Paper Content
1. Choose a primary source (at least 50 pages long) that focuses on
some aspect of Southern women’s history. Primary sources include
such things as diaries, journals, collections of letters, autobiographies,
and newspaper articles that are written by individuals who lived through
the events described.
2. Introduce the time period. This should include references to the social, economic, political, and cultural milieu in the South during the decade(s) covered by your document.
3. Provide background material on the author. This should include relevant information about the author’s life (birth and death dates, education, family, social class, race, accomplishments, etc.). What was her motivation for writing? How would you describe her attitudes to traditional views of women’s nature and roles?
4. Summarize the content of the primary source. Highlight the significant individuals, ideas, and events discussed, and give the author’s perspective on these subjects.
5. Relate the contents to themes in Southern women’s history. Compare the individual and the individual’s descriptions, ideas, and experiences to others we have studied.
6. Evaluate the document as a primary source. How does it expand our understanding of Southern gender identities, roles, and relations? What are its shortcomings?
Paper Format
The paper should be written in essay form. Do not divide the paper
into sections or skip spaces between paragraphs. Use transition sentences
to move from topic to topic.
Papers should be approximately ten to fifteen, typewritten pages (2500 to 4000 words). Choose 12-point font, double space the text and endnotes, and set one inch margins.
All material that is not general knowledge must be cited. This includes paraphrased as well as quote material. Use endnotes numbered consecutively rather than internal acknowledgements. Endnotes should be in the humanities format (See the Harbrace Handbook or Marius, A Short Guide to Writing about History if you have questions).
Papers are due on or before 15 April. Ten points will be subtracted for each day late.
Paper Presentation
You will receive a grade for both the content and the format of your
presentation. The key to a good oral presentation is thorough preparation.
Thanks to your research, you are the expert on your document.
Content. Your presentation should highlight the nature
and significance of the primary document, with particular emphasis on its
relevance to our understanding of women and gender in the South.
It will be impossible to cover all the material in your paper within
the time period allowed for the presentation, so you should focus on key
individuals, events, and ideas. Keep in mind that you are probably the
only individual who has read this source; thus, it is important that you
provide information on its author and explain its context.
Format. Relax. Everyone else has to do this as well as you, and
no one (to my knowledge) has been permanently damaged from standing in
front of a classroom. Speak clearly, slowly, and loudly, and make frequent
eye contact with your audience. Use note cards or outlines; DO NOT READ
your presentation. Employ some means to help your classmates distinguish
between important and less important items. Remember, they will be responsible
for this material on their final examination. At the end of your presentation,
ask for questions and/or comments. Presentations should be between 6 to
8 minutes long (points will be subtracted for shorter or longer presentations).