Some of you may choose to write a term paper instead of taking an in-class final exam. If so, you have two broad options:
I. Write an in-depth book review on one of these books:
Your paper should inform the reader about the content of the book, the story that it tells, and offer a critical evaluation. Find a published book review of this book, and compare your judgment with the other author's. (Use Hillman reference services).
-it should have a strong introductory paragraph indicating the topic covered in the book, its chronological and geographical scope, the author's thesis, and a short summary of your critical comments about the work.
-the second section of the review must summarize the content of the book. Proceed chapter by chapter. The following questions might prove useful in preparing this section:
1. What are the main points made by the author and
what is the argument of the book (& each chapter?
2. What "story" does the author tell?
3. What is the author's approach? What does
he include/exclude?
4. What types of evidence does he bring to bear in
support of his argument?
5. What are the author's conclusions?
-the final section of the review is the critique. Do not just say that the book was good or poor, interesting or boring. Discuss its merits and flaws, why you liked or disliked it, and whether you would recommend it to others interested in the subject. Here are some questions that might prove useful in preparing this section:
1. How and why is the book useful?
2. Does it present any insights about the period or
topic at hand?
3. Are the author's approach and methods effective?
4. Does the evidence support the conclusions?
5. Who is the author?
6. What biases can you discern?
7. What limitations do you find with the author's
perspective? What else might you have wanted to see
dealt with?
8. In what ways is the book inadequate?
9. What are the specific strengths of the book?
II. Write an argument-driven research paper on one of the following topics:
a. Richard Levy's distinction between anti-Jewish hatred and anti-Semitism in light of two or three episodes in the history of East European Jewry. Use as sources course materials, including extra-credit readings (Sachar, Levy, Iggers selections, Lindemann, Mendelsohn, Himka, etc.) plus at least one additional source that was not assigned.
b. the lives and roles of Jewish women in the process of Eastern Europe's modernization. Use as sources appropriate course materials including extra-credit readings plus at least one additional source that was not assigned.
c. the forces, motivations, and circumstances of the large Jewish migration from Eastern Europe to the United States at the turn of the century. Use course materials plus at least two additional sources.
d. compare and contrast Elie Wiesel's experience of the Holocaust (Night) with Erno Szep's (The Smell of Humans). Be sure to place each author's experience in the proper historical and geographic context.
e. the dilemmas of assimilating or assimilated Jews and their attractions to socialism and Zionism. Use both Mendelsohn articles and other appropriate sources.
f. Read the appropriate chapters (Intro. and 2 chapters on Russia) of Albert Lindemann's book The Jew Accused. Then read Albert Malamud's novel The Fixer, or view the movie The Fixer. Write a critical review of either the novel or the movie, evaluating its historical content against the record of Russian Jewish history and the Beilis case. How accurate is the novel/movie? Where does it stray from the historical record? In which ways does the fictionalized version differ from the Beilis case? Why do you think these elements were added by Malamud? How useful would this film or novel be in the teaching of a course such as ours?
Both types of paper should have a title which captures the essence of the essay, a strong introductory paragraph, and conclusion. Your conclusion should tie it all together. The historical evidence proving step by step why/how your argument is correct makes up the body of the paper.
Number the pages of your paper. (Paper length 8-10 pages.)
You may wish to quote passages from your sources when making particular points. Be careful to copy this material accurately, and also indicate the page number in parentheses after the passage or in footnotes. Properly document all ideas and information that do not belong to you, according to the hand-out on plagiarism.
Do not overdo quotations. You should have a good reason for using one, not just filling up space.
Do not hand in a first draft. Read your first draft over carefully for content, grammar, and spelling. Do a second and even a third draft. If you need help or a second opinion, come to me, go to a friend, or make an appointment with the Writing Center (624-6556).
If you decide to do a paper, you must follow this timetable. Papers for which I have not received prior topics and bibliographies (Nov. 13) and outlines (Dec. 2) will not be accepted.
1. November 13: Decide what you will write on. Write a paragraph about the topic to show that you have already done some work on it, and in which direction you are heading. Hand in bibliography or book review reference.
2. December 2: Outline due
3. December 9: Papers due