| History 151:
World Civilizations I |
FALL
2009 |
| Instructor:
Colette Higgins |
|
WRITING
PROJECT
(Traveling Back in Time)
Written Communication
Critical Thinking
The Situation
A new technological development will allow you to travel back in time to experience
an ancient civilization as a person who lived at that time. You will
be describing your experiences. Your goal
is to understand what life was like for a person in a particular place at a specific point
in time.
Your Task
Choose one of the historical characters listed below to research:
- a scribe from
Sumeria, Egypt, or Europe (under Charlemagne).
- a laborer on
the Great Pyramid or Great Wall.
- an Indian ascetic,
a Buddhist monk or a Sufi mystic.
- a woman in Han China or Classical Greece.
- an athlete
at a Greek Olympics or a gladiator in the Roman Colosseum.
- a soldier in the Assyrian, Greek, or Roman army.
Keep track of your sources. You must provide an annotated bibliography with Part III, which means, in addition to the typical bibliographical
citation (author, title, city, publisher, year),
you need to also give a brief explanation of how each source helped you. I am interested in all the sources that
you’ve consulted for your information. Strive for a variety of resources (a mix of books, articles, videos,
internet sites, etc.). You must
have at least three history-based sources beyond your textbook. Please note that Wikipedia is not considered a valid source for historical research, so it can not count as one of your three sources.
Three Part Writing Process (worth 100 points total)
- Part
I (20 points) This will be an exploratory paper where you will
discuss the person you’ve chosen and why you chose this individual. You
need to show evidence of your knowledge about this person’s society at
a particular point in time. In your final paragraph you will explore your
historical character’s place in that society. For this paper you will
use your own voice. Do not attempt to write in your character’s voice
just yet. This is an informal paper that encourages you to discover your thoughts
by “talking to self.” You will not be graded on organization, grammar,
spelling, or punctuation. Format: one side of a page, single spaced, once
inch margins, 300-500 words.* Late papers will not be accepted.
Due: Wednesday, September 30th
- Part
II (30 points) This will be a letter to a classmate explaining
your observations and experiences. To avoid getting off track, don’t
discuss how you got there (i.e. time machine). Instead, describe what you’re
seeing and doing. Be mindful that you are still yourself, but you just happen
to be taking on a role in the past. Thus, you can make comparisons between
that time and our own. This is an informal paper that allows you to use first
person references (i.e. I, me, my) to communicate in a letter format. You will need to organize your thoughts in order to communicate effectively. However, you
will not be graded on grammar, spelling, or punctuation. Format: double
spaced, one inch margins, 500-700 words.* Late papers will not be accepted.
Due: Monday, November 2nd
- Part
III (50 points) This will be a diary entry, a dialogue, or a vignette describing your character's lifestyle. You will be writing as if you are that person
(using his/her voice, not your own). Remember, your goal
is to demonstrate an understanding of what life was like for a person in a particular place at a specific point
in time.
- If you choose to write a diary entry, you will be able to reflect on your day. It may help to focus on a particular event or a typical day. You also have the option of writing shorter diary entries over multiple days if it helps to describe a series of unfolding events leading up to a most memorable day.
- If you choose to write a dialogue, you will need to identify two people who will have an imagined conversation (one being the character you've been researching). You could choose to have two characters from the past discussing their day, or it could be an intergenerational conversation (mother & daughter, or grandfather & grandson), or you could choose to interview your character (so one voice would be yours). It will read much like a script for a play, or a transcript of an interview.
- If you choose to write a vignette, you will be telling a story. You could describe behaviors, thoughts, and events from your historical character's perspective. This format also provides the option of a narrator's voice (i.e. someone telling the story, but not necessarity involved in it).
This should be a polished papaer. Organization, grammar, spelling
and punctuation will be graded in this part. You must also resubmit your graded
Parts I & II, and provide an annotated bibliography (all in a non-plastic
folder). Format: double spaced, one inch margins,
800-1000 words, although it is understood that the
dialogue or vignette may be substantially longer for scene setting reasons.* Late papers will be accepted,
but there will be a five-point penalty for each class day that a paper is
late. Due: December 2nd
*Please identify the font & provide the word count at the end
of each part.
(e.g. Helvetica 576 words)