General Instructions:

You will be required to write a short essay on a topic of your choice. It may address any       content from the economic history of North America, although it is recommended that       choose a topic not thoroughly discussed in class. The essay should be 8-12 pages in length    and may take one of two forms. The first option is to write an argumentative essay on a       topic of your choice. This argument should be original in nature, but supported by existing   literature in economic history. The second option is to write an essay that reviews an existing area of research, identifies gaps, and suggests a research strategy to fill these knowledge gaps. Regardless of the essay type chosen, you are encouraged to attend office hours to discuss      your paper. The essay is due November 24th. Outlines are due September 29th.

Outline Details:

You must submit a one-page outline on September 29th for preliminary feedback. Ideally, this would include a statement of the paper’s topic, an outline of the argument that will be made, and at least 3 references.

Format Details:

Essay structure:

The overall structure is flexible. The argumentative essay option may follow the typical “sandwich essay”approach, although this may be supplemented with a literature review  section. However, the majority of the writing should be critical analysis.

The research essay option doesn’t fit as easily into the“sandwich essay”approach. I would    recommend including an introduction, literature review in which the gaps in the literature are identified, a proposal of a research design that could yield results to fill this gap, a discussion  of why it is important and a conclusion.

Length: 8-12 pages

Font Size: 12pt

Spacing: Double-spaced

Margins: 1 inch

Font Type: Any conservative font (i.e., ideally Arial or Times New Roman)  Citation Style: Any standard citation style is acceptable (APA, MLA, Chicago)

Grading Details

The essay is worth 35% of your total course grade. I will be considering 3 distinct areas        when grading your papers: writing style & format, understanding and clear expression of      economic material, and your economic insights. Style and format will account for 10% of the essay grade, the coherence of the argument will account for 15%, your understanding of the economic material will account for 35% of the essay grade and your economic insights will  account for 40% of the essay grade. Please keep in mind the university’s description of each grade level.