Research Question Paper

Description: This is somewhat different than the standard undergraduate research paper. In this paper, you are to ask a question about some topic from the colonial period of Latin America. (Both terms are broadly defined. "Colonial period" can include the independence wars. "Latin America" can include the English-speaking Caribbean and other non-Spanish, non-Portuguese areas.) The key idea here is "ask a question." Instead of writing a paper about the Jesuits in Latin America, you might ask, "How did Jesuit missionary strategies differ in California and Paraguay?" This paper is to be 8 to 10 pages long. Although the calendar states this paper is due April 18, I will accept it as late as finals week, though the later I get it, the more difficult it would be for you to take advantage of my revision policy.

Topics: There are millions of possible topics. You should discuss you topic with me before getting started. I strongly recommend that you determine the availability of sources before beginning. J-store and other full text databases available at our library are good places to look for sources. Hint: Let the sources be your guide in choosing a topic. If your search leads you to a wide number of sources on one particular topic other than what you originally had in mind and it seems interesting, do it.

Sources and Citations: There is no set number of sources, but you want to avoid depending on only one or two sources. I would suggest about six as a minimum, depending on topic. You must use standard citation, including a bibliography and footnotes/endnotes, preferably Chicago, MLA, or Turabian.