Welcome to Class

• Every Monday for the next 5 weeks you will work on a portion of the Historu IA:
• Please get an IA Guide and (ughh) number the pages according to the table of contents: START WITH PAGE 2
• Today we will begin work
• You will complete one full draft that will be due 5/27 the end of this school year.
• You will revise and submit your final History IA next school year.
• If you are not taking IB HOA, you still need to complete the work for the first draft.

Intro to The History IA

and Criterion A

Agenda

• What is the IA?
• What are the suggested Topics?
• How should I develop a good IA Research Question?
• What is the homework?
• Can we talk about Criterion A?

Interesting Topics

Sports:

African American athletes in Big 6 Conference Schools banned from intervarsity competitions 1913-1950. WHY?

Corruption in the Olympic Games, Chess

Art

ART: Change in roles pre/post WWI “art ruthlessly imitated life” Quintard Taylor 225

Culture in an historical context

FILM: Slow fade to black: negro in american film 1900-1940 Thomas Cripps

RACE RELATIONS:

Asian/Black business competition in Seattle Quintard Taylor 354

Connection of Watts Riots to historical housing practices from 1920s forward

TWE does NAACP advance cause of promoting racial equity by protesting film?

Music

Jazz as counter culture in the Soviet Union

Protest music

Local history

Redlining in portland, Vanport, Music scene/civil rights in Pdx

Topics in IA Guide

What is the IA?

• A chance to do independent research on an event from history that you have a personal interest in.
• A 1,500-2,000 word written assignment that proves something (not narrative)
• 20% of your final IB History Diploma Marks
• You will have something due for the IA each week most Mondays between now and May 27

What are the suggested Topics?

• You really need a topic that has historiography associated with it (a debate or disagreement).
• You may technically choose any topic of historical significance that is at least 10 years in the past.
• However, you are encouraged to choose a topic that honestly interests you, as this will make your work meaningful and authentic.
• Sometimes too many choices is a hard thing: there are myriad cool topics in the guide.

Skim The Topics!

• Take 5 minutes to skim through the list of suggested topics found in your guide book.
• these are found on pages 5-10
• Circle or highlight topics from each section that might be interesting to you.
• try to select between 1 and 4 of the bullet-pointed topics from each section
• Another approach is to write down a topic you are passionate about, and then see how you can connect it to one of the suggested topics.

Developing a good IA RQ

• Look at the list of RQs on page 4.
• Which of these RQs feel strongest to you?
• Why? Specificity? Flexibility? Clarity?
• Remember that your RQ will most likely evolve as you conduct research.

"To what extent did the religious policies of X lead to her fall from power in _____?"

might become...

"To what extent did the economic policies of X lead to her fall from power in _____?"

Developing a good IA RQ

• Your question should be worded in a similar style to those on Paper 2 & 3.
• use command terms
• be very specific and focused
• A not-so subtle nudge:
• A TWE question not only provides a structure for your summary of evidence (Criterion B), but it also requires you to address different interpretations of your topic (historiography is key to the highest marksbands).

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Homework

• Assignment is online
• Use its hyperlinks to access the historiographies
• Read a bit more about your topics of interest (spend and hour or so doing this...you will thank yourself later)
• Complete the form
• A printed copy is due Monday.

Criterion A: Plan of the Investigation

• Refer to Page 11 of your Guide
• After we read the info and tips on Criterion A, we will analyze some examples.

Criterion A: Plan of the Investigation

The following question will be investigated:To what extent did Germany sign the Treaty of Rapallo in April 1922 because of fears of an expansionist Poland? The scope of the research is primarily the years 1918-22. An analysis of the role played by the fear of Poland will be included, but also the economic and military reasons for Germany signing Rapallo will be analyzed.

The method of investigation will begin with gathering a cross-reference of evidence from a range of sources, including the analysis of historians. Then all sources used will be evaluated, with particular focus on two sources that are significant as they provide key evidence for two opposing lines of argument --- Michael Laffan’s The Burden of German History 1919-1945: Essays for the Goethe Institute and the text of the Treaty of Rapallo (Avalon). A conclusion will be reached based on the weight of the evidence and evaluation of the sources.

