Final Project Option A: Research Essay

For this project, you can focus on any topic related to the witch hunts in late medieval or early modern Europe.

A PDF version of this page is available here: Final Project_ Essay Option

For information on the various stages related to this project, please see: Research Project Overview

Guidelines

  • Length: Your essay should be about 15-20 pages in length.
  • Sources: At least one primary source and give secondary sources. These can be material that we’ve read in class or from the same collection of sources. You will need to do additional research.

Choosing a topic and beginning your research

You can choose any topic that deals with the history of the witch hunts in early modern Europe. You may want to start by looking first for a primary source that will act as the basis of your paper. From there you can move to finding secondary sources.

For assistance in finding primary and secondary sources, see: Final Project Resources

 ****a note about secondary sources*****

Try to use secondary sources that have been published recently rather than older works on a topic as ideas about the subject may have changed significantly as new primary sources were discovered. This is especially true for the history of the witch hunts where more recent work has soundly refuted many claims made by older historians.

Step One: Primary and Secondary Source Analysis (due January 27th)

Purpose and Overview

This part of the final project is to kickstart your research and provide a foundation from which it can develop. As history projects are based on the analysis of primary and secondary sources, this assignment is designed to help you examine ONE primary source and ONE secondary source related to your broader topic.

For more details, see: Primary and Secondary Source Analysis

NOTE: Given the due date for this project, you will need to start on it as soon as possible in order to find appropriate resources AND obtain them in time (likely through Interlibrary Loan) to complete your analysis.

Step Two: Proposal (due February 10th)

After completing the source analysis for your project, you should now have a general idea of where to take your research and some of the ideas that you would like to explore in your project. For this step of your project, I’d like you to submit a proposal according to the guidelines below. The proposal serves two functions: it provides you with a foundation from which to work on your project and it serves as a space through which I can help guide your research.

For more details, see: Proposal

Step Three: Essay Draft (due March 17th)

After you have completed your proposal and done further research to answer your central research question, it is time to develop your essay and complete a draft. Your draft should be a complete version of your essay, including citations (they can be parenthetical with author, date at this point if needed). 

There are a number of guides on how to write history essays in our library. Let me know if you want a suggestion.

A few points:

  • Try to write largely in the past tense. You’re discussing events and people who lived in the past. 
  • Use quotations but make sure you connect them to your arguments and explain WHY they are significant. 
  • You can use the personal pronoun “I” for all essays you submit to me (other professors don’t like it, but I use it all the time in my own writing).
  • Make sure that you are specific in your discussions. Make it clear when, where, and who you are talking about. Context is important so make sure your reader understands what was going on when and where you’re writing about.
  • Don’t forget to proof read your essay before submitting it. Also, have a friend or family member read it over!

Step Four: Presentation (TBA)

This presentation should be up to 10 minutes long and should discuss:

  • Your research question
  • Your main argument
  • Your central primary source and how you are using it to develop your argument
  • 2-3 of your secondary sources and how you have used them to develop your argument
  • Why you decided to focus your research project on your topic and what you discovered about it during the course of your research.

Step Five: Final Essay (due April 14th)

After receiving your draft back from me, you should focus on revising it based on my suggestions. My comments will focus on:

  • Are the purpose and approach of this essay evident from the beginning?
  • Are all the sections of the paper relevant to the topic?
  • Is the organization logical?
  • Are the ideas sufficiently developed? Is there enough evidence, explanation and illustration?
  • Are there any grammatical/syntactical issues making it difficult to understand the ideas being presented?

The final version of your paper must include:

  • Original title indicating what your paper is about.
  • Either a cover page with the title and your name or this information at the top of the first page.
  • Bibliography divided into primary and secondary sources.
  • Proper citations using the Chicago Manual of Style.