David M. Lauderback, Ph.D.
Professor of History

NARRATIVE RESEARCH PROJECT GUIDELINES
U.S. HISTORY I — ONLine
B & A-LEVEL OBJECTIVE

http://www.austincc.edu/dlauderb

For the grade of B
In addition to the two course contacts, the student must take all fifteen (15) quizzes, all five (5) exams, and:
Failure to take all all fifteen (15) Chapter Quizzes and all (5) Unit Exams will result in a F in the course.

NOTE: The highest grade you can earn in the course without a completed Narrative Research Project is a C.

To complete the B-Level objective, see the Narrative Research Project page for details on how to submit the:

a.) completed Book Choice for the Narrative Project;
b.) completed Topic & Bibliography for the Narrative Project
c.) completed  Outline for the Narrative Project (15 points); and
d.) completed Final Draft of the Narrative Project (15 points).
NOTE:  You must complete all parts of the Narrative Project by the deadlines listed in the Course Schedule for the assignment to factor in to your final average and your final grade. You may not earn "partial credit." The points on the outline and final draft are not extra credit.

Instead, like the quizzes and exams, the points on the completed Narrative Project are calculated in the total course average.

Failure to take all all fifteen (15) Chapter Quizzes and all (5) Unit Exams will result in a F in the course.

See the Course Schedule for the quiz, exam, contact, and book review deadlines.

REMINDER: The highest grade you can earn in the course without a completed Narrative Research Project is a C.

For the grade of A
In addition to the two course contacts, the student must take all fifteen (15) quizzes, all five (5) exams, and:
Failure to take all all fifteen (15) Chapter Quizzes and all (5) Unit Exams will result in a F in the course.

NOTE: The highest grade you can earn in the course without a completed Narrative Research Project is a C.

To complete the A-Level objective, see the Narrative Research Project page for details on how to the:

a.) completed Book Choice for the Narrative Project;
b.) completed Topic & Bibliography for the Narrative Project
c.) completed Outline for the Narrative Project (15 points); and
d.) completed Final Draft of the Narrative Project (15 points).
NOTE:  You must complete all parts of the Narrative Project by the deadlines listed in the Course Schedule for the assignment to factor in to your final average and your final grade. You may not earn "partial credit." The points on the outline and final draft are not extra credit.

Instead, like the quizzes and exams, the points on the completed Narrative Project are calculated in the total course average.

Failure to take all all fifteen (15) Chapter Quizzes and all (5) Unit Exams will result in a F in the course.

See the Course Schedule for the quiz, exam, contact, and Narrative Research Project deadlines.
Remember, in addition to the two course contacts, the student must take all fifteen (15) quizzes, all five (5) exams, and:
OR

REMINDER: The highest grade you can earn in the course without a completed Narrative Research Project is a C.

See the Course Schedule for the quiz, exam, contact, and Narrative Research Project deadlines.

Rationale

The Narrative Research Project will enable students to critically examine aspects of the life of enslaved people in the United States History up to 1877.  The purpose of the Narrative Project is threefold:  first, to acquaint students with a classic volume of American history; second, to use the initial book to delve into the primary and secondary literature in order to find evidence regarding issues and events of their choosing; and finally, allow you, the student, to think critically about an important facet of American history to then organize your thoughts in clear, cogent prose.  You should not view this simply as a hurdle which you must overcome in order to earn a grade of 'B' or for an 'A' in the course.  Rather approach the Narrative Project as an opportunity to expand your creativity in thinking and writing, two very important aspects of any individual's necessary life skills.  Therefore, be advised that I consider this a VERY important aspect of the course and the parts of your Narrative Project will be read and graded VERY carefully.:)

Most important, I am always happy to visit about all spects of the project.  Just give me a all during my electronic office hours or we can find a time.:)

Selecting a Book

Students will use one of three autobiographical narratives as the foundation for their research into the life of African-American enslavement in the United States.  The three Classic Narratives are:  Olaudah Equiano, Frederick Douglass, or Harriet Jacobs/Linda Brent.  Each of these works is available on the web.  Just click on the title:

NOTE:  Try both links for the Frederick Douglass book.

Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass or Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Harriet Jacobs/Linda Brent, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Olaudah Equiano, The Life of Olaudah Equiano
Each of these works has been published many times and are available at the ACC Library. Or they can all be found in:

Henry Louis Gates, Jr., ed. and intro., The Classic Slave Narratives (New York: Signet Classics, 2002). ISBN 0451528247

Students will read their chosen narrative to learn the first-hand experiences of the author.  The Book will provide background on the subject and assist students in choosing a Topic to research. 

Students must submit their choice of a Book to read no later than 11:59 pm on the deadline listed in the Course Schedule.

Students MUST confirm their choice by e-mail with the instructor.  See the Course Schedule for the date by which you must submit: the Book Choice, Topic & Bibliography,  Outline, and Final Draft.

Selecting a Topic

Students will read the Book in search of a Topic for the Final Draft.  For the purposes of the Final Draft, the Topic must be very specific so that students can investigate and usefully explain their findings in one semester.  To help disinter the evidence from the primary and secondary sources, students will pick three (3) themes/events/issues to analyze their topic.  Students will determine their Topic and the three (3) themes/events/issues in consultation with the instructor.

Selecting a Bibliography

Next, students will assemble an Bibliography of primary and secondary readings for the project. 

The Final Draft must use at least FOUR PRIMARY sources and FOUR SECONDARY sources.  The Book is a primary source and counts as one of the FOUR primary sources that must be used in the Final Draft; the texbook by Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty! may be used as one of the FOUR secondary sources.

Remember, the primary and secondary sources provide details and quotes to help you make your case in the research project. So do not read the articles and narratives like a story that you have to remember or review that you have to write.  Instead, look for very specific and important details and quotes that will help you explore your topic. Trust that the details and quotes that you find will matter. And they matter because they matter to you.  You are the author.  So what you think is important and does matter. Why? Because what you think it is important.:-)

So look for primary and secondary sources that will help you tell the story you believe matters.:-)

Primary sources

A primary source is something written by an individual who lived at the time and took part in the event that he or she is describing.  Primary sources usually take the form of letters, diaries, journals, newspapers, government documents, music, poetry, autobiographies and so on.

Students can find a veritable host of primary sources from:

North American Slave Narratives is a remarkable compendium of published narratives as well as important documents by free blacks and whites.

Secondary sources

Students can find secondary literature through the the ACC Library and the A-Z List of Resources. 

Start with JSTOR and look for journal articles.  You can also try Academic Search Premier but JSTOR is a better database.

Secondary sources are books and articles written at a later time, usually by historians who were not participants in the event.  So use JSTOR to find articles in academic journals like the Journal Southern History or the Southwestern Historical Quarterly, and so on.   Encyclopedias and general information web sites, e.g., The History Channel, Wikipedia, History.com, etc., are not considered scholarly works and will not be accepted as secondary sources.

No Outline or Final Draft will NOT be accepted unless it contains the requisite number of primary and secondary sources. 

If you have any questions about a source, ask! Always happy to visit about the project:)

Submitting a Topic & Bibliography

The Topic & Bibliography will form the core of the material used in the Outline and the Final Draft.

So start by making your topic the title. Centered at the top of the Topic & Bibliography students will place a short phrase -- three or four words -- as the beginning of the title. The title describes the focus of the Narrative Project. Underneath on a separate line, students will list the three themes/events/issues they intend to explore in the Outline and Final Draft. Next, in the bibliography list the sources in in alphabetical order by last name using the Documentation format listed below.  The Topic & Bibliography will conform to the Format and Documentation Requirements specified below.

Students must submit their Topic & Bibliography no later than 11:59 pm on the deadline listed in the Course Schedule.

See the Course Schedule for the date by which you must submit: the Book Choice, Topic & Bibliography,  Outline, and Final Draft.

Completing the Outline (15 Points)

The next step is to organize the pertinent information from the Book and the primary and secondary sources into a detailed Outline. The Outline serves as crucial preparation for writing the Final Draft. Students will use the structure provided on the Outline page to evaluate the details provided in the Book and the secondary sources so that you can organize the relevant portions into a coherent whole. Students will be expected to include at least five quotes in each of the five evidence paragraphs in the body of the Outline. And students will be expected to keep the same number of quotes in the Final Draft that they presented in the Outline documented by endnotes. The details in the Outline will become the basis for the Final Draft, so the time and effort you spend on the Outline will have a direct effect on the likelihood that you will be able to complete an "acceptable" Final Draft.

