Research Project

Points:  100

Deadline:  Friday, May 16

Topic:  American perceptions of Japan during the periods 1930 - 1941, and 1946 - 1954, including subjects such as:

• Japanese culture: literature, film, popular culture

• the policies of the Japanese government in Asia

• political, economic, and social aspects of the post-war occupation of Japan by the United States

Each student will select a specific year to research.  Within that year, students will read 8 periodical articles from the list of periodicals available in the Palomar College Library.

Assignment:  Write a 4 page - typed and double-spaced - essay that summarizes the coverage of events in Japan by the selected American periodicals.  Your essay should outline the major themes covered in the articles, as well as the arguments and interpretations of events evident in the articles.  A fifth page should contain a Bibliography of the articles consulted for your paper.

Bonus:  Up to 30 Bonus points may be earned by posting to a special Discussion Board for this Assignment

Periodicals in the Palomar College Library Collection:

  Atlantic Monthly [or Atlantic] (1900 - )

  Christian Century (1952 - )

  Colliers Magazine (1927-40, 1946-50, 1952-56)

  Foreign Affairs (1922 - )

  Fortune Magazine (1930 - )

  Ladies Home Journal (1941 - ) *

  Life Magazine (1936 - ) *

  The Nation (1900 - )

  National Geographic ( 1916 - ) *

  New Republic (1933 - )

  The New York Times (1900 - )  Also available at CSUSM Library.

  Newsweek Magazine (1933 - )

  Readers Digest (1922 - )

  Saturday Evening Post (1938 - 1968) *

  Time Magazine (1924 - )

*  =  Print version.  Those without this symbol are available only on microfilm.

Indexes in the Palomar College Library Collection:

  The Readers Guide to Periodical Literature, for the specific year assigned.

  The New York Times Index.

Bibliography:  Use this link for a Guide to preparing your Bibliography; another helpful page from this source is Preparing a Works Cited Section