To complete the assignment:
1) Critically summarize the first chapter of SeanKennedy, The Shock of War: Civilian Experiences, 1937-1945 (chapter 1:The Strains of Mobilization, pp. 13-48)
2) Critically summarize the introduction ofJennifer Stephen, Pick One Intelligent Girl: Employability, Domesticity andthe Gendering of Canada’s Welfare State, 1939-1947 (pp. 3-15)
3) After analysing the assigned excerpts from thesetwo books, combine them for the final part of the essay. Note the differencesbetween the authors approaches and arguments, the disagreements (if any) theyhave with each other, and the relative merits of each in comparison with theothers.
Questions to consider for each book:
what is the thesis of the book? (what is the authorsmain argument?)
Provide a sense of the books main topics andkey points
What sources does the author use? Primary? Ifso, what kinds of primary sources government records? Personal letters ordiaries? Does the author use a lot of secondary sources and are there detailedfootnotes?
What type of history is it? Is it a politicalhistory? A cultural or social history? Global history? Is the focus narrow orbroad? Does the author consider different perspectives and points of view? Isthe book more of an overview or a focused study of something specific withinthe theme in question?
A Strong Paper Will:
identify Kennedys and Stephens main argumentsand clearly explicate content and sources
successfully analyse and contrast both secondarysources, explaining how their approaches are different, similar, and/orcomplementary, and the strengthens and weaknesses of both
highlight the contribution of these twoapproaches for understanding mobilization and civilian experience during WorldWar Two
not contain factual errors or unsubstantiatedopinions