Abolition of Slavery in Latin America and the railroad in British India
In this assignment, you will do the historian’s work of 1) analysis, 2) comparison, and 3) evaluation or interpretation of other historians’ writings on a focused topic. find at least 2 studies (at least 1 book) of the subject by 2 different historians, use at least one reading from class, as well as your lecture notes and write a 2,000 word paper that analyzes the 2 historical studies compares the historical interpretations of the historians(very important) analyzes the way your topic involves a cross-cultural encounter.
Historical Analysis Paper Rubric
Papers receiving the following grades will meet a preponderance of the following bullet points.
The Superior Paper (A/A-)
- Contains a clear, well-constructed thesis.
- Is well organized and written.
- Provides substantial, relevant evidence to support the thesis.
- Thorough presentation of the chosen topic, skillfully placed in its historical context.
- Uses at least the required number of sources.
- Demonstrates thorough analysis and critical evaluation of the arguments, assumptions, and evidence in the sources; clearly understands the authors’ main arguments and carefully explains points of disagreement, including how the historians use evidence differently.
- Convincingly connects the topic to the theme of the cross-cultural encounter (part of the historical context). The superior paper draws connections to other examples from class as well.
- Excellent use of properly formatted in-text citations in Chicago style.
- (Final Draft) Skillfully and thoughtfully incorporates the feedback from the first draft.
The Good Paper (B+/B)
- Contains a clear thesis.
- Contains generally clear organization and writing.
- Provides relevant evidence to support the thesis.
- Analyzes the chosen topic, placed in historical context.
- Uses at least the required number of sources.
- Demonstrates some analysis of the sources, good comparison of the historical studies.
- Connects the thesis and argument to the theme of cross-cultural encounter.
- Good use of in-text citations and properly formatted bibliography in Chicago style.
- May contain errors that do not seriously detract from the essay.
- (Final Draft) Incorporates the feedback from the first draft.
The Borderline Paper (B-/C+)
- Contains a thesis that is not fully developed.
- Organization and writing need improvement but are generally understandable.
- Provides limited evidence to support the thesis.
- Considers the chosen topic, but does not give strong analysis of the sources, especially of their main arguments and points of disagreement.
- Limited connection to the theme of cross-cultural encounter.
- Demonstrates little analysis of the sources, mainly just mines them for facts, not engaging their arguments.
- Uses at least the required number of sources.
- Partial use of in-text citation in Chicago style.
- May contain errors.
- (Final Draft) Incorporates the feedback from the first draft.
The “Needs Help” Paper (C/C-)
- Presents a thesis that is confused, simplistic, or undeveloped.
- May be poorly organized and/or poorly written.
- Uses generalities rather than detailed information.
- Poorly presents the topic, leaving out important elements.
- Poorly addresses cross-cultural encounter; topic is not otherwise connected to themes in the class or broader historical context.
- Demonstrates limited knowledge of the subject matter.
- Does not analyze the sources, leaving out the historians’ arguments; does not give careful evaluation.
- Uses inadequate or non-scholarly sources of information.
- Used in-text citations (although, not properly) and incorrect citation format.
- May contain major errors.
- (Final Draft) Ignores some of the feedback from the first draft.
The Unsatisfactory Paper (D/F)
- Shows minimal effort and/or understanding of the assignment.
- Is poorly organized and/or poorly written.
- Contains little to no supporting details or analysis.
- Does not use correct sources, or uses them poorly.
- Does not use in-text citations or uses them incorrectly
- May contain numerous errors, both major and minor.
- (Final Draft) Did not turn back in the first draft or completely ignores the draft feedback.
Historical Interpretation Assignment
This assignment is the major paper you will write for this course. The objective is for you to begin to engage in the type of research, analysis, and writing that professional historians do, preparing you for more advanced research papers required in upper level history courses.
You are not yet making original historical arguments built on directly finding evidence of primary sources. In this assignment, you will do the historian’s work of 1) analysis, 2) comparison, and 3) evaluation or interpretation of other historians’ writings on a focused topic.
