HIST 415 Vietnam and the Twentieth Century Experience
General Instructions for All Written Assignments
Each week you will have a short written assignment. Though each assignment is slightly different, this should serve as general instructions for all assignments.
Formatting: All assignments should be completed as Microsoft Word documents. They should be between 2 and 3 pages and be double spaced with standard indentation. The font should be size 12, Times New Roman. You should create a short title page including your name, the date, the assignment title, and the instructor’s name. The page limit does NOT include the title page or bibliography.
Writing: Your writing should demonstrate both a factual understanding of the topic at hand and your own analysis. You will often be asked to explain what conclusions you have drawn on a topic. To do so, you should use historical facts to explain your own conclusions. You should NOT simply quote something from someone else’s writing. The purpose of these assignments is to demonstrate your personal understanding of the topics. Your writing should be well organized and easy to follow. Good spelling and grammar are always important and points may be deducted for poorly written work. The essay should be organized with an introduction, body, and conclusion. The introduction should include a statement of purpose or thesis. Avoid the use of first person, personal opinion that is not supported by facts from your sources, and vague pronouns.
Research and Citation: Research is the basis of all analytical writing. Historians rely on facts to form their conclusions and they must be able to present the sources of these facts. Citations are a way to show the scholarly sources you used to find your facts. This helps others who read your work confirm the truth behind your findings. For example, if you wanted to use a specific statistic