^   These frames will move along on their own. What you see are Peter G's sketches when putting together the fuller picture. Like a term paper, like a lecture, like your prep for the questions, like any worthwhile project -- it takes planning, tests and trials. It takes failures and successes, time and effort. Like playing a sport or a musical instrument (or any such endeavor) -- often these give pleasure and joy only after some time and effort goes in. Am I saying, "Start the Term Paper now?" You saw right though me!

       Actually, the sooner you are deeply into it, the less stress/pressure and the more fulfilling it will be.  Frankenstein could form the basis of a fine term paper. After reading the pieces handed out in class, after reading the articles in our book, (and scouring the book, of course) there are many areas to dig into, from feminism to communism, from science to romanticism, from enlightenment ideals to pragmatic developments in the 19th century.

        I would recommend looking through this site (5-10 minutes) if you have not already seen it. Boiled down to its simplest, a good term paper has a relevant, a 'today's-sort-of' question; second, it shows what some of the 'experts' have thought and written about your question (often opposing views are easiest to deal with because they give focus to your work); finally and what will take up most of your pages, what do the primary sources offer to address your question -- sometimes primary sources will address but not answer your question.

    For example, let's say your question is, "How did World War II change the status of women in the U.S.?" You would see that some 'experts' have produced the Rosie-the-Riveter thesis that women took over many jobs as men were overseas fighting. Some will then argue that this was temporary and that women went back to pre-War status after 1945 and men took their jobs back. Others will argue that this job-loss only happened sometimes, and at other times women kept job, status and income, leading to a rising status throughout, if a bumpy rise, but still, a rise. Then you will search out and explain evidence from anecdotal to statistical, and make YOUR argument. Of course, a minority will oppose BOTH of the above, arguing that to the extent that women were forced into jobs (either by war or by 'liberation' propaganda) then women were essentially enslaved by these jobs and ideas! Hmmm...

         Or perhaps you are interested politics? Economic ideas swirling around the U.S.S.R.'s recent changes? Middle East problems? Enlightenment ideals growing out of ???? or morphing into ???? or opposed by ????? Or the English/French/American Revolution(s) -- if they were.....

       What's the first step? It's in your mind -- make it up to put one foot in front of the other in the direction of the library until you enter it. Then find the section that holds books that hold your interest. Read, read, read. Kill your television. Get your favorite snacks ready for when you return with arm-loads of great books. When you need a break, change books. And know this: as you do these things, you are a part of an intellectual learning movement that began before Plato, progressed through the medieval invention of the universities; that includes the Bohemian-types (modern and enlightenment) as well as includes some of the most successful politicians and musicians, business-folk and teachers, along with those who through all time have valued the Life of the Mind.

      Hope this helps. Cheers! mm