You must
- choose one of the topics listed below,
- find at least 2 studies (at least 1 book) of the subject by 2 different historians,
- use at least one reading from class, as well as your lecture notes
and write a 2,000 word paper that
- analyzes the 2 historical studies
- compares the historical interpretations of the historians
- (very important) analyzes the way your topic involves a cross-cultural encounter.
examples:
o compare/contrast the topic in 2 countries
? abolition in Brazil vs in Mexico
? the spread of football in India vs in Argentine
O describe external influences on your topic
? appropriation of European institutions and/or regulations in the Ottoman reforms ;
? British loans to Argentina following independence
O some topics already involve cross-cultural encounter:
? the railroad in British India
? the Algerian War
? Decolonization in an African or Asian state
Topics (all within the period 1815-present)
The Railroad in British India Abolition of the Slave Trade in Indian Ocean Abolition of Slavery in Latin America The Algerian War
Govt reform in Ottoman empire (the Tanzimat reforms) The Partition of India and Pakistan (1947) The Chinese Nationalist Party 1920s-1930s French colonialism in Indochina 1850-1910
Indian troops in World War I The Pan-Arab movement Muhammad Ali’s government of Egypt, 1815-49 Decolonization in an African or Asian state national debt in a state in Argentina post-independence Compare Hindu & Muslim influences on Indian nationalism 1900-47 Religious minority in ___ (choose a state in Latin America or Africa), post-independence
Suez Crisis The Boxer Rebellion Migration of a particular group (not to the U.S.A.) in 19th or 20th c. The history of one export in one non-western state: e.g. coffee, automobile, oil, etc.
Military coup of Argentina of 1966 Return of Hong Kong in 1997 Attaturk’s Secularism in Turkey 1920s Print technology in India or Middle East
*Components and due dates.
The University’s writing requirement emphasizes writing as a process, with opportunities to receive feedback. Therefore this assignment is designed to help you write a very strong analytic paper, engaging in a thoughtful way with other historians, and connecting ideas in a clear, illuminating way.
This paper assignment builds up from a simple citation exercise to a paper proposal, and then to a first draft. This completed paper will be returned to you with constructive feedback, and then you will complete the paper and turn in a finished final draft.
Due Dates
- Citation Exercise Sep 7 – submitted on Canvas
- Find 2 studies (at least one book) and prepare a short proposal. (Template on Canvas)
Sep 14 – submitted on Canvas before class
- First Draft Oct 19 – paper copy due in class,
electronic copy in Turnitin before class
- Final Draft due with 1st Draft attached Nov 19 – paper copy due in class,
electronic copy in Turnitin before class
Sources
- You must find TWO SCHOLARLY STUDIES on the same topic (at least one book; the second can be either a book or a scholarly article). These have to be scholarly works by historians.
- The article must be from a professional history journal, such as The Journal of Modern History or American Historical Studies. A news article or encyclopedia article will not fill this requirement.
Format
Times New Roman, 12 pt font, double-spaced
Heading and title (see template on Canvas)
Citations
In-text citations in Chicago Style (see link to Chicago Style Template on Canvas). No bibliography or works cited page is necessary.
A Note on the 1st Draft
The draft gives you the opportunity to get critical feedback in the process of writing. It is not a rough draft (general sketch, bullet points, incomplete sentences) but rather a completed paper, with polished grammar, format, and citations. The feedback will be on the content of your paper—on its clarity of purpose, strength of argument, logical organization, and level of engagement with the sources.
Nota bene: After the graded first draft is returned to you with feedback, you will have to turn in the first draft attached to your Final Draft, so that the grader can assess your revision based on feedback. Therefore, do not lose your first draft! You cannot submit your final draft without the first draft.
Principles of assessment.
HISTORY – Students become critical analyzers of theories and evidence about historical events and forces.
- Analyze claims about historical phenomena.
STATE-MANDATED WRITING (W) – Students become clear, creative, and convincing communicators
- Compose for a specific purpose, occasion, and audience.
- Convey ideas in clear, coherent prose that utilizes the conventions of a standard language.
Definition of College-Level Writing:
The definition of “college-level writing” that should guide the design and evaluation of writing assignments, as well as the assessment of the writing competencies, is writing that:
- presents a clearly defined central idea or thesis;
- provides adequate support for that idea;
- is organized clearly and logically;
- is presented in a format appropriate to the purpose, occasion, and audience; and
- utilizes standard conventions appropriate for study in English.
Substantive Requirements:
“Substantial” should be interpreted as “intellectually substantial as appropriate for the level of the course.”
CROSS-CULTURAL STUDIES (X) – Students become Culturally literate members of society.
- Analyze some aspect of human experience within a culture, focusing on at least one source of diversity (e.g., age, disability, ethnicity, gender, language, race, religion, sexual orientation, social class, or other).
- Explore one’s own cultural norms or values in relation those of a different cultural group.
COURSE SPECFIC –
- Critically examine, interpret, and explain how personal, political, cultural, economic, and social experiences and/or structures shaped the Modern World since 1815.
- Identify the impact of key moments, themes, and individuals in the history of the Modern World since 1815
