Historical Investigation Format 2012-2013

IB Internal Assessment: Historical Investigation

Your Historical Investigation will account for 20% (Higher Level) of your ultimate IB score in History. Further, timely accomplishment of assignments related to your Internal Assessment (Historical Investigation) is a critical component of continuation in the full diploma program- without the paper you cannot earn it) Also, this research paper will count as your final exam grade in Semester 2 while all components along the way will be worth significant points. Therefore, completion of this paper is required to pass this class Semester 2. This is a 1500-2000 word research paper which addresses a question of historical significance on some specific aspect History. It may not be on a topic in the same category as your extended essay.

The Topic: Examples of the types of investigations students may undertake are:

A historical topic or theme using written sources or a variety of sources A historical topic based on fieldwork, for example, a museum, battlefields, places of

worship, such as mosques or churches, historic buildings

A local history study

A historical study based on oral interviews

A historical investigation of cultural issues

Your Choice of Topic:

For this investigation, you may select a topic which deals with any of the following topics we have studied or will study in IB History during IB History of the Americas (United States, Canada, Latin America). They include:

The Great Depressiono Political Causes of the Great Depression

o Economic Causes of the Great Depression

o The Stock Market Crash

o Hoover v. FDR- nature and efficacy of solutions

o The New Deal

o Critics of the New Deal

o Canada’s Great Depression

o Bennett v. King

o Vargas and ISI

o Impact of the Great Depression on Society: African Americans, Mexicans, Women

o The Great Depression and the arts in the US- radio, artwork, murals, songs, film, comics

WWII

o Causes, Consequences, Major Players

o Major Battles

o Impact of technological developments and the beginning of the atomic age- Decision to drop Atomic Bomb

o US reactions to events in Europe, inter-American Diplomacy, cooperation, neutrality, isolationism

o Social Impact of Second World War on: African Americans, Native Americans, women, other minorities—conscription

o FDR’s Good Neighbor Policy, its application and effects

o Treatment of Japanese Americans and Japanese Canadians during Internment

o Economic and diplomatic effects of WWII in the US

The Cold War

o Yalta and Potsdam Conferences

o Truman: containment and its implications for the Americas

o The Rise of McCarthyism and its effects on foreign policies of the US

o Cold War and its impact on Society and culture

o The Korean War- reasons for participation, military developments, diplomatic and political outcomes

o US involvement in Vietnam: nature and involvement at different stages, domestic effects and the end of war.

o US foreign Policies from Kennedy to Carter: Kennedy’s Alliance for Progress, Nixon’s covert operations in Chile, Carter’s quest for human rights and the Panama Canal Treaty

o Cold war in Cuba: reasons for foreign and domestic policies and their implementation

After preliminary research, you will need to narrow your focus for study. Consult your textbooks, the Internet, encyclopedias or other materials for possible topics. Note: IB students should consider selecting a topic that will be on the IB exam, hence choosing a topic from our classes. All topics must be approved prior to writing the paper.

Tips:

1. Look through your notes. Look through our books and any power points we’ve done. Is there a topic there you would like to learn more about? Are there questions you still have that you could research to find the answer to?

2. You want your historical question to be focused and clear. Choosing too general of a topic will result in a low scoring grade.

Bad Idea to choose something like: The Causes of WWII, Hitler and the Nazi Party, The Holocaust…

Instead… Choose A Question of Controversy

A. MUST have at least two sides (ex. to what extent…) to allow you to include differing interpretations.

B. It is only controversial if historians disagree as to the answer1. Avoid questions that lend themselves to a descriptive answer (upon which historians

would agree) such as the causes of the Cold War, Hitler’s reasons for the Final Solution, etc. Focus upon the issues that historians debate, such as which is more important, the main causes, to what extent someone’s reasons for doing something

were justifiable, whether one person is more blameworthy or praiseworthy for something than another person, etc.

C. Example: Despite the arguments that FDR’s policies were more effective in addressing the causes of the Great Depression, would a continuation of Hoover’s policies have led to a quicker recovery than FDR’s?

D. Example: To what extent was Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb justifiable? E. Example: To what extent were the Moscow Olympic Games of 1980 affected by Cold

War tensions?F.

The Assignment:

Please note: The format of the independent investigations is not a traditional "essay". Instead, you will need to divide your paper into the following components, with a separate heading for each (you will be able to see some sample papers with the proper format).

SECTION A: PLAN OF THE INVESTIGATION

GUIDELINES AND REQUIREMENTS ADVICE AND CONSIDERATIONS

Recommended word count: 100-150

Point value: 2/20 marks Introduces the subject of the

investigation, which should be sharply focused; may be stated as a question

Includes the methods to be used in the investigation – a clearly structured plan

Identifies the aims of your research (why you are investigating this subject)

When stating your research question, be sure to address why your topic is interesting, or how you came to choose your topic.

