HISTORY 138: HISTORY OF THE SOVIET UNIONINSTRUCTIONS FOR RESEARCH PAPERSHISTORY 138: HISTORY OF THE SOVIET UNIONINSTRUCTIONS FOR RESEARCH PAPERSAs students in this course, you will be required to complete a research paper on a topic of your choosing. The topic may be any subject within the scope of Soviet and/or Post-Soviet history from 1917 to the present day. Through your research you should seek to answer specific questions about the topic you have chosen, and in so doing, make a solid argument supported by concrete evidence to support your answers.As far as topics are concerned, chose something that genuinely grabs your interest and therefore will be exciting for you to research and write about. You can use the assigned readings to help you find a topic. Consult the lists of books for further reading located at the end of each chapter in MacKenzie and Curran. If you have trouble coming up with a topic, please see me and I will be more than happy to help you to find something exciting! I am also available to helpat any stage of the research and writing, so please come see me.As far as sources are concerned, you may use any scholarly texts or monographs on the topic.Fiction, contemporaneous to the topic you are studying may also be used if it has historical value. Internet resources may also be used, with prior approval of the instructor (there is much disreputable information on the web, so I reserve the right to veto any internet source). You will be required to use primary as well as secondary sources in your research.All papers must be double-spaced, 8-10 pages in length, use 11 or 12 point font (in a font style comparable in size to Times New Roman). Papers must be written in accordance with the accepted standards of the discipline of history. In other words, citing of sources in full footnotesor endnotes is required. You must also include a bibliography of all sources used. Do not use the shortened citation format allowed in the short paper assignments. Your work will be graded on style as well as content, so your work your paper should be free of typographical, grammatical, and spelling errors. For help with references, as well as general advice on how to write a research paper, please consult the Chicago Manual of Style (hard copy or on-line at: http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/cmosfaq/tools.html)or Jules Benjamin’s A Student’s Guide to History (hard copy or on-line at: http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/history/benjamin/) for information on how to cite sources properly as well as general advice on how to write a history paper.All students are required to submit a proposal describing your research project and outlining the questions you seek to answer through your research, as well as a list of preliminary sources, including at least 2 primary and 2 secondary sources. Please submit your proposal no later than Friday, March 31, 2006. Of course, the earlier you get your topic and sources approved, the sooner you can get to work on the paper.Final versions of papers will be due by Friday, April 38, 2006. Late papers will be reduced by ten points for each day late they are received. I will review any drafts or outlines prior to the due date, if you so desire. If you need any assistance with the paper at all, please feelfree to come to me! I’m here to