The Lakeside Journal of History and Social Studies

"Leopold's Imperialist Appetite" by Kelvin B. ('08)

In this project for Modern World History, students focused on the impact of European imperialism in one region of the world.  Kelvin's essay describes the history of the Congo under King Leopold.  His writing style is clear and direct, but sounds distinctively like Kelvin nonetheless.  The essay also shows solid organization, and good use of scholarly secondary sources. 

"My First Darshan" by Logan Vincent ('05)

In My First Darshan, senior Logan Vincent brings the reader into the sacred comings and goings of a Seattle area Hindu temple.  Students were asked to observe a religious ritual in the local area, and then describe and interpret that ritual based on their readings and discussion in an Introduction to World Religions class.  In addition to an evocative and detailed description, this paper is particularly strong in terms of the writer's attempt to understand what it was that she saw, smelled, tasted and felt as a participant/observer. 

 

"Argentina: An Economic Crisis" by Gracie R. ('07)

In her research Gracie digested the complex economic causes of the recent collapse of the Argentine economy.  Weaving together many sources in her essay, she develops a strong central thesis and documents her use of sources throughout her paper.  Gracie chose this topic because she was interested in it and because she liked the challenge of working with multiple causes of an historical event.  In her research and writing, Gracie masters the details of writing while maintaining a focus on the larger political issues in order to develop a coherent picture of the event.  When we read her paper, we know that Gracie understands this material well enough to help us understand the history as well.

 "McCarthyism and the Great American Fear" by Jane J. ('06)

The students in U.S. History had an opportunity to do research on a 20th century topic. The main emphasis was researching a topic based on your personal interest in the subject.  Jane does a wonderful job of personalizing why she selected this topic dealing with McCarthyism in the introduction.  She goes on to analyze the books, articles and on line sources she used and how they helped her understand the fear of communism in the 1950's and how this fear translates to  America in 2005.  She reviews the various sources she cited and explains how they helped her find a focus and understanding of this historic time period.  She helps make the paper come alive with her own inquiry and makes intelligent connections with the climate in the US today.

 

 "The Father of the Godfather" by Kristen L. ('06)

In her paper, "The Father of The Godfather," Kristen L. ('06) analyzes the effect of the Kefauver Hearings on the rise of the Mafia in American popular culture.  For this assignment, students were asked to choose a 20th century topic in American history of particular interest to them, formulate a question to guide independent research on that topic, and answer that question using various types of sources.  Kristen's paper is especially strong in its prose, its creativity, and its use of evidence to prove an original thesis.

 

"Margaret Sanger: A Legacy of Controversy" by Jenny E. ('06)

Jenny E. ('06) was required during her junior year to write a research paper in Mr. Pedersen's United States history class. The assignment allowed her to choose any subject, and, as she explains in her introduction, Jenny found her subject--Margaret Sanger--a compelling one. This outstanding paper analyzes Sanger's changing historical reputation, and includes some trenchant comments about the misleading kinds of historical information now available to students on the web.  

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