As for the scope of your investigation, include the sources you plan to use and the issues you will examine in order to address your research question.

Make sure that your subject can be treated in the WORD LIMIT!

In order to come up with a good question or thesis, you must do some pre-research. Pick a topic, research it, come up with a basic question, read some more about it, refine your question, write some of your paper, and then tweak the question a bit more. The question should be specific, focused, detailed and targeted. The more specific,

the better.

SECTION B: SUMMARY OF EVIDENCE



Point value: 5/20 marks Provides a description of events

that are relevant to your research and that will help you address your research question

Indicates what you have learned from the sources used

Is organized, referenced, and provides evidence of thorough research

Any illustrations, documents, or other relevant evidence should be included in an appendix and will not be included in the word count

You must link your overview of evidence to your research question.

The goal is NOT to include every piece of information, but only salient pieces of information. Present ONLY information that will help you answer your research question; do not waste words providing lengthy background information.

Your summary must be brief, concise, and written with clarity; do not address the section to a teacher as the reader.

Use plenty of footnotes in this section using background sources, not just the two books you are analyzing for Section C.

Prove you did the research! Prove you looked through a variety of sources. Prove you didn’t just sit at the computer and search the internet! Prove you were thorough! Make sure you cite all your sources. Be careful, only use something in your investigation if it is meaningful and provides evidence to help answer your question. Just using a laundry list of lots of facts and figures and quotes from lots of books or websites doesn’t help. More is not better. I would suggest primary AND secondary sources for your research. Summarize, Summarize, Summarize.

Do not include your analysis of the sources, and don’t actually answer the thesis in this section. You will do this later. It is just an organized summary of the facts you found from the sources you discovered in your research.

Be careful- any information you use anywhere else

in the paper must be presented in this section. You can’t pull out new information and use it in your conclusion if it does not also appear in your summary of evidence!! All information you summarize should help “prove” what your conclusion is.

SECTION C: EVALUATION OF SOURCES



Point value: 4/20 marks Provides a critical evaluation of

two important sources appropriate to the investigation; assesses the usefulness of the sources

Refers to the origin, purpose, values, and limitation of each source:

o ORIGIN: Who (or what) produced this document?

o PURPOSE: Why was this document produced? What is the author trying to accomplish? What is the author’s bias/perspective?

o VALUE: What makes this document useful to you, or to anyone interested in the topic?

o LIMITATIONS: What about this document needs to be

ORIGINS AND PURPOSES: These sections need not be lengthy, simply explain what was produced and why.

o ORIGINS: You must provide the academic credentials of the author; if you cannot find anything on the author in the book, search the Net. If you still cannot find information on your author, SAY SO. It is not necessary to put in every academic post or professorship the authors have held.

o PURPOSES: The best authors will typically express purpose in the preface/introduction/first chapter. You may have to search for the purpose. NOTE: even narratives have a purpose. If you cannot locate a clearly articulated purpose, you may use language such as: “It appears that the author’s purpose is…”

questioned? Why would someone use caution when looking at this document for evidence and analysis?

VALUE AND LIMITATIONS: These sections may not be balanced. One side of the argument may be more substantive than the other.

o VALUE: Explain why this source is valuable in general, and address why it is particularly important to your research. Make specific references to the text and its sources; use quotes. You may comment on footnotes of the book, what kinds of sources the author used, etc.

o LIMITATIONS: Again, you must be specific, providing examples from the text, quotes, etc. Limitations could include a critique of sources; a critique of whether or not the coverage is too broad to meet the author’s objectives; if the author is using out of date scholarship, relying on only newspaper articles, etc. Why might a historian need to show some degree of caution using this source?

A few words on using BIAS to assess VALUES AND LIMITATIONS: Remember that all sources are biased, none are completely objective. You need to provide a nuanced interpretation of “bias”. Explain WHY the source is biased, and how this bias affects your research. If you assert a degree of objectivity, be specific: Does the author present a balanced perspective by providing multiple points of view? Does the author present statistical data that is difficult to manipulate? Keep in mind that NO SOURCES ARE COMPLETELY OBJECTIVE, even statistical data can be “massaged” to make a point.

Note: The purpose of this section is to assess the usefulness of the sources; NOT to describe their content or

nature. (you already described their content in Section B)

You do not have to compare the two sources! Think of it as a paragraph of OPVL for one source and a paragraph for another source.

This section should earn you easy marks.

SECTION D: ANALYSIS



Point value: 5/20 marks Addresses the importance of the

investigation in its historical context, this adds weight and perspective to the study

Analyzes the evidence presented in Section B

Includes analysis of different interpretations

This is where you examine different historical interpretations of your research topic in analyzing the historical event itself.

