Paper 1

 Due Friday by 23:59

 Points 100

 Submitting a file upload

Choose one of the three questions below. Write an essay of around 1,100
words in response. That should fill around five pages of double spaced text
in 12 point Times New Roman, but go by the word count. Submit the essay
as a Microsoft Word file.

Showing detailed knowledge of assigned readings and lecture material

is mandatory - you should engage with and cite at least five readings
from three different weeks of class. Finding additional relevant sources to
support your thesis is optional but encouraged.

Question Choices (answer ONE only)

1) Did the changes in scientific ideas about racial differences that took
place between the American Revolution and the 1930s play a crucial role
in shaping the lives and health of the inhabitants of the United States?
(Hint: to answer this question properly you need to talk about three
things: (first) how scientific ideas about racial differences changed over
the period, (second) how lives and health changed along racial lines
during the period, and (third) whether the changes in scientific thinking
were crucial in driving the changes in lives and health. Also remember
that you have to take a clear yes or no position on the third item as your
thesis statement).

2) Ideas about the causes of disease and its treatment changed

significantly from the early 1830s to the 1930s. Did the progress of
medical science over this period reduce or reinforce racial disparities in
health and life expectancy?
(Hint: to answer the question you'll need to talk about progress in medical
science from the 1830s to the 1930s, but focus the discussion on whether
that medical progress made racial disparities in health and life expectancy
better or worse. Your thesis statement needs to take a specific position on
this issue).
3) The Tuskegee Studies have become one of the most famous aspects of
the history of medicine in the US. Putting them in the broader context of
what you learned in the first half of this class, were the studies a horrifying
but isolated exception to the general pattern of science, race and
medicine in the history of the US? Or do they capture typical attitudes and
experiences in a particularly clear way?
(Hint: this question is NOT asking you whether the Tuskegee Studies were
racist or morally justifiable. The assumption is that they were a bad thing.
The question is whether they were an isolated exception or just an
extreme case of a broader pattern. Your thesis statement should come
down on one side or the other).

IMPORTANT: please paste the number and text of the question you are
choosing at the top of your paper, to make it easier to see whether or not
your paper has answered the question.

General Hints

1. Remember your audience. Your paper is not a private

communication between you and your professor or TA. You should have in
mind an audience of intelligent, well educated people who are not
necessarily experts in the topic of this paper. Remember also that there
are some things that we do in informal writing (contractions,
abbreviations, slang) that are not appropriate in formal writing.

2.. Have a thesis and state it. Your thesis is a clear, original answer to
the question posed. State it at the start of the paper. The rest of the paper
is all about elaborating on and supporting your thesis. By the end of the
paper it should have been clearly demonstrated.

3. Structure the paper into several sections. Each section supports

one aspect of your overall thesis, and provides detailed evidence for it.

4. Give supporting evidence. Strengthen your argument by referring

directly to the text of the readings and other sources. Don’t just
repeat what happened in the readings, interpret it. Analyze the evidence
to show how it supports your thesis. Quoting phrases or single sentences
is fine, but don’t include large chunks. Give page numbers for specific
points.

5. Do not plagiarize. Plagiarism is a serious offense and is grounds

for failing the entire course. This includes handing in a paper for which
you have received credit in another course (even if it is your work),
handing in someone else’s paper or a portion of their paper, or failing to
acknowledge (cite) your sources. Directly quoted material not placed
within quotation marks is also plagiarism, even if you do include a citation.
We reserve the right to run your paper through anti-plagiarism software.
6. Remember that there are two parts to citing sources -- an indication
at a specific point in your text where you use the material from the
source, and a full reference. That is true whether you use in-text citations,
like (Haigh, 2018) and put the references in a list at the end, or if you use
the other approach and insert a footnote with the full reference
in. Having a bibliography without footnotes or in-text citations
does not do the job of citing your sources and will hurt your grade
substantially.

7. Please read the syllabus policy on use of generative AI tools. Be aware

that submitting work with citations to non-existent sources may cause you
to fail the entire course.

Mechanics

1. Give you paper a title which indicates the subject of the paper and
your argument.

2. Double-space your papers, using 12 point Times New Roman

or an equivalent with margins of at least one inch all around.

3. Number the pages.

4. Always proof your paper. Read it carefully, from a printout if possible.

Reading it out loud is the best way of spotting typos. Not spotting typos is
the silliest way to lose marks. Remember, the spell checker does not know
what you actually meant to say.

How to Cite Sources

Academic authors base their arguments around the careful citation of

evidence. Whenever you directly quote someone’s work, report someone
else’s ideas, or present facts that are not common knowledge, you should
let your readers know your source and give enough information for them
to find that source. Even if you use your own words to restate another’s
ideas, failing to cite constitutes plagiarism.

There are many different conventions for citation, and these vary between
disciplines. The three main styles are APS, MLA, and Chicago though there
are many variations on each. Students from all over the university take
this class. You are therefore free to use whatever citation style you
are most comfortable with, as long as you are consistent and
follow a recognized style.

