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3 pages/≈825 words
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Chicago
Subject:
History
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Book Review
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English (U.S.)
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Morality and Birth Control History Book Review Paper

Book Review Instructions:

it is a primary source assignment, it's kind of like a book review but it's more like analyzing a source (photograph, speech, ad, etc.)
i choose a source on maternalists, link: http://www(dot)nyu(dot)edu/projects/sanger/documents/speech_morality_and_bc.php
i'll also link an example of the assignment and a lecture that is related to maternalists


 


Primary Source Assignment


Due July 21


 


Primary sources are the basis of most historical scholarship, and one of the goals in this class is to get you comfortable analyzing primary sources as historians do. My challenge to you is to find a primary source related to the three themes we are looking at this semester and analyze it in greater detail in three pages maximum. Imagine that you are speaking to someone who has not read the source, and they need to understand the historical context of the source you are analyzing. You want to tell them everything they would need to know about the source, and explain why this source is important for understanding the particular issue and time it addresses. Your analysis must contain the following (not necessarily in this order):


 



  1. An introduction with a crystal-clear argument about why this source is important for understanding the policy issue at hand – health care, poverty/welfare, or civil rights

  2. An introduction to the source explaining the Who, What, Where, When, Why of the source. Include as much as you know about who wrote it, when and how it was written (as much as you can get from the information given), and why it was written. Refer to the sheet we discussed on the second day of class if you are unsure what you should include. Be sure also to explain if there is significant information you are missing that would be important to know to understand the source better.

  3. An explanation of the historical context of the source, using both lecture and relevant class readings

  4. A discussion of the potential bias of the source. Think about not only the bias the author might have had, but the bias the particular source would have.  Then, explain why is it an important source despite its biases.


 


Formatting Guidelines:


 



  • Papers are to be in 12-point Times New Roman font with standard one-inch margins and DOUBLE SPACED.

  • Please include an original title for the paper (not just “Primary Source Assignment”), and a heading with your name, my name, and the date.

  • I prefer for the paper to be uploaded as Word Documents if possible. PDFs are fine if you are unable to upload a word Document, but I am unable to read Pages documents.

  • Citations should be Chicago style footnotes for your sources, including lectures. To cite a lecture simply: Tina Peabody, “Title of lecture” is sufficient.

  • You MUST include a working link to your primary source, so that I can access it.


 


Your choices for websites to find sources include:


 



  • You can also use presidential speeches in the online Miller Center Archive: http://millercenter.org/president#speeches-nav.

  • You can use this collection of presidential advertisements: http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1952/ike-for-president#3941 *Note: you will have to enable Flash player in your browser for these to work.


 



  • If you are interested in the New Deal, a good resource is the New Deal Network (I would suggest looking at the document library or photo gallery): http://chnm.gmu.edu/digitalhistory/links/cached/chapter2/2_2_newdeal.htm


 



  • If you are interested in health, there is a collection of medicine advertisements at Duke University here: http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/mma/


 



  • If you are interested in the Maternalists or Progressive Era, you can also go to this collection of Margaret Sanger papers: http://www.nyu.edu/projects/sanger/documents/selected.php


 



  • For a broader search, you can try The New York Times in the Proquest databases that SUNY offers. You can access them here (it will make you sign in with your SUNY ID): http://search.proquest.com.libproxy.albany.edu/publicationbrowse?accountid=14166


 


If you want to use a source from elsewhere, I am open to that, but clear it with me first!


 


How to Ace this Assignment


 



  • Pick a source that interests you and brings up lots of questions! Feel free to run your source by me if you like.

  • Keep in mind that choosing a short source to analyze - like a political cartoon, for instance – does not mean you do not have to do work. If the document you are using is a photograph, advertisement, or a cartoon, you need to think about how the image is constructed – what is the image trying to make you feel or think? How does the way it is drawn (or photographed) relate to the message trying to be conveyed? What might the cartoon or image gloss over? They say an image is worth a thousand words, but like any other source, they can obscure as much as they reveal. The artist chooses what to include and how to structure the image. Political Cartoons – like a meme on social media - also often gloss over important nuance or context because the medium is so brief. How might this affect the artist’s message? Again, I still need to see that you are thinking deeply about the source.

  • A papers will not only show a thorough understanding of the source, but the historical context, integrating other sources we have used in the class.  For example, if you choose a source the relates to civil rights, it would be a good idea to use Mark Fiege’s The Road to Brown v. Board and When Affirmative Action was White to help provide context.

  • The best papers will not just summarize the source, but will thoroughly analyze it. Though you start with a summary, this assignment is asking you to go beyond this and analyze the broader meaning of the primary source. The best papers will also be able to demonstrate that the primary source reveals connections between class materials in the three policy areas we focus on. A level papers will also show creative and original thinking, finding connections between the document and class material that are unexpected and well thought out.

  • Read the assignment rubric below:


Assignment Rubric


 



 

A

B

C

D

E

Assignment Directions and Formatting

Follows all formatting directions. Title and proper bibliographical citations included. The assignment is in 12 point font, with a proper heading. Generally, there are no glaring formatting errors within the paper.

 Follows the assignment formatting directions for the most part, with perhaps one or two mistakes that do not detract from the paper or make it difficult to read and/or identify the author.

Has made an attempt to follow formatting guidelines, but has one or two significant omissions like their name or the title.

Has not followed the formatting directions except for maybe one or two exceptions.

No attempt to follow format guidelines

Grammar/


Usage

Nearly perfect grammar and usage.

A few mistakes in grammar and usage, but these mistakes do not detract from the ease of reading the paper.

There are repeated mistakes in grammar and usage which detract from the ideas in the paper, and make some of it more difficult to follow.

Grammar and usage is so poor, it is difficult to understand large portions of the paper.

Grammar and usage is so poor it is difficult to understand any of the paper.

Organization/


Topic Sentences

The paper is clear and easy to follow. The introduction sets the tone for the paper, and each body paragraph has a clear focus with strong topic sentences to let the reader know the major point of each paragraph.

The paper is mostly clear and easy to follow with a few hiccups in organization or flow. With only one or two exceptions, the paper sets signposts for the reader with clear topic sentences, though some sections may be a little hard to follow or seem out of place.

The paper is difficult to follow at times which detracts from the ideas the paper is presenting in parts. There are some attempts, however, to set sign posts for the reader with topic sentences.

The paper as a whole is difficult to follow making it difficult to understand the points the paper is presenting as a whole. Topic sentences are very unclear or non-existent.

The paper is so poorly organized that very little of it can be understood. There are no attempts at topic sentences.

Historical Context

Explains the historical context of the primary source expertly, drawing from class readings as well as lectures. The paper focuses on the most relevant details in their historical context to help the reader understand the source, rather than listing all the relevant history verbatim.

Knows the historical context very well, and chooses aspects of the historical context that will help the reader understand the source. Uses background from lecture or other sources read in the class to enhance the reader’s understanding. The paper may tend to list events verbatim rather than focusing on the most important details.

Attempts to give some historical context, but misses significant details or has factual inaccuracies. Attempts to include points from lecture or other sources, though this may not adequately explain the source’s context or help the reader understand the source more clearly.

Very little historical context for the source, and what is there is hard to follow or factually inaccurate.

No historical context provided.

Source Analysis

Thoroughly analyzed the source, and has presented original, clear and creative thinking about why this source is important for understanding the policy issue chosen. The analysis shows attention to detail, and considerable thought about the potential bias of the source and the potential bias of the type of source.

Understands the source well, and provides a reason why this source helps illuminate the policy issue chosen. The student does address the potential for bias in the source, though this may not be very clear. The discussion of the source may tend toward summarizing more than analyzing.

Attempts an analysis of the source, but has misinterpreted it or simply summarizes it without analyzing. Insufficiently explains the potential issues for bias, or does not provide a convincing reason why this source is important for understanding the policy issue chosen.

The student has not shown a sufficient understanding of the source and misinterprets it or is unable even to summarize it. There is little explanation of why the source might be important for understanding the policy issue chosen.

There is little evidence the student has read the source. The student is unable to explain why the source is important for understanding the policy issue chosen.


 


 


Book Review Sample Content Preview:
MATERNALISM
Name
Course
Date
Introduction
Maternalism is a policy issue that involves ideas and opinions relating and concerning motherhood and helps to support the women in their involvement in community activities. This issue is clearly discussed and illustrated in the article entitled ‘Morality and Birth Control.’ This article was written by Margret H. Sanger in the year 1918. Margret is a well-known activist known for perpetrating and advocating for Maternalism in the early 20th century. Margret referred motherhood as sacred. This source explains how women’s rights were denied and how people perceived women as inferior in society. This is shown by several incidences in the article. In this article, the author advocates for things that women should not be deprived of, such as education. Margret also continues to elaborate on the need for women to have freedom. Also, in this article, Margret gives several stories of families that reveal the issues of poverty, poor health care, and deprivation of civil rights.
Analysis of the Article
Margret begins the article with a disclaimer that women are not given equal rights as men. She says this by claiming that women have been enslaved to morality. She says that every time a woman stands for her rights, it is presumed that she lacks good morals. She also adds by saying that when women were given the right to vote, it would result in family break ups. This clearly shows how women were not allowed to participate in community activities. She also explains how women were not support to undertake education. Society claimed that women taking part in education would affect their motherhood negatively hence making them immoral. This is also evident in some communities, which do not advocate for the education of women. This has resulted in childhood marriage as societies consider education for women to be unimportant (Lena, 2018). Margret stresses that there is a need to free women from ignorance, which can only be done by allowing women to be educated.
Margret says that freeing women from ignorance will help them control their standards of morality. This is because it will no longer be dictated by men, and they will be able to control their own body hence helping in birth control. Margret says that birth control will always be the first step towards achieving gender equality. In regard to birth control, Margret recalls of several families she came across while she was working as a nurse. The first family she speaks about comprised of a man who lived with his six children together with her wife. The man was a machinist and earned around $18 per week (NYU, n.d). He was a serious man who was hardworking. His wife was a housewife and was responsible for all household chores. These parents also managed to offer little education to their six children by taking them to school.
Nevertheless, several years later, things changed drastically after the fa...
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