Please see use the ACC Library link below to Turabian for details on where to insert endnotes in your text, what content goes into the notes, and the difference between note format and bibliography format.

See the Outline page for details on completing the assignment.

Students must submit their Outline no later than 11:59 pm on the deadline listed in the Course Schedule.

See the Course Schedule for the date by which you must submit: the Book Choice, Topic & Bibliography,  Outline, and Final Draft.

Writing the Final Draft (15 pts)

The Final Draft must be 1500-1700 words, no more and no less. Do not include a title page; just put the title and your name at the top of the first page, with appropriate spacing. The endnotes and bibliography do not count in the length.

Use the completed Outline as the template for your Final Draft. Refine your purpose in the introduction, thesis, topic and concluding sentences, and summary you wrote for the Outline. Because the Final Draft must be be 1500-1700 words, no more and no less, you likely will not have room to use all of the words in the quotes that you have from the Outline. And students will be expected to keep the same number of sentences with quotes in the Final Draft that they presented in the Outline documented by endnotes. So students will often have to trim the quotes presented in the Outline before including them in sentences in the Final Draft. Extract the key information from the quotes you collated for the Outline. Then, weave in selected portions of the quotes into sentences you create. Use the sentences with quotes to serve as the body of your evidence paragraphs. Again, be sure that you keep the same number of sentences with quotes and endnotes from the Outline in the Final Draft. Please see use the ACC Library link below to Turabian for details on:

The Final Draft must demonstrate the student's ability to write clearly, use good grammar and punctuation, analyze the material in a concise manner, and offer thoughts on the period, themes, and the primary and secondary sources in question.

Some tips on writing

There are a few important things to consider when you write the Final Draft.  To begin with you must:

NEVER ASSUME

When you write your findings, do not leave out critical information because you know that I am familiar with the time period.
Instead, you must tell me the:

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION

so that I will clearly understand the detials and circumstances of the historical actors whose lives you seek to recount.  You were a teacher. Tell me what I need to know.:-)

DO NOT REWRITE THE SOURCES

One of your tasks in the assignment is to show that you can digest the primary and secondary sources and extract they key points.  You simply do not have the space to repeat everything.  So, do try.  Instead, trust that you will pick the most important points and explain what matters most.

 Some directions on content

The Final Draft must be 1500-1700 words, no more and no less. Do not include a title page; just put the title and your name at the top of the first page, with appropriate spacing. The endnotes and bibliography do not count in the length.

Each paragraph in the Final Draft should be at least thirteen (13), but NOT more than seventeen (17), lines long -- NOT sentences, but lines on the page.  Each paragraph is a mini-paper.  Make the first sentence of each paragraph an introduction to that paragraph.  Tell your reader what to expect in the paragraph.  This is called the topic sentence.  Summarize your point at the end of the paragraph, like the conclusion of a paper.  In between, give lots of evidence to prove your point.

Begin each paragraph in the Final Draft with a dynamic topic sentence that tells the reader who did what and why it matters. History is first and foremost about people, so focus on what happened and why.  When you tell your reader what you are going to talk about, you describe the 'what.' When you tell your reader 'who' did 'what' and then explain 'why' it matters, now you analyze. So be sure to start your paragraph with a topic sentence that explains who did what and why.

Make your sentences active.  Fill your review with verbs that move the reader along from point to point.  Writing that relies on the verb "to be" -- is, was, are, etc. -- quickly becomes repetitious and will NOT convince your reader.  If you cannot eliminate the verb "to be" entirely,  come very close. Again, explain who did what and why they did it.  Make sure that each sentence has an historical actor performing some action for some reason; tell me who did what and why.

Students will be expected to keep the same number of sentences with quotes in the Final Draft that they presented in the Outline documented by endnotes. 