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Requirement 1: state the topic of investigation

Underline the topic of investigation in this example

Criterion A: Plan of the Investigation

The following question will be investigated:To what extent did Germany sign the Treaty of Rapallo in April 1922 because of fears of an expansionist Poland? The scope of the research is primarily the years 1918-22. An analysis of the role played by the fear of Poland will be included, but also the economic and military reasons for Germany signing Rapallo will be analyzed.

The method of investigation will begin with gathering a cross-reference of evidence from a range of sources, including the analysis of historians. Then all sources used will be evaluated, with particular focus on two sources that are significant as they provide key evidence for two opposing lines of argument --- Michael Laffan’s The Burden of German History 1919-1945: Essays for the Goethe Institute and the text of the Treaty of Rapallo (Avalon). A conclusion will be reached based on the weight of the evidence and evaluation of the sources.

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Requirement 2: explain the method of investigation

Highlight the method of investigation in this example

Criterion A: Plan of the Investigation

The following question will be investigated:To what extent did Germany sign the Treaty of Rapallo in April 1922 because of fears of an expansionist Poland? The scope of the research is primarily the years 1918-22. An analysis of the role played by the fear of Poland will be included, but also the economic and military reasons for Germany signing Rapallo will be analyzed.

The method of investigation will begin with gathering a cross-reference of evidence from a range of sources, including the analysis of historians. Then all sources used will be evaluated, with particular focus on two sources that are significant as they provide key evidence for two opposing lines of argument --- Michael Laffan’s The Burden of German History 1919-1945: Essays for the Goethe Institute and the text of the Treaty of Rapallo (Avalon). A conclusion will be reached based on the weight of the evidence and evaluation of the sources.

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Requirement 3: define the scope of investigation

Use a different color to highlight the scope of investigation in this example

Criterion A: Plan of the Investigation

The following question will be investigated:To what extent did Germany sign the Treaty of Rapallo in April 1922 because of fears of an expansionist Poland? The scope of the research is primarily the years 1918-22. An analysis of the role played by the fear of Poland will be included, but also the economic and military reasons for Germany signing Rapallo will be analyzed.

The method of investigation will begin with gathering a cross-reference of evidence from a range of sources, including the analysis of historians. Then all sources used will be evaluated, with particular focus on two sources that are significant as they provide key evidence for two opposing lines of argument --- Michael Laffan’s The Burden of German History 1919-1945: Essays for the Goethe Institute and the text of the Treaty of Rapallo (Avalon). A conclusion will be reached based on the weight of the evidence and evaluation of the sources.

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Requirement 3: define the scope of investigation

Use a different color to highlight the scope of investigation in this example

Criterion A: Plan of the Investigation

• Unfortunately, not every writer chooses to make their question, scope and method as clear as in this example.
• The easier accurate information is to find, the easier it is to see a writer knows what they are talking about.
• Use the four samples found in your guide to do the same thing with their Criterion A.
• Underline question
• Highlight Scope in one color
• Highlight Method in another

Criterion A: Plan of the Investigation

• Use the Markscheme on pages 10 & 11 to give each of the sample Criterion As a score.
• After you have scored all four of the samples, refer to the Moderator Marks and Comments found at the back of your guide.
• How did your scoring compare to those of the official scorers?

A few tips about the Guide

• Bring this guide to class every Monday.
• Read as much of it as you want on your own.
• We will be going through most of it together in class over the next few weeks.
• Wait to read the Moderator Comments and Marks until after you have scored each paper yourself.
• We will do this in class.

Make Preliminary RQs!

• Take 5 minutes to revisit the highlighted topics you selected on pages 4-9.
• In the margins of your guide, write some generic RQ "rough drafts."
• EG: "Global spread of the Cold War from its European origins"
• TWE did the spread of the Cold War effect US relations with ______?
• TWE was the 19__ revolution in _____ part of the Cold War?