Research Assignment

Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front is a fictional account of WWI through the eyes of one soldier and although the focus of All Quiet on the Western Front  is a German soldier, the strong imagery and realistic depiction of war has given it a wider appeal which transcends the narrow nationalism of the novel.  The objective of the essay is to evaluate the intersection of literature and history, using All Quiet on the Western Front as the basis for that evaluation.  By utilizing as wide a range of contemporary materials as possible, assess the "accuracy" of the war in Remarque's literary imagination by comparing the fiction of the novel with the reality of World War One.  This is not a general essay about some aspect of WWl.  It must draw together and evaluate both the novel (and/or author) and the primary research.

Overall the objective of the assignment is to assess the accuracy of Remarque's vision of war by comparing the novel to the actual experiences of the war (individual and societal) as evident in available primary materials.  This essay is to be built on primary materials.  In order to accomplish this it may be helpful to utilize as extensively as possible the WWI materials available at The Canadian Letters and Images Project.    In addition there are contemporary newspapers and journals available in the library.  Possible subjects for comparison could include, but are not limited to, patriotism, the nature of battle, society at war, the soldier experience, relationships, or the home front.  The comparisons are to be built around solid research, the core of which is to consist available primary materials such as letters, personal accounts, etc.  As well,  secondary sources will be essential (other than the course text) in order to provide the necessary context or background to discuss the war or the themes being considered. Please see the source requirements at the bottom of this page.

On the internet links page for the course I have listed other collections of materials and general sites as places to further your research.  While there is an excellent base of primary materials available for WWI on the internet, the internet must be used with caution.  For this essay you may use only primary sources from the internet.  No secondary or interpretive materials from the internet will be permitted in this essay.

It is expected that all history students at this level will understand and use the correct reference and bibliographic forms for the essay.  Students should have a copy of the History Department style guide available in the bookstore, and failure to adhere to correct forms will be reflected in the mark.  On general writing suggestions see the writing links for History 482, and as well students should see my own personal short list of Do's and Don'ts for Essays.

The final paper is to be 3,500 words in length and is due Tuesday April 1, 2003.  Be certain that you are familiar with the course due date  policy as explained in the course information.  The final  paper  will be evaluated for depth of research, sophistication of  analysis, and overall writing level.

Research Requirements:
The core of the paper is to be built around primary materials.  For the essay students must:

• use a minimum of 20 different primary sources

• use a minimum of 2 books (not including either Beckett or Remarque)

• use a minimum of 4 scholarly articles  (if you are unclear about what constitutes a scholarly article, read the following page from Cornell University)

• may not use encyclopedias of any form

• use only primary materials from the internet - no secondary or interpretive materials from the internet will be permitted

Back to the History 482 hompage