History at Milton: The Term Paper By Peter

Every year, students taking full-year history courses embark on a month-long research project. The process begins in the fall with the selection of a topic and preliminary research on a possible thesis question. Students continue the research process in the second semester with weeks of research and writing. What makes the paper so unique and exciting is that students are given a timeframe of 250 years and can choose from hundreds of topics. As you can imagine, the possibilities are endless. While some students stick to concrete historical events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, or Napoleon’s march to Moscow, others pick more abstract topics, like the history of hip-hop in the United States, or why Americans drink coffee while British people drink tea. Regardless of your topic, the entire project is incredibly exciting, as students go into tremendous depth on something they may not experience in a typical classroom setting. Not only do students become experts on a certain event, they also gain experience with the process required for a month-long project. This type of project is critical in learning how to be a historian, as students find strong connections that reach much further back than just the event he/she is researching. Getting at the question of “Why?” in history is crucial, and the term paper effectively hones students’ skills as budding historians. From my own experience, I know there is no greater reward than when I turn in my paper, knowing how much work and effort I put into it. While every student encounters challenges on the journey, these struggles make for an incredibly rewarding and educational experience.