High Society Blues

Chapter 23: The Great Depression (PAPER TOPIC) The wonder of the stock market permeated popular culture in the 1920s. Although it was released during the first year of the Great Depression, the 1930 film High Society Blues captured the speculative hope and prosperity of the previous decade. “I’m in the Market for You,” a popular musical number from the film, even used the stock market as a metaphor for love: You’re going up, up, up in my estimation / I want a thousand shares of your caresses, too / We’ll count the hugs and kisses / When dividends are due / ’Cause I’m in the market for you. But just as the song was being recorded in 1929, the stock market reached the apex of its swift climb, crashed, and brought an abrupt end to the seeming prosperity of the Roaring Twenties. The Great Depression had arrived. Because this may be a longer paper than you have written before and a complex process is involved, it is recommended that you complete this paper using the following steps: Choose a topic related to chapters covered in The American Yawp, (Chapters 16-30) that you would truly like to explore and that you are willing to spend some time on. Your chosen topic should be focused. Pose a question that you really want to answer. You may want to begin with more than one topic in mind. Do some preliminary reading on the topic(s). You may begin with the textbook, then further explore the information available. Refine your topic. Summarize your topic, your interest in the topic, the questions you want to answer, and a hypothesis you want to test. Gather information from a variety of sources. Use a minimum of four sources for your paper, and at least one must be a primary source. Primary sources are contemporary to the times under investigation. An example of a secondary source is our textbook, though the textbook also contains excerpts of primary sources, which you may use as a source in your paper. Outline the results of your research and the plan for your paper (you are not required to submit the outline). Write the final draft and be sure to include a Works Cited List, and use the correct MLA documentation style. Grade Rubric INTRODUCTION & THESIS: Includes a clear thesis statement, an assertion or position. The topic is original and manageable in a short research paper. /15 FOCUS AND DEVELOPMENT: Body of the essay focuses on this thesis and develops it fully, recognizing the complexity of issues and refuting arguments in opposition to the thesis. /20 SUPPORT AND SYNTHESIS: Uses sufficient and relevant evidence to support the thesis (and primary points), including facts, inferences, and judgments. Quotes, summarizes, and paraphrases accurately and effectively–appropriately introducing and explaining each quote. /25 RESOURCES: Shows a clear understanding of the sources; has evaluated each source and used it appropriately. Uses a wide variety of sources reflecting significant research. /10 CONVENTIONS: Uses MLA format correctly; includes internal citations and a Works Cited list; is free of errors. /15 CORRECTNESS AND STYLE: Introduces the topic in an interesting way; shows critical thinking and depth of understanding; uses appropriate tone; shows sophistication in language usage and sentence structure. /15