All citation systems do the same job. There are two pieces. There is an
anchor in the text, usually at the end of the sentence where you use facts
or include a quote from the work in question. This might be a footnote
number, a number in brackets, or an author/date pair like (Haigh &
Ceruzzi, 2021). The other part of the citation is the reference itself, which
will either be in a footnote at the bottom of the page or in a bibliography
at the end of the paper depending on which style you use. The
information in the references is generally consistent across styles, it's just
presented differently. All references to a book must include the full title of
the book, the name of the author, the year and city of publication. If you
are citing a paper published as a chapter in an edited book with many
authors then your reference must also include name of the collection, its
editors, and the page range. For an article in a journal you need the name
of the journal, the year, the volume number, and the page range as well
as the title of the article and its author.

Important point: if you are using one of the bibliography based styles like
APA or MLA and a work appears ONLY in a bibliography at the end of the
paper but is never referenced in an in-text citation then you have not
actually cited it! Including a bibliography is not the same thing as citing
sources. You need both parts for it to be a citation.

The style used most of the time by historians is the footnote variant of the
Chicago style. All references go in footnotes and the footnote number
appears in the text at the point where the source is being cited. Inside the
footnote, the reference is formatted as follows:

 From a book: Sidney Pollard, The Genesis of Modern

Management (Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press, 1963).

 From a journal: Clarence H. Danhof, “The Farm Enterprise: The

Northern United States, 1820-1860,” Research in Economic History,
4 (1979), 127-191.

 From a collection: Albert Fishlow, “Antebellum Interregional Trade

Reconsidered,” in R.L. Anderson, ed., New Views on American
Economic Development (Cambridge: Schenkman Publishing
Company, 1965) pp. 187-200.

 From the Web: Jon Surmacz, "A Second Look at CRM," Dawin
Magazine, 11 June 2003 [cited 08 August 2003]. Available
from http://www.darwinmag.com/learn/numbers/number_detail.cfm?
ID=all&METRIC=558.Links to an external site. (Note: if you find
material from a print newspaper, journal or magazine in an
electronic database then cite the original print version -- not the
electronic repository in which it is archived).

Everything you could ever want to know about the technicalities of

academic writing is contained in the Chicago Manual of Style. However,
the book itself may be a little too complete for your current needs.
You will find a more user friendly version of the same material in Kate
Turabian. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations.
9th edition. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2018). This is the
standard work recommended for student writing. There's a quick summary
of the citation style
here: http://www.press.uchicago.edu/books/turabian/turabian_citationguid
e.htmlLinks to an external site.

Students sometime ask whether they can cite material from lectures.
Remember that the purpose of citation is to allow somebody else to go
back to your source. Hence a public source is better than a private one. If
you can find the same information in print, then cite this source instead.
You could always ask the lecturer where it came from! However, if you are
unable to do this then it is better to cite your lecture notes (giving date,
lecturer, course number and venue) or lecture handouts then to present
no source at all.

Rubric for Grading the Papers

The idea is to demonstrate that you have read the readings carefully and
can connect them together with each other and with the material from
lectures. For this reason, you should draw on material from at least three
different weeks of class in your answer, making detailed references to the
specific information included in the readings. In most cases you will want
to use brief quotes. Cite these, giving at a minimum the name of the
reading and the page number. Papers that do not make detailed
references to multiple readings will score very badly.

Make sure that the thesis you choose will allow you to cover material from
multiple readings.

Below is the grading scale I use to evaluate the papers for this course.
Intermediate grades such as A- and B+ are awarded for papers with a
mixture of characteristics. A paper with a thesis that gives a direct answer
to the question posed and supports that answer with reasonably relevant
material from five course readings readings will probably receive a B+.
Otherwise excellent papers that fail to answer the question chosen with a
clear thesis may suffer considerably, as this is an important characteristic
for B papers, and even C papers must give at least a partial answer.

A+  Introduces and supports original ideas, rather than just

(truly recounting ideas from class and discussion sections.
outstandin
 Thesis finds an original and interesting way to answer
g)
the question.
  Writing has a lively and engaging tone.

 Substantial engagement with key themes of the course

as a whole.

 Use of assigned readings from many different weeks of

the course.

 The paper is more than just summary of the assigned

readings. It makes a selective and effective presentation
of the readings and ideas that most effectively support
A
its thesis.

 Use of relevant additional sources, particularly from

reliable printed sources such as academic books,
newspapers, and peer reviewed articles.

 Writing is clear, effective and well organized. Good use

of paragraphs, and the argument flows smoothly though
the paper.

 Thesis is clearly stated, coherent, and well supported by

evidence.

 Intellectual engagement with at least five different

readings from three different weeks of class.

 The paper selects ideas and details from the readings

that work well to support its thesis.

 The paper fully answers the question posed, including all

B
required elements.

 There are no spelling or grammatical errors. The paper is

carefully proofed and meets all mechanics specified.

 Writing is clear and largely free of grammatical errors.

 Every source used is cited fully and correctly. Sources

are given for all facts not well known to the general
reader.

C  Few spelling or grammatical errors. Paper meets all or

almost all of the mechanical requirements.