YOU MUST CONNECT THE ANAYLYSIS SECTION WITH THE ORIGINAL RESEARCH QUESTION OR TOPIC. This is true for the entire paper. There should be a thread running through the entire paper connecting all sections back to the research question.

That said, you must integrate an analysis of the author’s arguments into this section. Analyze the authors’ conclusions in reference to your research question.

This is the substance of the paper. These are your thoughts about the subject. This is your analysis of the sources, your findings, your ideas. You may want to present differing interpretations of the answer to your research question.

Whatever you do, you should try to place it in historical context. This will add weight and perspective to your study. What else was going on at the time?

You are elaborating on and analyzing what you wrote about in section B. The elements you identified in section B will now be broken down into key issues or points.

SECTION E: CONCLUSION



Point value: 2/20 marks Must be clearly stated and

consistent with the evidence presented

As a follow-up to section D, requires an answer or conclusion to the original research question

Provides conclusions in a narrow and focused manner

Your conclusion should answer your research question in a clear and focused manner. This may be fairly brief – one paragraph will suffice if you addressed conclusions in the analysis section– or, as is often the case when examining historical interpretations, it may be a bit longer.

Include your final judgment on the two books. Are the sources equally valuable for further research? Articulate the reasons for your final evaluation of the books.

You should not include any new information not already presented earlier in your paper!!!

SECTION F: LIST OF SOURCES


Not counted in word count Point value: 2/20 marks Includes a bibliography or list of

sources Must use a recognized citation

system consistently Written sources should be listed

separately from non-written sources

If your historical investigation is not between 1500 and 2000 words, you will receive no credit in this section.

The source list, generic headings, (e.g., “Part A”), and references do not count toward the word count. Everything else does. Your IA must be between 1500-2000 worlds. If the essay is UNDER or OVER the word count parameter, you receive NO POINTS in this section.

You must list all sources consulted. You must separate primary from secondary sources if appropriate, as well as electronic vs. print sources.

Your bibliography must follow a standard citation format, as should all footnotes in the body of the paper. NO PARANTHTICALS. We hate them. Footnotes are easiest to use throughout, and are easy to reference by the reader. Endnotes are acceptable. Don’t forget that explanatory footnotes are an excellent way for you to express ideas without being penalized in the word count.

Please, no references to Wikipedia, Encarta, WorldBook, Groliers, Facts on File, or other non-scholarly encyclopedias.

You should not use an internet source if it does not have a credible author. If someone is not willing to put their name on it, then it’s probably not credible!

Please include the word count at the bottom of the last section.

No cover page or table of contents is needed, but in five lines at the top right-hand corner of the first page, please put

your name, History HL: Europe, the date, your teacher’s name, and the words “Internal Assessment.”

No good paper can be written without referencing and researching at least 7 sources. Of these, only two should be internet!

www.citationmachine.net The Citation Machine is a useful tool for correctly citing sources.

Internal Assessment Grading CriteriaHistorical Investigations: HL

Spring 2013

Criterion A Plan of Investigation 3 marksCriterion B Summary of Evidence 6 marksCriterion C Evaluation of Sources 5 marksCriterion D Analysis 6 marksCriterion E Conclusion 2 marksCriterion F Sources and Word Limit 3 marks

http://www.citationmachine.net/

Total 25 marks

A Plan of Investigation

Marks Level Descriptor0 There is no plan of investigation, or it is inappropriate. 1 The research question, method and scope of the investigation are not clearly stated. 2 The research question is clearly stated. The method and scope of the investigation

are outlined and related to the research question. `3 The research question is clearly stated. The method and scope of the investigation

are fully developed and closely focused on the research question.

B Summary of Evidence

Marks Level Descriptor0 There is no relevant factual material. 1-2 There is some relevant factual material but it has not been referenced. 3-4 There is relevant factual material that shows evidence of research, organization and

referencing. 5-6 The factual material is all relevant to the investigation and it has been well

researched, organized and correctly referenced.

C Evaluation of Sources

Marks Level Descriptor0 There is no description or evaluation of the sources. 1 The sources are described but there is no reference to their origin, purpose, value and

limitation. 2-3 There is some evaluation of the sources but reference to their origin, purpose, value

and limitation may be limited. 4-5 There is evaluation of the sources and explicit reference to their origin, purpose, value

and limitation.

D Analysis

Marks Level Descriptor0 There is no analysis. 1-2 There is some attempt at analyzing the evidence presented in Section B3-4 There is analysis of the evidence presented in section B and references are included.

There may be some awareness of the significance to the investigation of the sources evaluated in section C. Where appropriate, different interpretations are considered.

5-6 There is critical analysis of the evidence presented in section B, accurate referencing, and an awareness of the significance to the investigation of the sources evaluated in section C. Where appropriate, different interpretations are analyzed.

