History 2020 – Survey of US History II
Final Essay Assignment
Due Tuesday, June 18, at 11:59 PM
The Question
Write a 4-5-page essay on ONE of the following questions:
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To what extent does filmmaker Charlie Chaplin’s depiction of everyday life in Modern Times match the reality of American cities during the Great Depression? Responses to this question should be rooted in the assigned film and readings.
In Dr. Strangelove, filmmaker Stanley Kubrick crafts a parody of international relations. To what extent does the film reflect the realities of the Cold War, as described in our course readings?
Filmmaker Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thingends with quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X about the philosophy of protest. What are the film’s arguments about the nature of protest, and how do these arguments fit in with the debates about protest featured in our course materials?
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Formatting and Submission Guidelines
The paper is due at 11:59 PM on Tuesday, June 18. Since I must submit final grades to the university in short order, I may not be able accept late final essays. Be sure to turn in your work on time in order to receive credit.
The essay should be in 12-point, Times New Roman font, double-spaced and with 0 point space before or after paragraphs, with 1” margins on all sides. Number all pages, with your last name next to the page number in the footer. Do not include a cover sheet—simply put the following information in the top left- hand corner of the first page, single-spaced:
Name
Date
Hist 2020
Final Essay Assignment
Before the deadline, you must submit an electronic copy of the paper in a .doc or .docxfile to Dropbox on the course D2L page. You can find the link to Dropbox on the menu bar at the top of the course homepage. I will deduct points from papers that do not follow all of these submission guidelines. Ask if you’re not sure how to do one of these things, and I’ll provide specific instructions.
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Writing and Citation Guidelines
Specific instructions on how to write a successful paper in this class can be found in the “Essay Guidelines” handout. Please read this document carefully before you start the paper assignment.
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Successful answers will utilize significant material from the course readings in responding to the question. Be sure to cite all evidence taken from a source—whether it is a quotation, a summary of an author’s point, or even a simple fact. To cite evidence from the textbook and the reader, indicate whether you are drawing from “TAP” or “RAP” and provide the page number, i.e.: Sociologist Royal Melendy wrote in 1900, “The saloon is, in short, the clearing-house for the common intelligence — the social and intellectual center of the neighborhood” (RAP, 96).Or, if it’s not a quote: Sociologist Royal Melendy contended that saloons were places where working-class men could debate politics and economics (RAP, 96). To cite from a film, please include the title and a timestamp indicating where you found the information, i.e.: The Tramp tells the Gamin, “Buck up–never say die! We’ll get along!” (Modern Times, 1:26:02). There’s no need to include a “Works Cited” page. All work on this assignment must be your own, and the use of sources from outside of the course is not permitted.
All work on this paper must be your own, completed without unauthorized aid. Plagiarism—or presenting the work of another person as your own—is an unfortunate reality on college campuses today. If a plagiarized paper is submitted to me, I will report the case immediately to the MTSU Office of Academic Integrity. If Academic Integrity finds that the paper has been plagiarized, the penalty is an F for the course. The university may levy additional penalties, including suspension and even expulsion. On D2L, your work will be subjected to TurnItIn software designed to detect instances of plagiarism. Most plagiarized work—generally stolen from Internet sources—is easy to identify and of very low quality. You are much better off making use of your own creative mind to analyze the material than submitting poor work done by a stranger in response to an unrelated set of questions. Of course, if you are unsure if something constitutes plagiarism, I would be glad to clarify citation requirements and discuss how to avoid unintentional forms of plagiarism in your work. Do not be afraid to ask if you have questions!
Additionally, the use of artificial intelligence is not permitted in writing this paper. Your work will be subjected to AI-detection software. Any paper that registers as having been written with the help of AI programs may receive a score of 0%.
