Discuss about Hurricane Katrina (8/30/05

The paper assignment for this course involves researching a particular historical event or episode that occurred during the last century through contemporary newspapers.  First, you are to choose a topic (see list below) and find and use at least 12-15 articles or editorials on your topic in the Los Angeles Times or New York Times newspapers from the period you are researching.  From these you are to analyze and discuss the attitudes, beliefs, or response of Americans during that period to the event you are examining. Depending on your topic, you should try to explore it for a week or so after the initial episode, though some may require research up to a month after.  Be sure to use ideas or quotes from the articles to support your claims.  Rather than simply describing the response or attitudes you find, try to construct some form of an argument, which will help give your paper some coherent direction. A word of caution:  The paper is not about how the press or media reported the event, but rather you should use the media as your window into how people, officials, etc reacted or responded to the particular event you have chosen.

The paper is to be at least 6 pages (exclusive of footnotes/endnotes) in length, double spaced, and with normal font and margins and is due April 25th by 6pm on Blackboard’s Turnitin.com. Your paper will be graded on content, organization, clarity of thought, and writing style so you should proofread your work carefully. Consult the SDSU Department of History website (http://history.sdsu.edu/writing_guides.htm)  for guides to writing and proper reference style (Chicago style endnotes only). Be aware that you should use and cite at least 12 of your articles in your paper. You must allot the bulk of your paper to examining and analyzing the sources, allowing no more than 1 page to background and introduction.   

You may use only the NY Times or LA Times ProQuest Research Historical Newspaper online source for your research. You will find direct links to this on the History 110 Blackboard site. This means Google or Lexis-Nexis searches are not appropriate for this assignment.

FDR’s Election (1932)

LBJ’s Decision not to run again                       

Reagan’s 1980 election                                     

Execution of Sacco/Vanzetti                                     

Brown v. Bd. of Ed.  (5/17/54)                        

Love Canal (Aug-Dec 1978)                                                                           

Beatles Invasion (2/64-6/64)                                     .

Cuban Missile Crisis (10/22/62)                              

Bonus Army (7/28/32)                                     

Shuttle Challenger accident                                                                              

Boston School busing (9/8/74)

Nixon’s Resignation (8/9/74)                           

Oklahoma City Bombing 4/1995                             

O. North Iran-Contra testimony                       

End of WWII  (8/14/45)

1948 Truman election                                                                                                             

Obama Election (11/2008)

Three Mile Island Accident                                                                                                                    

Fall of Saigon (1975)                                                                                       

1947 Hollywood Hearing Clinton election (1992)

US Iraq Invasion (3/22/03)    

Hurricane Katrina (8/30/05)

Birmingham Riot (May 1963)

Sputnik Launch (Oct. 1957)

Stock Market Crash (10/19/87)

Start of Desert Storm (1/16/91)

Sinking of Lusitania (5/7/15)

Clinton impeachment (12/19/98)

Branch Davidian Siege (4/19/93)         Kent State killings (5/4/70)

Seattle WTO Protests (11/30/99)

JFK’s Election