E Conclusion

Marks Level Descriptor0 There is no conclusion, or the conclusion is not relevant. 1 The conclusion is stated but is not entirely consistent with the evidence presented. 2 The conclusion is clearly stated and consistent with the evidence presented.

F Sources and Word Limit

Marks Level Descriptor0 A list of sources is not included or the investigation is not within the word limit. 1 A list of sources is included but these are limited or one standard method is not used

consistently or the word count is not clearly and accurately stated on the title page. 2 A list of sources using one standard method is included and the investigation is within

the word limit. 3 An appropriate list of sources, using one standard method, is included. The

investigation is within the word limit.

1. Focused Research Question that is a question of controversy.

2. Thesis Statement: This is your research question, but without the question mark. Example: The aim of my investigation is to find out ________________________.

3. How will you answer your question? Make a list, like the example below of the types of information you will need in order to answer your question.

Example Question: Despite the arguments that FDR’s policies were more effective in addressing the causes of the Great Depression, would a continuation of Hoover’s policies have led to a quicker recovery than FDR’s?

To answer this question I will need to: a. Identify the causes of the Great Depressionb. Examine the policies of Hoover and FDR and their effectsc. Evaluate whether a continuation of Hoover’s policies would have been more

effective than FDR’sd. Consider arguments for and against

4. Sources

Evaluate what types of primary sources will be of value in your investigation and make a lista. People involved in the events and things they said (why would you want this

information? How would it help you to answer your question?)b. Government data c. Expert opinions (Historians)d. Look for sources from a variety of viewpoints that might give you a variety of opinions as to the answer to your question (differing interpretations)

i. If studying FDR and Hoover, you might look for both liberal and conservative historians, both democrat and republican ii. If studying the Cold war, US Historians, Russian historians, etc.

Plan of Investigation

A. Plan of Investigation, about 100-150 words, including:

1- the subject of the investigation narrowed down quite specifically to a clearly focused question.

2- the methods you will use in your investigation: explain what exactly you will be looking for in your search, and what resources (and types of resources) you will use.3- the Scope: your plan must include your thesis, and you need to explain why your topic is important, why it deserves research, and why you are narrowing your focus to specific thesis.

To Write your plan of investigation. It must include

Your Question Break your question down into its component parts that you will need to answer it

What kinds of sources will be of value in giving the information you need to answer the component parts, and why they would have that value?

In addition, it should probably start out with some sort of historical context for your question, explaining why you came up with the question & why it is important to historians (this context is the first few sentences in the Plan of Investigation below)

Examples:Example 1

When Herbert Hoover was faced with the onset of the Great Depression in 1929, his response was tepid, as he believed that too much government action would interfere with free market forces and just make the economy worse. Hoover was widely blamed for doing nothing, leading to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s election in 1932 and his much more energetic New Deal policies. Many free market economists still question whether Hoover’s policies were not a better long-term response than those of Roosevelt. This investigation will answer the question: would a continuation of Herbert Hoover’s policies have led to a more rapid recovery from the Great Depression than the policies of Franklin Roosevelt? To answer this question the investigation will first examine the causes of the Great Depression. The policies of both Hoover and Roosevelt will then be addressed and the economic effects of their policies evaluated. Finally, the interpretations of various historians and economists will be evaluated, including both Keynesian and free market perspectives, in order to answer the question.

(169 words)

Example 2

For much of the 19th century, Argentine politicians encouraged foreign investment in Argentina thinking that this would lead to economic growth for Argentina and progress. By the first half of the twentieth century, Argentine Nacionalistas were increasingly rejecting this contention, arguing instead that foreigners were exploiting Argentines, and Argentina could only see true economic progress if it achieved economic independence. Juan Perón’s economic policy initially reflected this strain of economic nationalism, and Nacionalista support is often credited with helping Perón to gain and maintain power in Argentina. The objective of this investigation is to see if this contention is accurate: to what degree did the economic policies of Juan Perón contribute to his maintenance of power in Argentina from 1946-1955? The writings of Perón and his economic ministers will be consulted in order to determine Perón’s economic policies and the aims of those policies. Economic figures, such as those available from the Argentine Bureau of Statistics,

will be used to evaluate the success of Perón’s policies, but in order to judge whether they helped to maintain him in power the opinion of those responsible for keeping him in power will need to be investigated. I will research the writings of various representative interest groups in order to gauge their satisfaction with Peróns policies, such as ally and rival politicians, including Nacionalistas, military leaders, and union leaders. This data will be considered in conjunction with the analysis of Argentinian, British, and US experts in the field of Argentine history and Perón in order to evaluate whether Perón’s economic policies contributed to his maintenance of power or instead contributed to his fall from power in 1955.

(275 words)

Historical Investigation Format 2012-2013

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