HIS 105 - Argumentative Paper (Nass)

2. Explore Your Topic

After thoroughly examining your assignment, now it's time to look for some initial background research on your topic.  Try a search in the following database to learn more about your topic.

Analyze Your Topic

Who

Think about who might be involved. This could be specific people, but it could also be groups of people - consider different groups based on age, race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status (wealth), who may be affected (good or bad) by your topic. 

What

Consider what factors are involved in your topic. Read some background information or a summary to learn more about your topic, and then make a list of relevant factors.

The background reading can also provide you with keywords, specialized vocabulary, and definitions, which will be useful for future searches.

When

What time period is involved? Some of your choice of topics take place during the 15th century, while others take place in the 18th century. Be sure you know what dates and times are involved in your topic because that will affect how you write about them. Your topic may have specific dates associated with it or it may be more general.

Where

Where does your topic take place? Was it in Europe, North America, Africa, Asia, or somewhere else? The situation can be quite different in some countries than it is here.

Why

This is a really important one. Why do people care about this topic? Why is it important in history? What can we learn by studying this topic?