Industrial Relations 201 - History of American Labor and Management	Cliff Donn
Spring 2008	Office RH416, Ext.4484
web.lemoyne.edu/~donn/class/irl201/irl201.htm	donn@lemoyne.edu

ESSAY WRITING

ESSAY OPTIONS: Students must write one essay and have the option of writing a second. Students writing only one essay may choose any of the first three assigned topics. Those doing two essays may choose any two of the assigned topics. (That is, the fourth essay topic may be done only by students doing more than one essay). Each essay will count 15% of your grade.

SOURCES: No outside research is required or is recommended to write the essays. However, in order to write the essays, you MUST use all of the required and many of the optional readings corresponding to the essay topics and your essays must reflect familiarity with the concepts in those readings, i.e. they must be cited. You will be told in class of any optional readings not relevant to the topics. Check with the instructor if you plan to leave out any of the readings. Every essay should cite at least five "scholarly" sources. Other (popular) sources may be used in addition.

STYLE: Essays must be typed, double-spaced, with 1 1/2 inch margins on the left side and a blank page attached at the back.. Seven to nine pages including citations is the prescribed length. Essays MUST include citations. Quotations require citations as do facts which are not common knowledge and ideas which are not your own. Thus if you paraphrase an article instead of quoting it, you must still cite it. Citations MUST indicate the relevant page numbers. Citations may be placed in the text, at the bottom of the page, or at the end of the paper but the first time any particular source is cited full bibliographic information must be provided. Articles appearing in books must be cited by the author of the article as well as the editor of the book. Essays with improper citations will be returned to the student for correction with a 20% grade penalty. Please do NOT include a bibliography which lists sources you have not cited. Check the style and format section of the course home page for detailed instructions on appropriate citations and on avoiding plagiarism.

SUBMISSION: All essays must be submitted as a hard copy and must also be e-mailed to the instructor as an attachment in Microsoft Word format from your Le Moyne College account. All essays will be submitted to the "Turn-it-in" program as a check against plagiarism. Essays are due AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS on the due dates indicated below the essays. LATE ESSAYS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. You may hand in a complete draft of your essay one week or longer before the due date for the instructor's suggestions and comments.

EVALUATION: Essays are evaluated on the basis of their use of sources, their style, their coverage of the topic, and their use of logic and creativity. The essay questions do not have "right" or "wrong" answers. They only have answers which show (or fail to show) familiarity with the assigned sources, answers which are more (or less) logical and answers which are more (or less) original. The questions are not "answered" in the lectures or the readings. Use the concepts and facts from the lectures and readings to fashion an original answer. The essay rubric on the course home page will provide much greater detail on how essays are evaluated.

ESSAY QUESTIONS: The four questions below are suggested. If you would rather write an essay on some other topic related to the course, that can be arranged by meeting with the instructor during the first three weeks of the semester. Essays on alternative topics will be accepted only with the prior approval of the instructor. Remember the fourth topic can only be done by students who have already done a previous essay.

1. Compare and contrast working conditions and the techniques used to improve those conditions of indentured servants and black slaves in the period before 1860. Be certain to discuss similarities as well as differences.
Corresponds to Syllabus Topics:IIA,IIB, IIC Due Date: February 15

2. Compare and contrast the railroad strike of 1877 with the Pullman Strike of 1894. Explain both the similarities and the differences and the reasons for them?
Corresponds to Syllabus Topics: IID,IIE,IIF Due Date: March 12

3. Compare and contrast the radical ideologies and radical movements that influenced the U.S. workforce from 1900 to 1920 with those that influenced the workforce from 1921 until World War II. Discuss similarities and differences in ideology, leadership, tactics and influence.
Corresponds to Syllabus Topics: IIF,IIG, Due Date: March 28

4. How did the behavior and treatment of women in the workforce change from World War II until 2005? What are the principal factors explaining these changes? What role, if any, did unions play? Explain.
Corresponds to Syllabus Topics: IIH,III,IIJ,IIK, Due Date: April 21