LaGuardia Community College
America in the World Cluster
Staging of Research Essay
Since the beginning of the 1900s, the United States has worked to position itself as a global power. It has also been one of the wealthiest countries in the world during this period, and thus a magnet for immigrants.
In this essay, you will choose one of the countries that we have examined over the course of the term, and develop a paper that examines the relationship between that country and the United States. How has the US worked to sustain its power in this relationship through military, political, economic, or other means? How has the country – and different groups within that country - worked to support and/or undermine US global power? In ENG 101, we’ll be doing a unit about U.S. involvement in Vietnam as you work on your essays. You’ll think about the connections, parallels and distinctions between this history and the history you’re researching, but your essay will focus on this country and the United States.
We’ll break the research paper into stages. You must complete all stages in order to be successful. Keep in mind that the research paper will count towards your final grade in all the courses in the cluster.
Step One: Statistics on Selected Country
Choose a country, colony or group that has a particular historic relationship with the United States:
Native America
Puerto Rico
Haiti
Mexico
Bolivia
Russia Cuba
Ecuador
Colombia
India
Philippines
Indonesia
Korea
Ghana
Kenya
Iraq
China
Brazil
Afghanistan The Dominican Republic
Canada
On Tuesday, October 4th, we’ll continue the work you started in LIB 110, using different sources to find data about your selected country. Print out your data and bring it to class on Wednesday, October 5th, when you’ll discuss what these statistics do (and don’t) tell us. Also on October 4th, we will be having a library orientation that will help you when you look for outside sources.
Step Two: Brainstorming
Building on your work on the 5th, you will write a brainstorming exercise of at least 300 words. Address these questions:
- What country have you selected?
- Why are you interested in this country and its relationship to the United States?
- What theme or topic will you be exploring? Note that this is different from naming the country. Think about the specific issues or conflicts that have marked this relationship: for example, war, immigration, trade, debt, aid.
- What questions will you ask about your theme or topic?
- What specific groups or institutions within each country are involved in your topic?
- What time period will you be exploring?
- Looking over your syllabus, what course text might you use. This can be from any class in the cluster.
Due: Wednesday, October 12th in LIB 110.
Stage Three:
Gather at least six sources. At least one source should come from readings for one of our classes in the cluster. At least one source should be an academic article. The others can be book chapters or periodical articles. You can use encylopedias to help you get started, but they won’t be one of your final sources. We will work together in class with databases to help gather suitable outside sources.
Turn in a list of your sources along with a source analysis of at least 500 words of one selected source. In your source analysis, address these questions:
- What type of source are you looking at?
- When was your source written?
- Who is the audience for this source?
- How would you summarize the main idea and/or argument of the source?
- What questions about your theme or topic does the source help you answer?
- What questions about your theme or topic does the source not help you answer?
- How do you think the type of source you’re looking at, its time period, and its audience affect its focus and argument?
Due: Wednesday, November 2nd in LIB 110.
Stage Four: Essay Draft
Write a draft of your research essay, following the organizational outline below.
Organization of Essay: Throughout the essay, when you use your sources, briefly identify its type (ie periodical article, scholarly essay, documentary, etc.) and any information necessary for them to make sense to your reader. Include internal documentation and a works cited page.
Part I: Framework and Argument. In this section, introduce your readers to the relationship between these nations and its importance.
- Identify the countries you are writing about and the key interest groups in each country involved in the issue you are exploring.
- Identify the time period you will be exploring
- What is the primary nature of the relationship between these two countries during the time period you’re considering: military, political, economic, cultural, or some combination of these?
- Based on you research, present a thesis that responds to the following question: Is the United States an imperial power? If so, think about the ways this power has been exercised and responded to. If not, how would you better describe the relationship between the U.S. and your selected country?
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Part II: Evidence. Drawing on your sources, support and develop your answer to the question above. Some questions to consider:
- How has the United States used its power in this relationship?
- What do you think motivated U.S. involvement in this country?
- What groups in the United States were particularly involved in this relationship?
- How have different groups in the other country responded to U.S. power – to support it and/or to undermine it?
- Who – what groups – benefit from this relationship in each country? Have other groups been negatively affected by the relationship? If so, which groups and why?
Part III: Drawing Conclusions In the final section of your essay, think about the implications of your case study. Some questions to consider:
- What surprised you in the course of your research?
- What do you think your case study has to say about the role of the United States in the world historically and today?
- What do you think we should learn from your case study?
- Based on your work throughout the cluster, do you think this is an exceptional or a largely typical case?
Drafts are due on Thursday, November 17th. Final essays are due Thursday, December 1st.
Stage Five: Presentations
During the last two weeks of LIB 110, you will present what you discovered in the course of your research to the group, outlining your arguments and evidence and bringing in a visual element to help illustrate your ideas. We’ll spend some time before this talking about how to select an effective visual element and give an effective presentation.
