HIST 1370: African-American Experience Through Reconstruction

Your task:

1. Choose a topic in consultation with Dr. Latimore 
2. Write a thesis statement to guide your research. Need help writing a thesis? Click here.
3. Assemble a tentative bibliography split evenly between primary and secondary sources
4. Determine the usefulness of each source by writing an analytical annotation
5. Use Chicago Author-Date style when formatting your citations 

What should your annotations look like? Here are a few examples.

An analytical annotation allows you to explain the value of a source to your paper. It can help you gain a greater sense of what a given resource can contribute to your argument. Some components of a typical annotation are given below. It may not be necessary to include each aspect. Instead, apply those criteria that best help you analyze a given document. 

1. a correctly formatted citation in Chicago Author-Date style 

2. a brief description or summary of the resource

3. a brief analysis of its argument or focus

4. the context in which the document was created

5. a review of the author's credentials or relevant biographical information 

6. a prediction or description of the text's intended audience

7. insights derived from the document, which may include an evaluative judgment