The Roots of Contemporary Final Issues Research Essay

The Roots of Contemporary Final Issues Research Essay
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Assignment: The Roots of Contemporary Issues explores the roots of five critical contemporary
issues, one of each from the themes of Humans and the Environment, Our Shrinking World,
Roots of Inequality, Diverse Ways of Thinking, and the Roots of Contemporary Conflicts. The
four parts of the library research assignment challenged you to gather and analyze sources,
develop a thesis, craft a bibliography and outline your essay – all of which culminates in an essay
tracing your topic’s deep historical roots and its global significance.
Sources: Use the sources you’ve gathered and analyzed in library assignment parts I-IV (you
have at least six) to begin writing and note that you may find it necessary to use additional
sources available through the library. All sources must be properly cited using footnotes and in a
formal bibliography attached to the end of the paper, which does not count toward your 5-7
pages length requirement.
Format/Technical:
 All essays must be typed, at least 5-7 pages in length (double-spaced, not including
bibliography) 12-point font and 1.25” inch margins.
 No title pages.
 Your name and section number should appear in the upper left-hand header.
 Choose an appropriate title, type it on the first line of text (centered), and then begin your
essay immediately after.
 Do not use long quotations to fill up space! These will be penalized.
 All essays should be thoroughly proofread; essays with typographical errors will result in
lower scores.
 It is highly recommended that you use an outside proofreader or the Writing Center to cut
down your sentence structure and grammatical errors.
Structure: Make sure your introduction clearly introduces your contemporary issue (use of a
“hook” to grab your readers attention would be appropriate) and your central points
(thesis/argument). The body of your paper should clearly identify the historical roots of your
contemporary issue through time and across space. The body of your paper may work either
backwards or forwards in historical time. Or you might find it necessary to employ other
organizational forms, such as geography or sub-topics. Whatever you choose, make sure that
your narrative flows. Remember to provide a conclusion that brings all the various parts of your
essay together, especially addressing the question of how an understanding of the past is
important to understand your issue in the present.