BC North American Connection in Central America Cold War Questions

The first step in any history research project involves finding an appropriate topic. This is the focus of Library Research Assignment 1. Ideally, your topic should be something you are interested in since you will be doing research on it for the rest of the semester. Is there an episode or time period in history you would like to learn more about? It could be something related to your family history, your major or minor, your hobbies and so on. “Sample Paper Topics” page has a list of potential paper topics; use it for your inspiration but keep in mind that most of these topics need to be narrowed down. And do not worry if the topic you would like to explore is not on the list (but you are welcome to double-check with me, too).

There are two rules to remember: (1) no paper topic can be set in the United States itself (but it can deal with American involvement in the world as long as the focus of the topic is on the world, not the US). And (2) your topic has to be set before 1980 (preferably even earlier).

Question 1: Finding a Historical Podcast on Your Potential Topic

Before you commit to a topic and begin to do your own research, it makes sense to learn more about it. These days, there are a lot of podcasts out there and some of them are created by professional historians. A podcast can provide you with some introductory information about your potential topic. Keep in mind: you will not use the podcast itself as a source for your final paper; this is just to get a sense for whether a topic is worth pursuing or not.
 

For this part of LRA 1, I want you to find a podcast dealing with a topic you think you might be interested in. There are plenty of podcasts out there but not all of them have reliable historical information. Here are two reliable podcasts to pick from:

1. 15 Minute History, https://15minutehistory.org/ (Links to an external site.) (or here: https://notevenpast.org/category/15-minute-history/ (Links to an external site.)) at the University of Texas, Austin (not to be confused with “15-Minute History Podcast (Links to an external site.)“; don’t use that one) . This podcast series invites historians to introduce a topic they are researching. They have recently re-designed their search engine and it doesn’t work well. I recommend just scrolling down the list of podcasts instead until you see an interesting one. Some topics they cover are about the US history and can’t be used for a paper but others are more global. I highly recommend using this podcast: it has short episodes and covers a variety of world history topics. If these websites are offline, you can access the podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/3y41OWFucnu2lXey8ls22K (Links to an external site.)

2. BBC In Our Time (Links to an external site.). This podcast series is actually a radio program for BBC 4. The host invites a panel of scholars, experts on a particular topic. Not all topics would work for a history paper but most provide a good starting point. Make sure you are using the podcast and not other BBC radio programs (like BBC News).

There are other good podcasts and you can use them, but check with me first. Not all topics are appropriate for your final project, of course. Remember: your topic needs to be set outside of the United States and take place before 1980 (preferably even earlier).

Once you have found and listened to the podcast episode, cite it in your LRA using the following model:

Name of the Author(s), “Title of the Specific Episode,” Title of the Podcast (Date) URL

For example:
Fred M. Donner, Christopher Rose, “Episode 51: Islam’s Enigmatic Origins,” 15 Minute History (2014) https://15minutehistory.org/podcast/episode-51-isl…

Then, summarize the information you learned from the podcast in about 5 sentences.
 

Question 2: Research Topic Summary

Discuss your potential topic in 2 thoughtful paragraphs: Who’s involved? What happened? Where did it happen? When did it start? Why does it matter? You can use Wikipedia (Links to an external site.), the CIA World Factbook (Links to an external site.), and the BBC Country Profiles (Links to an external site.) for information for preliminary research (but remember that you are not allowed to use these sources in your final paper).
 

Question 3: Finding Key Words / Search Terms

Under a Question 3 heading, write five key terms for your topic to use in library searches, and a sentence for each term explaining what each term is and why you chose it. These could be names of important people involved, historical events, geographic places and so on. Think of the keywords/terms that will be most helpful to you as you begin your research.
 

Question 4: Writing Two Preliminary Research Questions

Typically, once researchers have read and analyzed several sources (like you’ve just done), they formulate a set of preliminary research questions that they hope to answer by the end of their research. Often research questions change, and almost always new questions arise. As the last part of your LRA 1, formulate two clear, specific and historical research questions (label them as QA and QB). Try thinking of questions you can’t answer just yet (these questions will guide you on your research). Remember, historians ask how and why human societies change. We ask about the causes, consequences, continuities, and connections that tie events together across time and space. We ask questions about the diversity of human experiences, and about the evolution of human cultures. We also ask about the political, social and economic structures that shape our lives, even when we are not aware of them. Be sure your questions address the historical roots of your topic.

Check out “Writing a Research Question” guide; it will help you to come up with research questions for your project.

To see the correct format for this assignment: take a look at this Sample LRA 1

Download Sample LRA 1.

When you are done, upload your completed Word or PDF document for LRA 1. Be sure you labeled each question clearly and completed all parts of the assignment.