Instructions for Historical Analysis Assignments: (10% each; 4 total) The purpose of these assignments is to help you better engage you with your sources and aid in studying. All assignments are a 1-2 page essay and must include at least one primary source and one secondary source. ALL SOURCES MUST BE CITED.

• Assignment #1 (pick one): How do historians study, divide up, and evaluate the past? OR Define culture as you understand it then answer – How did Ancient Greek culture differ (or was the same) from Mesopotamian and Egyptian culture? (due 11 April)
  • Google folder to upload paper.
• Assignment #2 (pick one): How can Muhammad be described as both a prophet and a statesman?  OR What were the direct contributions of Islam, Islamic scholarship, and Islamic society to Christian Europe and how did these contributions effect society?  OR Compare and contrast Islam to either Judaism or Christianity. What are the major similarities in belief and practice? What are the differences? (due 18 April)
• Assignment #3 (pick one): How does the ethos of crusade imbue the political and religious movements of the High Middle Ages? OR Explain the structure of medieval society and its economy? OR How did the introduction of artillery and firearms aid in the consolidation of national monarchies?
  (due 25 April)
• Assignment #4 (pick one): “The Renaissance marked a new era in thought and feelings by which Europe and its institutions were transformed.”  Discuss the validity of this statement  OR How did the Renaissance promote the West’s transition into modernity? OR How do you think ordinary people experienced the Renaissance? Consider, for example, the experiences of Jews, women, and poor people. (due 2 May)

The organization of the essay:

The classic essay presents an introduction that states a thesis; has several body paragraphs, each of which is devoted to explaining a single idea that helps prove the thesis; and ends with a conclusion that clearly re-states the main ideas in the essay.

1) The Introduction.  Be sure that your introductory paragraph lets the reader know what your main question is.   But you MUST do more than this in the introduction!  Your introduction must present a thesis statement.  The thesis statement is the main point of your answer.  It can be one sentence or several sentences.  But it must be a logical statement that answers the question.  By the end of the first paragraph, the reader should know what your argument is and should have a sense of how you will develop that argument in the essay.

Again, remember that the thesis is not just a restatement of the question!  It is the core of your ANSWER to the question.  One of the biggest problems with most students’ introductions is that all they do is re-phrase the question—they don’t present an answer!

2) The Body.  The body of your paper should be composed of several paragraphs, each of which is completely devoted to explaining one main idea.  So if your thesis has three “sub-points,” you need to have three body paragraphs (etc).

Again, you must break your thesis down into several “sub- ideas” and provide evidence to prove these ideas.  That is the function of the body paragraphs in your paper.  Be sure that each paragraph in the body of your paper is devoted to explaining a single main idea (one main idea per paragraph).  That main idea should help us understand your thesis.

It is extremely important that each paragraph has a clear Topic Sentence.  The topic sentence (the first sentence of the paragraph) must present the main idea of that paragraph, and everything in the paragraph must be related to the topic sentence.  (If you have a fact, or information, in the paragraph that is not logically connected to the topic sentence, then you have to move that fact/information to another paragraph where it does fit with the topic sentence!)

After the topic sentence, each paragraph needs to include evidence that supports the main idea in the paragraph.  In other words, you have to illustrate and prove your point in that paragraph.  Remember (and this is really important) that you must EXPLAIN what the evidence means–don’t assume that it is obvious!

This is where you integrate the documents into your essay.  Try to use as many primary sources as you can!  And be sure to refer explicitly to the primary source.  (“In his August 6, 1786, speech to Congress, John Jay argued that….”   or “In his 1630 statement A Model of Christian Charity, John Winthrop insisted…).

Remember, the difference between a good essay and a really good essay is that a really good essay explains the evidence in the sources.  Every time you present a quotation from a document or paraphrase or summarize information from a document, you need to explain what that information needs and how it relates to your main point.

In really good essays, each paragraph ends in a transition sentence that guides the reader to the next topic sentence.  (example–“The differences in the composition of the settlers of New England and Virginia help us to understand the difference in family patterns in the two regions.”)

3) Be sure that you end your paper with a concluding paragraph that sums up your main ideas and makes clear how all of these ideas add up to your main point (thesis), and how your main point answers the main question of your paper.