History 140-07

The World since 1945

Fall 2009

Paper #1

Due: Wednesday, October 14, in class at 10:00 a.m.

Instructions: Write a thesis-driven essay of between 1500-1700 words (c. 5 pages) on the following topic:

It is often said that the twenty-first century belongs to the rising powers of India and China, whose remarkable growth over the past two decades has left the world in awe. But behind the breathtaking statistics and the glittering lights of Bengal and Beijing lie enormous problems and contradictions that may prevent these countries from assuming the role so many expect of them. On the basis of your reading of Edward Luce’s In Spite of the Gods: The Rise of Modern India and Rob Gifford’s China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power, compare and contrast the process of modernization (economic, social, political, cultural, etc.) in these two countries as well as the problems they face. Some general questions you might consider (but do not have to – and certainly not all or even most of them) while developing your ideas and own question include:

· How are the situations of India and China similar? How are they different? How do the analyses presented by Luce and Gifford complicate our Western understanding of these two countries?

· How is each country shaped – and in many ways burdened – by its history, traditions, and culture? How do these things also fuel their remarkable growth and modernization? How might Westerners misunderstand the process of modernization in these countries?

· Which country seems to hold the promise of brighter future in terms of its economic and political development, both domestically and internationally? Which one will most likely challenge the United States as the world’s next superpower?

Basic Guidelines: There are many ways to go about writing this essay, but here are some general guidelines you should adhere to (read carefully):

· State your thesis clearly in the introduction and pursue it consistently throughout the essay. A thesis can be more than one sentence, especially if it is suggesting some of the finer points your essay will make. The best way to come up with a good thesis is to ask a question. After all, a thesis statement is really nothing more than the basic answer – in the form of an argument – to a question about something. In fact, you might even consider posing your question in your introduction. This is the main challenge of your essay: to develop and answer a question of your own that compares and contrasts the process of modernization in India and China.

· Write clear topic sentences for each paragraph and develop smooth transitions from one paragraph to another. Some words that help maintain the smooth flow of your prose include: furthermore, in addition, moreover, still, nevertheless, however, but, as well, one the one hand/on the other hand, as a result, likewise, etc. (click here for more). Avoid a conclusion that simply summarizes your paper or restates your thesis. Instead, use your conclusion to build on your argument and analysis while at the same time reminding your reader of your main point.

· DO NOT use the first person “I” (or “me,” “we,” “us,” or “you”). You can make your own informed opinions clear without doing so.

· You may use direct quotations to illustrate your points, but they may not exceed 20% of the total words in the paper. To cite the text, simply write the author’s name and the page number, whether from a book or the course reader. For example, (Luce, 72). Longer quotations (more than two lines) should be put into “block” form (indented 1” from the text and single-spaced). You do not need to cite me if you bring up a point from lecture or any other fact that might be considered “general knowledge”. You do not need to use – and really should avoid – other sources, particularly online encyclopedias. If you do use other sources, include them in a bibliography and cite them as you would the books.

· Grammar, spelling, and proper use of the English language do indeed “count”. In addition to running the spell checker, you should read your paper aloud to yourself or to a friend, as that is one of the best ways to catch awkward, clumsy, and incoherent sentences. If you don’t know the difference between “its” and “it’s,” and “there,” “they’re,” and “their,” find out now. Also, very few people know how to use a semi-colon properly; your best bet is not to use it at all.

· A hardcopy of your paper is due on Wednesday, October 14, at 10:00 a.m. in class. Papers submitted by email will not be accepted without prior permission. You must also submit a copy to Blackboard by Wednesday, October 14 at 5:00 p.m. Five points will be taken off for each calendar day (including Saturday and Sunday) that they are late. If you don’t want to submit a paper because you think it is not yet ready, ask yourself if an extra day or two is going to make up for the 5 or 10 points you will lose for lateness. Unstapled and emailed papers will not be accepted.

· Plagiarism, especially from sources on the Internet, is a growing problem on college campuses across the country. While this is clearly an unfortunate trend, the irony is that most plagiarized, purchased, or “borrowed” papers are of rather low quality. You’re much better off relying on your own good, creative analysis than trying to pass off the uncreative, poor analysis of someone else as your own! We will, of course, use all of the tools at our disposal to catch plagiarism, which is rather easy to do, and all cases of plagiarism will be brought to the Honor Court. You should also know that I have an electronic copy of all papers submitted to my World since 1945 courses at UNC since 2006. I have organized them into one easy-to-search file and we will be conducting random checks. So, if you’re tempted to plagiarize or use a stolen paper, you might want to first ask yourself if one paper worth 15% of the grade in your World since 1945 course is really worth jeopardizing your college career for? Probably not.

Format, Organization, and Style: We are sticklers for proper format! Your paper must be typed, double-spaced, and use a 12-point Times or Times New Roman font. Only black ink should be used. Papers submitted in any other color will not be accepted. If your printer is low on black ink, buy some more, as points will be deducted if the print is streaked, unclear, or too light. Your paper should have 1-inch margins on the top and bottom and 1.25-inch margins on the right and left (for comments). At the bottom of the page, you must include a word count and honor statement exactly as written below.

This is how your paper should look:

Your Name

PID #:

History 140 - Hunziker

TA’s Name

October 14, 2009

Title of Paper (required, no more than 30 words)

Body of Paper (double spaced)

Word Count: (use the “word count” tool in MS Word; include body of the paper only; do not exceed 1800 words.)

Honor Pledge: This paper is entirely my own work. I did not plagiarize in any way or have someone else write any portion of this paper for me. (Your signature here.)