History 433 Spring 2004 Graded Writing
Bring in a 2-page paper (double-spaced, typed) for your assigned text on each of the following days (20%). The task: analyze how this primary source is evidence for something we are studying (relate it to issues in the textbook or from class discussion).
- 2/05 Saints
- 2/26 Missionaries and Monasteries
- 3/16 Painted Labyrinth
- 4/15 Power of Words
- 4/22 Beowulf
The other 10% will be based on in-class writing assigments, usually a paragraph responding to a primary sources.
- Step 1: Pick one of the primary sources assigned in the syllabus—text or artifact—and examine the whole of it to find a theme or issue to address. Due 2/10
- Step 2: Research the issue to find secondary materials on the topic and the source: 3-5 books and 5-7 articles you will be using as resources. Submit an annotated bibliography. 10% Due 3/2
- Step 3: Write a 10-12 page, double-spaced and typed, paper analyzing the topic and the primary source. To get full credit, the first draft must be complete--10-12 pages that reaches a conclusion. 15% Due 3/30
- Step 4: Rewrite the paper for final submission. This means honing your argument and reorganizing the paper to make it tighter. 25% Due 5/4
Instead of the research paper, submit a series of 5 2-3 page papers on texts read in sections III and IV of Mitchell. You choose which texts and submit the paper a week after we discuss that text. For each, analyze how the language reveals aspects of the culture and history in ways not visible in a modern English translation. In this track, students should also pay attention to the role of language in the other Writing Assignments as well.
Writing Expectations
Grading of all papers will be based on the following criteria:
- clear thesis and argumentation, indicated in the introduction and in the organization of the paper
- adept analysis of primary source as evidence
- vigorous, readable prose style free of grammar and syntax errors
Resources