Quotes help spice up a paper by giving the reader the flavor of the book. So, include quotations where appropriate to illustrate your points.  Using quotes helps to establish your understanding of the key themes, events, people person, etc.  Hence, the use of quotes constitutes a substantial portion of your Final Draft grade. Use the quotes from the outline as the basis for your evidence, argument, and overall purpose. Use your words to present selected portions of quotes in order to bring the historical actor's experiences to life. So do not just list a series of sentence long quotes in the Final Draft. Again, students will be expected to keep the same number of sentences with quotes in the Final Draft that they presented in the Outline documented by endnotes.

Students must submit their Final Draft no later than 11:59 pm on the deadline listed in the Course Schedule.

See the Course Schedule for the date by which you must submit: the Book Choice, Topic & Bibliography,  Outline, and Final Draft.

Again, be sure that you keep the same number of quotes and endnotes from the Outline in the Final Draft. Please see use the ACC Library link below to Turabian for details on where to insert endnotes in your text, what content goes into the notes, and the difference between note format and bibliography format.

Format Requirements

ALL ASSIGNMENTS -- TOPIC & BIBLIOGRAPHY, OUTLINE, AND FINAL DRAFT -- MUST CONFORM TO THE FORMAT SPECIFICATIONS BELOW.  ANY TOPIC & BIBLIOGRAPHY, OUTLINE OR FINAL DRAFT THAT DOES NOT CONFORM TO THE FORMAT SPECIFICATIONS BELOW WILL LOSE POINTS:

The format requirements for the completed Outline and Final Draft are:

Please:

DO NOT BOLDFACE; or
DO    NOT         JUSTIFY

your text.

Only ITALICIZE: the titles of books, journals, websites, and newspapers.

You do NOT need a cover sheet.


The above particulars are designed to ensure that all students complete works of similar length.

Documentation

ALL ASSIGNMENTS -- OUTLINE AND FINAL DRAFT -- MUST CONFORM TO THE DOCUMENTATION SPECIFICATIONS BELOW.  ANY OUTLINE OR FINAL DRAFT THAT DOES NOT CONFORM TO THE DOCUMENTATION SPECIFICATIONS BELOW WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

The documentation requirements for the completed Outline and Final Draft are:

To ensure that you give credit where credit is due, please refer to the source from which you extracted information with an endnote and a bibliography using the spacing, font size and type requirements listed above.  For the correct style, start with Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 6th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996). The ACC Library has a an excellent link to Turabian. You can also use the The Chicago Manual of Style Online. Both the Chicago Manual of Style and the Turabian guides can be found at the ACC Library. 

Please do NOT use reference style where you put the author's name and page number at the end of the sentence. (Lauderback 2013, 1) Instead, be sure to insert an endnote in your text to tell your reader you have details that come from a source that is not you. Go to Microsoft Word Help and enter 'endnote' for how to insert notes. See the ACC Turabian link for:

The ACC Librarians have put together a remarkable page with all kinds of details and examples for you to follow. And, a link for asking questions! Check out Turabian. Please use the appropriate formatting -- including margins, font size and type, and spacing (see above).

The Topic & Bibliography,  Outline, and Final Draft require a bibliography. Include the bibliography in a separate document (with no page numbers).  Here you provide a complete citation for each source cited. A bibliography is NOT the same as a Works Cited. And, a bibliography is NOT the same as the endnotes. And while a bibliography includes most of the same information as the notes, there are important differences, e.g., the order of the author's names, the use of commas, periods, parentheses, and page numbers. Please use the appropriate formatting -- including margins, font size and type, and spacing (see above). 

And, please, do NOT ask if you can use MLA. Use Turabian. Thank you!

Grading Policy

The Outline (15 Points)

See the Outline link for a detailed instructions.  To complete the assignment, students must follow the content, format, and documentation instructions found on the Outline page.

Your grade on the outline will be based on how well you:

Recognize that an Outline rife with misspellings and format, documentation, and grammatical errors will not be considered acceptable. Any Outline that does not conform to the format requirements above will NOT be accepted. If you submit your Outline before the deadline date in the Course Schedule and it is graded "NOT ACCEPTED" you may revise it and resubmit it prior to the deadline date. Outline submitted more than one day after the deadline listed in the Course Schedule will NOT be accepted.

