Campaign Analysis Paper

Description

Overview Choose one of the three military campaigns listed below. Write a narrative that recounts the basic events of the campaign, analyzes its strategic goals and assesses its success or failure, with an emphasis on sustainability or lack thereof (e.g. overextended supply lines, geographical and weather considerations, etc.) Ground this work in strategy, with tactical considerations being limited and discussed only to the extent necessary. Develop the content of this assignment with the goals of the nation-state in mind, not those of its military forces. This is an analytical work and your thesis statement should be analytical in nature. The Campaign Analysis Paper assesses the students’ mastery of course outcome 1 (CO1) – Analyze the strategic elements of significant military campaigns. Topics Alexander’s campaign in Persia (334 – 330 BCE) Julius Caesar’s campaign in Gaul (58-50 BCE) Napoleon’s campaign in Russia (1812) * Please note: If you have selected the fall of the Persian Empire for your Week 8 paper, you must choose a topic other than Alexander for this assignment. Format Requirements Length: 6-8 pages (1500 to 2000 words). Your paper should be not less than 1500 words exclusive of title page, bibliography, etc. Upper word limit may be exceeded with the permission of the instructor. Use Common Era style abbreviations (BCE – Before Common Era, CE – Common Era). This is necessary only when referring to events of the ancient world (before or near the year 0). Examples: The assassination of Julius Caesar occurred in 44 BCE. The Great Fire of Rome occurred in 64 CE. Thesis Statement: Employ an analytical thesis statement, which should appear in the first two paragraphs of your paper. An analytical paper breaks down an issue or an idea into its component parts, evaluates the issue or idea, and presents this breakdown and evaluation to the audience.  Content: This is a relatively short work. Consider how best to use your available space. Briefly introduce the topic, identify your thesis statement, and ground the work in the events of the actual campaign you have chosen. You do not have the time or word count to indulge in a lengthy discourse of events leading to the campaign. In this assignment, you are to strike a balance between a narrative that tells the “story” and analysis of those events. The words in this analytical work should be largely your own. Keep direct citations of source material to two sentences or less and avoid lengthy quotations. Structure: Consult the Writing Guides for APA (see below) to write a paper with a clear introduction, body and conclusion. Despite the use of APA, do not write an abstract. Include a title page. Use a 12 point conventional (Times New Roman, Calibri, etc.) font, double spaced with a 1 inch margin. Annotated Bibliography: Include an annotated bibliography with a minimum of three scholarly books. Please ensure you understand the difference between an annotated bibliography and a list of references. Annotations, as with the rest of the paper, must be written in your own words. There is a link below to the online writing laboratory if you need assistance writing an annotated bibliography. Construct your annotated bibliography using research from legitimate, academic sources of history. Practically speaking, this means books and academic journals. Do not use materials from non-academic sources – history.com, online encyclopedias, etc. Research is a vital component of this assignment. Do not use any required readings for this course as source material for your paper. Suggested readings from the course may be used.