simply different men on different sides with nothing in common. The focus is on the experiences of combat, not mainly on ideology.
Support: this paper is not a narrative of one event after another. Instead, the paper should provide examples from our reading that support your thesis statement. Your examples should be as specific and detailed as possible, not vague or general. Instead, examples should be used to support generalizations.
Counter Evidence: Your paper should acknowledge counter evidence. For instance, if your thesis focuses on the differences between the experiences of Sajer and Sledge, you must also acknowledge that certain factors were the same in both theaters of war. Of course, the reverse is true as well.
Obviously, the two men fought on different sides during the war. That said, did they have experiences in common? For instance, did both men undergo harsh rigorous training? On the other hand, did one face greater hardships than the other when it came to training or combat? If not, why not? Did both men find it difficult to convey the true experience of war to loved ones? Though ideology does not play much of a role, can it be discovered at times? If ideology is a lesser factor, why do the the two men fight? Both men wrote their account of the war years after the conflict had ended. How might this pose a problem in terms of accuracy? Also, how might being on the winning side or losing side in the war influence how one recalls the conflict?
Format: the thesis should come as the last sentence of your introductory paragraph. Your paper should have a concluding paragraph.
Grammar: Correct grammar and spelling must be used throughout your paper; do not use slang or text language. Though war is obscene by nature, do not use vulgar language unless quoting directly from a source.
Plagiarism: The paper must be your own work and use your own words; do not collaborate in writing this paper; do not cut and paste material from the internet. Review syllabus concerning plagiarism. The paper will be submitted to turnitin on Moodle.
Sources: The paper should draw supporting examples from our Sajer and Sledge books. Other sources may be used but not until Sajer and Sledge have been thoroughly mined. This is not a research paper but a comparison and contrast paper.
Documenting Sources:
Be sure to use the Chicago style to document your sources.
Keep in mind that encyclopedias and textbooks are not generally used as cited sources.
- Do not use Wikipedia as a cited source.
- Do not use encyclopedias as cited sources.
- Do not use the Lyons textbook as a cited source.
Any additional sources used or cited must be accessible via Google by the instructor.
These sources should not include .com sites.
Paraphrasing: If your paper reworks an existing sentence or part of a sentence from a source, you are paraphrasing and paraphrased material must be cited.
Quotations: If your paper uses sentences or parts of sentences from a source or sources, you are quoting and quotations must be cited. To do so, use quotation marks to surround your quote. Do not quote more than three lines at a time. Quotes should be used sparingly. In addition, to complete the citation, your quotation must indicate its source by citing it.
Bibliography: Your paper must have a bibliography formatted in the Chicago Style.
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