interpretive essay 5 PAGE 6HOURS

Details:  Use 12-point font and double space your essay.  It should be between 5-6 double-spaced pages and be a Word Perfect document (.doc or .docx).  Cite appropriate passages from course sources and outside sources using either MLA format (parentheses) or footnotes (preferred).  If you use MLA style, include a works cited page with the paper itself (not a separate document)!  Be sure to cite the names of documents from the Cold War reader.  A quick footnote guide can be found here:  http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html.

Your Task:  Write an interpretive essay of the Cold War during the 1970s.  Write for a broad audience.  You must use multiple sources from class (you should base your arguments on the assigned class readings/materials, and analyze them in your essay, including, but not limited to, the Cold War collection).  A new addition for this paper:  use two or more of the following nine primary sources:  the so-called “Blood Telegram,” Anthony Mascarenhas’s Sunday Timesarticle “Genocide,” Barbet Schroeder’s film General Idi Amin Dada, Salvador Allende’s 1972 UN speech, Pol Pot’s Long Live the 17thAnniversary of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, Rithy Panh’s film S21 or Dutch, Charter 77, Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis.  You should locate these sources, read or watch them, and use them in your paper. Your essay should also engage with arguments made by 2 historians from articles published in the Journal of Cold War Studies or another reputable scholarly journal, which can be accessed electronically through the King Library website.  You may substitute a scholarly monograph for one of the articles; be sure to rely on books published with reputable presses and use recent books that use the latest evidence.  When in doubt, check with Dr. Norris or your GA!   Your task is to make an argument about the Cold War during the 1970s, use evidence to back up that argument, and wrestle with interpretations other historians have made.

Rationale:  This essay asks you to do history by sifting through multiple forms of primary evidence, making historical arguments out of them, dealing with differences in interpretation, and writing historical narratives. It asks you to demonstrate that you have done the work for class, thought about the various sources you have encountered, and started to demonstrate an ability to interpret them.  Finally, it asks you to build on your work done in your first two essays (when you complete this paper, you will have written interpretive papers on the early Cold War, the Cold War from 1953 to 1970, and the Cold War in the 1970s).

Grading:  The Grading Standards of the History Department will be used to evaluate your essays.  Please see the syllabus for details.  See also the second side of this sheet for the rubric that will be used to grade every essay.

Addendum:  Although not required, please feel free to write a 2-3 sentence reflection at the end of your paper where you tell us what you think the strengths of the paper are, what you may have struggled with, and what areas you might need improvement.

Grading Rubric:  what will you be evaluated on?

 Argument.  Does the essay contain an argument?  Is the argument clear and convincing?  Is it followed through and expanded upon throughout the essay?  Does the argument provide a convincing interpretation about the Cold War in the 1970s as covered in class? [2 points]

Evidence.  Does the essay contain required class sources as outlined in the assignment sheet?  Are they effectively used to support the argument throughout?  Does the essay contain a range of evidence or only documents that conveniently support a shaky argument?  Does the evidence used demonstrate a mastery of the assigned readings for class? [7 points]

Scholarship.  Does the essay contain 2 articles from The Journal of Cold War Studies or other reputable secondary source and the arguments presented by historians in them?  Does the essay engage effectively with these arguments as a way to strengthen the argument? [3 points]

Writing.  Is the paper well written and free of grammatical errors?  Is it free of factual errors?  Are there good transitions between paragraphs that explain to readers what these connections are and where you are headed with your argument? What points are emphasized in each paragraph?  Do they emphasize the right thing?  Do they employ good evidence that helps to make your point? [3 points]

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