Reference no: EM132540895
Library Trail Assignment
Question 1. Identify your selected topic and pose your Research Question. Your HIST 201 assignment requires you to review an urban center's response to either a natural or humanmade disaster that took place any time from 1950 to the present. Constructing a research question will help you complete this task. For example,"Did New Orleans effectively respond to Hurricane Katrina?" provides a focus for further research (note that is just an example, there are several different types of research questions you may posit).
As you progress with your work, you may find that your research shifts to a more specific topic, or to a different subject altogether. This simply means your research results are guiding your paper's progress (this means you are on the right track!).
Please note that journal articles are not the same as newspaper articles. Read the following questions carefully andthoroughly, and always ask questions when in doubt!
Question 2. The next step is to locate and cite two entries from two different subject encyclopedias or dictionaries that are relevant to your research question. You can locate these resources online in the link below.
Subject encyclopedias/dictionaries are not the same as general encyclopedias/dictionaries. The latter include sources like Wikipedia, or
Webster's Dictionary. These sourceswill not be counted towards yourassignment so avoid them.
A pool of experts, on the other hand, compiles data and formulates a Subject encyclopedia, which focuses on a specific field. For instance, the printer reference resource work Encyclopedia of World War II, provides entries specifically on historical topics relevant to World War II. (Make sure to check out the History Reference Sourcestabto aid your search for a Subject Encyclopedia).
Question 3. The next step is to find and obtain 2-3 monographs written from 1950 to today on your given subject. Make sure to properly cite their information.
A monograph is a scholarly book written by an expert on a particular subject. For example, historian Iris Chang's book The Rape of Nanking is a monograph written specifically about Nanking, China during the Japanese occupation in 1937.
As you are probably aware, there is a lot of rubbish written by the public that possesses minimal value. It is essential, therefore, to locate scholarly works. The best method in completing this task is using MC's online catalog.
If you are having trouble with locating a source, first contact your campus reference librarian and/or MC's history reference librarian Metta Lash.
Admittedly, you only have access to e-copies of MC books at this stage. It is okay to identify monographs that are not available electronically for this assignment.
Question 4. Now find three journal articles that are available online (again, published from 1950-today). Please provide the database from which you found these sources.
I recommend beginning with JSTOR, but the Project Muse and U.S. History in Context databases will yield relevant results. Please note that you always ought to use the advanced search engine regardless of the journal database in order to narrow your results to sources that are pertinent to your research question.
Question 5. Find four newspaper articles that focus on your selected disaster/city response. You can use either domestic or international newspapers to satisfy this requirement.
If your selected event took place during the 20th century, I suggest that you divide your articles between those that were published in the past, and those that were written more recently. If you chose to analyze Washington DC's response to Dr. King's assassination, for example, it would certainly prove useful to locate 2 articles from that time to get a sense of how the city reacted. However, it would also be beneficial to obtain 2 articles that were written more recently as they would have the benefit of hindsight when reviewing this event.
MC Libraries have excellent newspaper resources that you can locate here. Similar to #4, make sure to use the advanced search engine function.
Question 6. Lastly, locate 2 primary sources. A primary source is a first-hand account of a historical event. For example, a first-hand account of someone who survived Hurricane Katrina is a primary source. A scholar who then uses that account in the formulation of a monograph is a secondary source because the writer is analyzing a primary source. Furthermore, the scholar is not a part of the actual historic event.
Attachment:- Llibrary trail assignment.rar