Research papers are a fundamental aspect of the Peddie School curriculum. As a student currently taking Modern Global, I have found that the final research paper, which serves as the spring-term final exam for the class, is definitely a grand undertaking. For many students, this is the first time they have written a paper on such a large scale, and it can feel overwhelming. The vast amount of time needed to come up with claims and find evidence can be a formidable challenge, especially for those Peddie students who are already very busy.
In my opinion, if students are introduced to writing research papers earlier on, they would become far less difficult in the long run; as such, the Peddie History Department should focus more on research papers instead of traditional quizzes and tests.
History’s main importance is forming opinions on it and connecting them to the modern world. The phrase “history repeats itself” is relevant for a reason. Research papers, especially papers where students can choose what they’d like to argue, are great at helping students research history and form an authentic opinion for themselves. Additionally, writing about something is much better for material retention than simply quizzing on it. From my experience, students tend to forget about the material once an exam has passed. However, if students are instead given the freedom to decide on an essay, viewpoint, and what to research, then they will be much more able and willing to engage with the subject. Also, this doesn’t necessarily mean students won’t pay attention in class. Class material will help them find evidence and form opinions to turn into claims when the essay comes around.
A big question is what this idea would look like if it were to become reality. Would a research paper due every 2-3 weeks be too much? Not necessarily. These papers don’t have to be long. A single body paragraph with perhaps 1 or 2 sources and a short introduction would be perfect for polishing a student’s voice, without requiring too much time or cutting into their other activities. Tests and quizzes wouldn’t need to be obsolete, either–they might just become less frequent and could be weighted slightly less. These research papers would be the most beneficial if they were assigned as out-of-class work. As someone who struggles to improvise, in-class Document-Based Questions (DBQs) can be a challenge and just as stressful as a quiz or a test. Additionally, DBQs don’t allow students to really engage with the material or learn new knowledge the same way they would with an essay that they spend multiple weeks on.
A big issue with history courses, especially Modern Global from what I’ve seen, is that students struggle with them because of the volume of information and because the material isn’t “important” in many students’ eyes. Tests and quizzes often add stress and make students who are already disinterested in history even more detached from the subject. Instead, many of these quizzes and tests should be replaced with short research papers. Research papers would maximize engagement with the material, require students to learn new information, develop a voice on history, and lead to a closer connection with history overall. When students see patterns in history from their research, they’ll begin connecting the past to the present, which is history’s biggest benefit. If Peddie were to tweak their history curriculum in this way, more students would enjoy history while becoming conscious of the world around them in a deeper way.
