Research Paper

Choose one of the following empires and write a research paper on causes of that empire's end: Achaemenid (Persian) Empire (550-330 BCE) Mongol Empire (1206-1368) Spanish Empire (1492-1898) Russian Empire (1721-1917) British Empire (1583-1914) Note: The dates listed above are approximate and do not take into consideration various historiographical interpretations. For instance, many historians recognize a first and second British empire in the years 1583-1914. For this assignment, you will be granted reasonable latitude as to the exact beginning and end date of the empire in question. Assignment Instructions: Choose a topic from the list above. Compose a thesis statement. (see below for more information about thesis statements) You are to write an argumentative work that makes a claim about the primary cause of the empire’s fall (e.g. – The Russian Empire fell because...) and is supported by the facts marshalled in your research. Conduct research with appropriate academic source material, and compile that information into an annotated bibliography. These sources are the foundation of your paper and part of yourProposal, Annotated Bibliography and Outline for Research Paper assignment. Write an outline for your paper. This will serve as the structural guideline for the work, and be part of your Proposal, Annotated Bibliography and Outline for Research Paper assignment. Write a collegiate level research paper that addresses the assigned aspect of the empire you have chosen to write about. Do not simply recap the major events of the time period. Rather, it is your task to write critically about the subject as determined by your thesis statement. Identify the argument in the paper’s introduction. Review your work carefully and repeatedly for factual and grammatical errors before submission. Format Requirements Length: 12-14 pages (3000 to 3500 words). Your paper should be no less than 3000 words exclusive of title page, bibliography, etc. Upper word limit may be exceeded with the permission of the instructor. Use Common Era style abbreviations (BCE – Before Common Era, CE – Common Era). This is necessary only when referring to events of the ancient world (before or near the year 0). Examples: The assassination of Julius Caesar occurred in 44 BCE. The Great Fire of Rome occurred in 64 CE. Thesis Statement: Employ an argumentative thesis statement. An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies this claim with specific evidence. The claim could be an opinion, an evaluation, a cause-and-effect statement, or an interpretation. The goal of the argumentative paper is to convince the audience that the claim is true based on the evidence provided. Note: Your thesis statement must have a debatable element. For instance, the statement “The Middle East has been torn by conflict for decades” is not debatable. On the other hand, the statement “The conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians exists primarily because of political rather than religious differences” is a clearly debatable statement in which the opposite view could be plausibly argued. Structure: Consult the Writing Guides for APA (see below) to write a paper with a clear introduction, body and conclusion. Despite the use of APA, do not write an abstract. Include a title page. Use a 12 point conventional (Times New Roman, Calibri, etc.) font, double spaced with a 1 inch margin.