History 102 Assignment 1

About this Assignment

This is a written analysis of how World War I or World War II reinforced, challenged, and reshaped the concept of ‘the West’ in the 20th century up until today. You will use primary and secondary sources to support your argument.

Course Learning Outcomes

The following course learning outcome is assessed in this assignment:

• Analyze the main social, economic, and political causes and effects of World War I and World War II.

Related Lessons

Prompt

Select either World War I or World War II as the focus of your analysis. Your paper should be between 1,200-1,500 words and include the following components.

• A discussion of the social, economic, and political causes and effects of the war you have chosen.
• An analysis of how the social, economic, and political contexts of the moment affected both the conflict itself and the perception of ‘the West.’
• An explanation of how the alliances, divisions, and outcomes of this war shaped the definition of ‘the West’ in the 20th century.
• A reflection section in which you explain
• How your research process shaped or reshaped your perspective and understanding of the war itself and the concept of ‘the West.’
• How are the legacy of the war and its shaping of ‘the West’ connected to current events (for example, NATO debates, EU dynamics, or contemporary global conflicts)?
• How did your own thinking about the concept of ‘the West’ and its construction evolve as you worked through the assignment?

Be sure to support your claims with evidence. Evaluate how primary sources (such as speeches, treaties, propaganda, or eyewitness accounts) and secondary sources (such as peer-reviewed journals or scholarly works) differ in shaping our understanding of the war. Identify and discuss any contrasting interpretations among historians.

Formatting & Sources

Please write your paper in the Chicago Manual of Style format. You may refer to the course material for supporting evidence, but you must also use 6 external sources and cite them using CMS format. Please include a mix of both primary and secondary sources, with at least two sources from a scholarly publication such as a peer-reviewed journal. If you use any Study.com lessons as sources, please also cite them in CMS (including the lesson title and instructor’s name).

• Primary sources are first-hand accounts such as interviews, advertisements, speeches, company documents, statements, and press releases published by the company in question.
• Secondary sources come from scholarly publications such as peer-reviewed journals like The Journal of Modern History. You may use sources like JSTOR, Google Scholar, and Gale Resources to find articles from these journals. Secondary sources may also come from reputable websites with .gov, .edu, or .org in the domain. (Wikipedia is not a reputable source, though the sources listed in Wikipedia articles may be acceptable.)

If you’re unsure about how to use CMS format to cite your sources, please see the following lessons: