[HISTORY 1301/1302 TRADITIONAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT] 1
TCC- Southeast
Traditional Writing Assignment Topic:
History 1301/1302 – TOPIC: ___________________
Assignment Description:
For this semester you have been given a specific topic to write about for this
out of class writing assignment. I would recommend writing down your topic in the
space provided above so you don’t lose it. Below I have listed a few things you
absolutely must have in your writing assignment:
1) You must give a basic summary of what your topic is. In other
words, you have to inform your reader what you are discussing in
simple terms. This usually appears towards the beginning of the
assignment.
2) State your discussion angle of the topic. Once you have defined
what you will be discussing, as mentioned in #1 above then you
need to explain what aspect you are going to discuss. Many of the
topics handed out are broad in scope and you must narrow down
what aspect of the topic you will be looking at. First person and
personal opinions are allowed in this assignment, but that can’t be
all that is in the assignment.
3) Provide evidence to prove your point. Whatever point you are
trying to make or opinion you are trying to give about your topic,
you need to back it up with evidence from other sources. You must
have three different sources minimum in your paper and no more
than five. There should be at least one citation from EACH source
in the paper.
4) Finally as you wrap up your paper (remember its only 3-5 pages
typed and double-spaced) you need to explain what your
conclusions are. Don’t wait until the last paragraph to give your
conclusions. You need to explain as you go and give your overall
conclusions towards the end.
5) Please let me know what questions you have on this process.
Technical Specifications:
• Typed and Double spaced with page numbers
• Everything in the paper must be in 12 pt. Times New Roman (font type)
• Printed single sided only on white paper (no folders or binders, just a staple)
• Include a title page: your name, date, title of the paper, class name and time (see
Title page example in “Writing Assignment Specifics” folder)
• Text must be 3-5 pages long in 12 pt. font
• You must have in-text/parenthetical citations (my preference)
• Include a Bibliography page: (also in 12 pt. font with the word Bibliography at the
top underlined and centered, see example in the “Writing Assignment Specifics”
folder)
[HISTORY 1301/1302 TRADITIONAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT] 2
TCC- Southeast
• 3 sources minimum (5 sources max) in Chicago Style Citation format
• Types of sources include things like books, magazine articles,
journal articles, newspaper articles, and court records to name a few
• DO NOT USE WIKIPEDIA AS A SOURCE L
• JStor makes an excellent resource for sources (check out the
instruction sheet for how to access JStor in the “Writing Assignment
Specifics” folder)
Citation Style-Chicago:
• Official Website for the Author-Date Style (The Quick Guide)
• https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citationguide-
2.html
• You will need to have both a bibliography page and in-text citations
• There are examples of this style in the “Writing Assignment Specifics” folder and I
will be adding more as the semester progresses.
• Block quotes are NOT allowed
• When in doubt please ask me about the citation style and how to do it
Tips/Advice for how to complete the Assignment:
⇒ When in doubt always ask your instructor if you have questions regarding
the assignment
⇒ Read the instructions BEFORE you start the assignment so you know what
you need to do
⇒ When in doubt write down everything about a source in case you need it for
citation purposes
⇒ First person is allowed for this assignment
⇒ Try to avoid passive voice whenever possible. In other words don’t tell me
what you plan to tell me, just go ahead and say it.
⇒ It is always a good idea to get your paper proofread before you turn in the
final draft, whether it is by a friend, your instructor or anyone else.
⇒ Make sure your paragraphs are roughly equal in size. You don’t want really
long paragraphs or really short ones. Introductions and Conclusions are
usually around 5-8 sentences while your average paragraph is usually 4-6.
⇒ Punctuation such as the semicolon aka “;” is rarely used so be sparing if you
use it.
⇒ Watch your verb tense. If you are discussing the past use past tense, etc.
⇒ ALWAYS capitalize proper nouns. For example, if you are referencing our
Constitution then it is capitalized. If you are discussing it generically then it
is not capitalized.
⇒ When you discuss someone in your paper for the first time always give their
full name and title if they have one. Then you can refer to them by last name
or other combinations. NEVER refer to them by just their first name.
⇒ Dictionaries, encyclopedias, your instructor and the textbook DO NOT count
as sources for your paper.
