Your 3,000-word paper is worth 30% of the course grade.
You will present the paper as part of a panel in class during the final week of class.
You have three potential options for framing your research project:
1) History paper: A historical research paper is based on primary source evidence. This option is required for History majors and is open to others who want to historicize an aspect of Iran’s relationship with the West.
2) Major field essay: In what ways is Iran or Iran’s relationship with the West important to the questions, subjects, theories, and/or methods of your major field/department/program? This is an analytic essay that uses a variety of sources to relate what we study in class to your major field.
Be interpretive rather than descriptive. This is an exercise in critical analysis – from a historical perspective, the vantage point of your major field, or through a piece of literature.
Cite and engage with at least 15 sources; many papers will have many more sources. History papers should be majority primary sources; sources for major field essays will vary; contextual book reviews should be divided between syllabus readings and outside sources.
Include in-text citations and a works-cited page that adheres to the Chicago Manual of Style (footnotes) or the style guide of the Modern Languages Association (last name and page number). Papers without this scholarly apparatus will receive a failing grade.
Be no less than 3,000 words and no more than 4,000 words. Your conclusion should be reflective and address how the course compelled you to rethink Iran’s relationship with the West.
