History in the News Assignments
Topic: Begin by reading and selecting an Iowa new source. Next, what connections can you make with your selected
news article and the information presented in your textbook?
Keep in mind your news event can be anything from international to local news, and it simply has to come from a news source based in Iowa.
Directions:
1. Provide the title of the article at the top of the page. If the article you’ve chosen is online, then include a full link in the references section at the end of the paper.
2. Summarize the article in a paragraph. Your news article can really be about anything, provided it involves a current event and you can make distinct connections between your course materials in the assigned reading for this class.
3.Explain how what you’ve learned in class or in the textbook helped you to better understand the article. In other words, connect it to the class with specific examples from the course materials.
Here are some examples of questions you might ask yourself: How do our course materials help me understand the context (background) of this news story? How are the events described in the story related to a topic we’ve studied in class? How might an understanding of history change the outcome of the events described in the story?
Purpose: Think about it as “the past of the present.” There are three of these assignments due throughout the term. At the end of the term, I will drop the lowest of the three grades. Each time, you will need to choose a different news article.
Sources: You will utilize your news article and the textbook for this paper. These are the only sources you will use. News sources should be legitimate news sources based in Iowa.
Some examples of news sources are Iowa Public Radio, Des Moines Register, Iowa City Press-Citizen, The Ottumwa Courier, Oskaloosa Herald, Fairfield Ledger, Daily Iowegian, Bloomfield Democrat, Albia News, etc. You may choose other news
sources that are not on this list.
*Note: Use full MLA reference citations for your sources and include full URL web address for
all online sources.
Length, Style, Format, Documentation: MLA style, 600-800 word count, 1” margins, Times New Roman size 12 font, double-spaced (0 pt. spacing before and after), with page numbers. At an average of 340 words per page, this amounts to one to two typed double-spaced pages. Wordcount begins at the first line of actual text in your paper and does not include the references section.
All sources must be cited within the text as in-text citations with page numbers and then fully listed in the works cited section at the end of the paper. Remember to cite any information that is not common knowledge, including all summarizing, paraphrasing, quoting, and using statistics from your sources. This includes your textbook.
Here is an example of what a proper citation looks like (Foner 257).
More complete information on the citation process is located in the Paper Guidelines, so please consult this document, as well. Keep direct quotations to a maximum of 10% of the total content of your paper.
Use full MLA stylistic conventions. Consulting Diana Hacker’s newest Rules for Writers or the Purdue OWL website are excellent places to learn MLA style. Include full URL web address for all online sources in
works cited page.