Students must submit their Outline no later than 11:59 pm on the deadline listed in the Course Schedule.

The Final Draft (15 Points)

Your grade on the Final Draft will be based on how well you:
Recognize that a Final Draft rife with misspellings and grammatical errors will not be considered acceptable. Any Final Draft that does not conform to the format requirements above will NOT be accepted. If you submit your Final Draft at least two days before the deadline date in the Course Schedule and it is graded "NOT ACCEPTED" you may revise it and resubmit it prior to the deadline date. Any Final Draft submitted submitted more than one day after the deadline listed in the Course Schedule OR after the last day of the semester will NOT be accepted.

Students must submit their Final Draft no later than 11:59 pm on the deadline listed in the Course Schedule.

See the Course Schedule for the date by which you must submit: the Book Choice, Topic & Bibliography,  Outline, and Final Draft.

Deadlines

STUDENTS MUST COMPLETE ALL PARTS OF THE NARRATIVE PROJECT FOR THE ASSIGNMENT TO COUNT TOWARD THEIR TOTAL COURSE AVERAGE.

THE HIGHEST GRADE STUDENTS AN RECEIVE WITHOUT THE COMPLETED NARRATIVE PROJECT IS A 'C.'

ALL ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE NO LATER THAN 11:59 PM ON THE DEADLINE LISTED IN THE COURSE SCHEDULE;

and

STUDENTS WHO DO NOTSUBMIT  A BOOK CHOICE BY BY 11:59 PM ON THE DEADLINE LISTED IN THE COURSE SCHEDULE WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO SUBMIT A TOPIC & BIBLIOGRAPHY, OUTLINE, and FINAL DRAFT and highest Grade they can receive in the courses a C.

and

STUDENTS WHO DO NOT SUBMIT A TOPIC & BIBLIOGRAPHY BY BY 11:59 PM ON THE DEADLINE LISTED IN THE COURSE SCHEDULE WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO SUBMIT AN  OUTLINE and FINAL DRAFT and highest Grade they can receive in the courses a C.

STUDENTS WHO DO NOT SUBMIT AN  OUTLINE BY BY 11:59 PM ON THE DEADLINE LISTED IN THE COURSE SCHEDULE WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO SUBMIT A FINAL DRAFT and highest grade they can receive in the courses a C.

ONLY COMPLETED OUTLINES SUBMITTED BY 11:59 PM ON THE DEADLINE LISTED IN THE COURSE SCHEDULE CAN RECEIVE FULL CREDIT;

and

ANY OUTLINE THAT IS NOT SUBMITTED BY 11:59 PM ON THE DEADLINE LISTED IN THE COURSE SCHEDULE WILL  RECEIVE A MAXIMUM OF 70% CREDIT;

and

ANY OUTLINE THAT IS SUBMITTED MORE THAN ONE DAY AFTER THE THE DEADLINE LISTED IN THE COURSE SCHEDULE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED;

and

STUDENTS WHO SUBMIT IN AN OUTLINE THAT IS "NOT ACCEPTED" WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO SUBMIT A FINAL DRAFT.

and

ONLY COMPLETED FINAL DRAFTS SUBMITTED BY 11:59 PM ON THE DEADLINE LISTED IN THE COURSE SCHEDULE CAN RECEIVE FULL CREDIT;

AND

ANY FINAL DRAFT THAT IS NOT SUBMITTED BY 11:59 PM ON THE DEADLINE LISTED IN THE COURSE SCHEDULE WILL  RECEIVE 70% MAXIMUM CREDIT;

and

ANY FINAL DRAFT SUBMITTED MORE THAN ONE DAY AFTER THE DEADLINE LISTED IN THE COURSE SCHEDULE OR AFTER THE SEMESTER ENDS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

Students must submit the Book Choice, Topic & Bibliography,  Outline, and Final Draft. via ACC e-mail as a Word DOCX attachment NO LATER THAN 11:59 PM on the deadline listed in the Course Schedule.

See the Course Schedule for the date by which you must submit: the Book Choice, Topic & Bibliography,  Outline, and Final Draft.

© David Marcus Lauderback, 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED