Either (1) write a 25-35 page research paper or (2) develop a Web site with at least 75 "hot links" on a topic of your own choosing that has been approved by the instructor. The topic must concern some aspect of American history between approximately 1850 and 1880. The final presentation must be based mainly on research in primary sources, including documents and other artifacts from the period studied and/or the recollections of participants.

In developing your topic, you may wish to test one or more of the theses put forth in recent secondary studies or you may wish to focus on a heretofore unexamined aspect of the Civil War and Reconstruction. Among the possibilities you might consider are a close study of a noteworthy political or military event; an analysis of the public and/or private writings of either prominent or ordinary individuals; an analysis of popular opinion on a social issue as reflected in newspapers, magazines, speeches, and/or correspondence; an interpretation of changes in the status of particular social groups as reflected in legal statutes and other public documents; the history of a particular community or state during the period.

If you choose to write a research paper, you are required to provide the scholarly apparatus appropriate for an article in a refereed history journal. For guidance on standard formats for footnotes or endnotes, see the latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style or Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, both of which are located in the reference area in Mudd. Guidelines for the citation of electronic resources are available at <http://h-net2.msu.edu/~africa/citation.html>. If you choose to develop a Web site, you are required to identify your sources to the same extent as for a scholarly paper, but you may use hypertext or other Web-oriented formats instead of conventional footnotes or endnotes. Remember that you should identify the sources not only of all direct quotations but also of all paraphrased passages and major assertions derived from the work of others. Suitable scholarly apparatus impresses the instructor and protects you from inadvertent violations of Oberlin's Honor Code. Practice safe scholarship!

Papers are due in King 141 by 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12. Web sites must be posted and the URL communicated to the instructor by the same time. Work cannot be accepted beyond this deadline unless the student has secured an official "incomplete." Papers and Web sites will be graded on the basis of both content and presentation.

In order to receive the instructor's approval for your topic, you must submit a 4-6 page prospectus describing (1) the topic you intend to research; (2) why you think the topic is worth exploring, with specific reference to relevant secondary literature; (3) what primary sources you expect to use; (4) your research strategy, including any starting hypothesis you plan to test. The prospectus is must be posted online via the AltaVista Forum for the course by 10 a.m., Monday, March 9.

To post the prospectus via AltaVista Forum, you should attach it to a message as a Word 6 file, saved in rich text format (rtf). This will allow other students to open the file on any public computer and read it before class. Note: Over the remainder of the semester, you will be expected to post periodic updates on your research project. The goal is to encourage collaboration in the use of resources and in the development of effective research strategies.