First Formal Essay, World Civilizations 102
Lewis-Clark State College, Spring 2008
Assignment Details
DUE DATE: This is a take home exam and it is due in class on March 4. Unexcused late papers will be marked as such and will receive a full grade deduction for every 24 hour period late. Your paper is late if I don't have it in my hand when I ask for it in class. Papers placed under my office door will receive an additional grade deduction. The simplest thing is to have your essay ready to hand in on the day it is due.
ESSAY LENGTH: This essay is worth 20% of your overall grade and will
be evaluated as such. The minimum length of your essay is four double-spaced,
typed pages (approximately 1000 words). The maximum page limit is eight
double-spaced typed pages (approximately 2, 000 words). Although there is not
a direct connection between the number of pages you write and the grade you
earn, the more you write the more chances you give yourself to answer the question
you have chosen. Below is a rough guideline to keep in mind as you are writing.
At the end of your essay provide a WORD COUNT.
SOURCES: You are expected to utilize all of your class material to develop
and support the points in your essay. The more references you make to class
readings, lectures, discussions, & videos the better your essay will be
documented.
CITING MATERIALS: Various disciplines (History, Anthropology, Biology, Psychology etc...) have different ways of documenting where information comes from. In this class we will use a variation of Turabian/Chicago style, which is what historians use & we will use footnotes. See the following link for a basic Turabian Style Guide. For Microsoft Word users footnotes is as simple as selecting -- insert, citation/reference, footnote. If you use another word processor we may need to chat.
Provide a full bibliographic citation and the page number the first time you use a source.
Loewen, James W. 1995. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong. (New York: Simon and Schuster), 31.Provide the authors last name and page number each time you use the source afterwards.
Loewen, 55.
Be carefully with the Reilly book, as it is an edited work. Reilly is the author of the introductions to each document and the 'reflections' statements at the end. Your citations from the Reilly book will look something like this:
First time using source:
Diaz, Bernal. 1963. "The Conquest of New Spain" in Reilly, Kevin, ed. 2000. Worlds of History: A Comparative Reader (New York: Bedford/St. Martin's), 43.Each time thereafter:
Diaz, 44.Only insert footnotes after the period at the end of a sentence. You are expected to include a bibliography (does not count as a page). Treat each document in World of History as a separate bibliographic entry (source). If you utilize material on the web, cite it according to the Turabian Style Guide.
DRAFTING ESSAYS: This is a formal essay and I do not expect to see first or second drafts that have been hastily written the night before. One week before class we will have a required peer editing session. You will turn in your peer edited draft, along with your final draft. You should expect at least a full letter grade deduction if your essay does not have a peer edited draft submitted with it.
Chose one of the following questions to answer. Don't forget to take a careful look at the grading rubric at the bottom of this page.
1. Evaluate (don't describe) the argument(s) put forth in the first seven chapters of the Loewen book. What are his strongest points? What are his weakest? Conclude your essay with a 1/2 page argument describing Loewen's take on the teaching of history and a statement on what your conclusions suggest to you about the nature of the discipline of history and its role in our every day lives.(This question assumes you read the optional reading for this course).
2. Write a review essay evaluating the first half of Worlds of History as a tool for learning about world history from 1400 to 1850. Make an recommendation, with specific examples, either for or against the use of Worlds of History in a college level, World History course.
[ A few things you might consider: What are the pro's and con's of each particular set of resources? What have your learned about world history from each so far? Anything you wish those materials had covered? Do they offer similar histories? Did you prefer one over the other? Any one of those questions can probably get you started.]
3. Describe and analyze three historical debates connected to the Early Modern Period (about 1400-1850). Conclude your essay with a 1/2 page argument on what your conclusions tell you about the differences between studying history as a debate vs. studying history as a matter already settled. Does the approach you take to history have any influence on your ability to see the relevance of history in the 21st century? Explain.
4. Using the sources available to you in Reilly and Traditions and Encounters write a history that focuses on the women of the Early Modern Period (about 1400-1800). Be sure to include enough examples to be able to make global comparisons of some kind about the condition(s) of women during this period. Conclude your essay with a 1/2 page argument advocating why it is important to study the history of women of the Early Modern Period.
5. Write a history of the Scientific and Technological innovations that occurred between 1400 and 1850. Pick three early modern "civilizations" to compare, contrast, and analyze. How did these innovations change the shape of world history? What did you learn about history from this exercise?
6. Using the sources available to you in Reilly and Traditions and Encounters write a history of the economic changes that occurred during the Early Modern Period (about 1400-1800). Be sure to include enough examples to be able to make global economic comparisons of some kind. Conclude your essay with a 1/2 page argument advocating why it is important to study the economic history of the Early Modern Period.
7. Explain why and how peoples in Western Europe began to exercise greater influence at the global level during the Early Modern Period (approximately 1500-1800). Be sure to touch on some of the historical debate on this issue. Conclude your essay with a 1/2 page argument on what your conclusions tell you about the differences between studying history as a debate vs. studying history as a matter already settled. Does the approach you take to history have any influence on your ability to see the relevance of history in the 21st century? Explain.
8. Using Adam Smith and Karl Marx as your initial sources, write a history of capitalism / industrialization from the 1400 to 1850. What is capitalism? What is Industrialization? How have they interacted and changed over time? What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses? Conclude with a 1/2 page statement indicating what you have learned about economic history after this exercise?
9. (Creative Writing): creative writing is not my thing. But it might be yours. If you can help me think of some creative writing type questions the utilize our class materials, I'd be glad to hear them.
A. Select at least three individuals that have created a primary source in Worlds of History (Bernal Diaz, Nzinga Mbemba, Mao Xiang, Lady Mary Montague, Voltaire, Adam Smith, Karl Marx, etc...) and place them in a setting where they are discussing one of the following:
1. The most important changes at the global level between 1400 and 1850.
2. The primary force of historical change: is change mostly produced by the individual? Society? Ideas? The Economy? Political forces?
3. Surely you can develop a better scenario than either of the two above. But clear it with me first.
* Other essay topics that follow the general criteria will be considered, but must be approved before hand.
Your essays will be graded in accordance with the following rubric.
Content (Approximately 50%)
Writing (Approximately 40%)
Miscellaneous (Approximately 10%)
A few miscellaneous comments from the person who is going
to grade your essay