Due Feb. 23 by EMAIL ATTACHMENT

On Monday, February 23, students will submit by email attachment a 3-5 page typed, double-spaced essay on a topic concerning early US diplomacy provided to them during the previous week. All essays must include quotations from the Herring book as well as from relevant material featured at the course site, all properly cited using Chicago-style footnotes. Outside research is allowed but not encouraged. Essays will be graded on depth of analysis, use of evidence, and quality of prose. Late essays will be penalized up to 5 points each day.

 

Please choose ONE of the follow essay topics:

[QUESTIONS DISTRIBUTED IN CLASS ON TUE 2/17]

 

  • Please open your paper with a descriptive title and your name (byline).
  • Make sure to address a question and devise a thesis statement that can be effectively argued in a short paper.  Consult the Methods Center handout on How to Write a Thesis Statement 
  • Make sure to provide essential definitions and background as you proceed with your answer –and most important– explain why your choice seems better than some other alternatives. 
  • Prof. Pinsker will comment on full or partial drafts until Sunday afternoon, Feb. 22.  You may also consult with the Writing Center for help with your essay.  Do not work with other students in the course.

Sample Footnotes

According to George Herring, it was “unilateralism” and not isolationism which “formed a powerful and enduring strain in U.S. foreign policy.” [1]  Any subsequent citation to Herring can be abbreviated with only author’s last name and page number.[2]

[1] George C. Herring, From Colony to Superpower:  U.S. Foreign Relations Since 1776 (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008), 6.

[2] Herring, 118.

  • Make sure you are using and formatting your footnotes correctly.  Provide footnotes for all quotations and specific information (such as statistics). See the models below as well as this methods handout on How to Use Footnotes and consult as needed with the  long-form Chicago-style guide  but make sure to use sample footnote models for formatting and NOT bibliography examples.
  • Don’t underestimate the importance of integrating your quoted evidence with some degree of fluidity.  Awkwardly inserting quotations is one of the hallmarks of mediocre undergraduate essays.  Consult this handout from the methods center for a range of good tips.
  • Also, please guard against plagiarism.  Remember our discussion from the very first day of the semester.  Never write your own words while looking directly at your sources, especially secondary sources –unless you are quoting them.  Do not use AI tools for brainstorming, reading, writing, or editing. You may only use AI tools as enhanced search engines or for spellchecking.
  • And finally, always remember to proofread your work by printing it out and reading it aloud, slowly. See our methods handout on How to Proofreed [sic]