 Some kind of thesis is presented, but only fitfully

reflected in the structure of the paper. Thesis may be
unsupported by evidence, or trivial.

 Largely accurate reference to some readings, but not

 necessarily to the most suitable ones or to the most
relevant ideas within those readings. Readings will
usually reflect a narrower range of ideas than for a B
paper.

 Little or no substantial intellectual involvement with the

issues of the course.

 Paper provides at least a partial answer to the assigned

question.

 Thesis is entirely lacking, incoherent or disconnected

from paper.

 At least some assigned readings are referenced, but

narrowly or with misunderstandings.

 Writing may be unclear or badly organized. Often a

D significant number of grammatical errors. However, it is
possible to figure out what most sentences are supposed
to mean.

 Paper has a passing connection to the assigned topic

but does not provide a satisfactory answer to the
question posed.

F  Paper fails to satisfy even the requirements for D above.

 Any plagiarism will result in a grade of F for both the paper and the
course as a whole, and submission of a formal report to the
appropriate university office.

Rubric

Paper 1 Rubric (UPDATE BEFORE USE TO MATCH PAPER

GUIDELINES)

Paper 1 Rubric (UPDATE BEFORE USE TO MATCH PAPER GUIDELINES)

Criteria Ratings

This criterion is A B C D
linked to a
learning Excellent Writing is Few spelling or Writing may be
outcomeQuality writing and clear, grammatical unclear or
of Writing and organization effective and errors, but badly
Organization , to fully well usually more organized.
Paper 1 Rubric (UPDATE BEFORE USE TO MATCH PAPER GUIDELINES)

Criteria Ratings

support organized. jumpy, less well Often a

thesis. Good use of organized than significant
paragraphs, B paper. Paper number of
and the meets all or grammatical
argument almost all of the errors.
flows mechanical However, it is
smoothly requirements. possible to
though the figure out what
paper. most sentences
are supposed
to mean.

This criterion is A B C D
linked to a
learning Thesis is Thesis is Some kind of thesis Thesis is
outcomeThesis original clearly stated, is presented, but entirely
Strength and coherent, and only fitfully lacking,
interesting well supported reflected in the incoherent or
. by evidence. structure of the disconnected
(It may lack paper. Thesis may from paper.
originality). be unsupported by
evidence, or trivial.

This criterion is A B C D F
linked to a
learning Paper fully The paper Paper Paper has a Pa
outcomeDid it answers fully answers provides at passing n
Answer the the the question least a connection to the en
Question? question posed, partial assigned topic but w
in a including all answer to does not provide q
creative required the a satisfactory as
way. elements. assigned answer to the
question. question posed.

This criterion is A B C D
linked to a
Paper 1 Rubric (UPDATE BEFORE USE TO MATCH PAPER GUIDELINES)

Criteria Ratings

learning Use of Intellectual Largely At least some

outcomeSelecti assigned engagement accurate assigned readings
on of Sources readings from with at least reference to are referenced,
many different five different some but narrowly or
weeks of the readings readings, but with
course, plus from three not misunderstanding
use of different necessarily s.
relevant weeks of to the most
additional class. These suitable ones
sources, should be or to the
particularly directly most
from reliable relevant to relevant
printed the ideas within
sources such question. those
as academic readings.
books, Readings will
newspapers, usually
and peer reflect a
reviewed narrower
articles. range of
ideas than
for a B
paper.

This criterion is A B C D F
linked to a
learning Introduces The paper is The paper Little or no E
outcomeUse of and more than just correctly substantial l
Sources to supports summary of the presents intellectual i
Support Thesis original assigned information involvement a
ideas, rather readings, and but does not with the a
than just makes an effectively issues of the i
recounting intelligent connect it to course. w
ideas from presentation of the thesis or m
class and the readings tie it to larger
discussion and ideas most questions
sections. suitable to posed in the
Paper 1 Rubric (UPDATE BEFORE USE TO MATCH PAPER GUIDELINES)

Criteria Ratings

support its course.

thesis.

This criterion is
linked to a
learning
No Partially Yes
outcomeSource
s are properly
cited

This criterion is
linked to a
learning
outcomeMeets
No Yes
other
requirements
for formatting,
etc?

This criterion is
linked to a
learning
outcomeInclude No Yes
s number and
text of question
answered

This criterion is
linked to a
learning No Yes
outcomeSubmit
ted on time

This criterion is About right Too long Too short

linked to a
learning
Paper 1 Rubric (UPDATE BEFORE USE TO MATCH PAPER GUIDELINES)

Criteria Ratings

outcomeLength

This criterion is
linked to a
learning
outcomeGER
Rubric Item

CD 2c: Explain
fundamental Exceeded Full Met Not Met Partially M
episodes in the
history and
social
construction of
concepts of
"race" and
"ethnicity"

This criterion is
linked to a
learning
outcomeGER
Rubric Item

HU a: identify
the formation,
traditions, and Exceeded Full Met Not Met Partially M
ideas essential
to major bodies
of historical,
cultural,
literary, or
philosophical
knowledge.