• Weekly Primary Source Essay Prompts
An important skill in any intellectual endeavor is the ability to thoughtfully consider issues and to discuss it effectively with appropriate facts. The Primary Source Essay Prompts are designed to encourage you to put together the historical background that you learn from the text book, and the human issues that are at the core of the primary source literature. Each week you will answer a question in a multi-paragraph essay and submit your completed essay in a Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx) document through the assignment page (Blackboard will also except Rich Text Format [.rtf] and Portable Document Files [.pdf]). After I receive your Journal submissions, I will assess them and return them to you. Your grade will appear in the grade book and I include some comments and observations indicating areas in which you may need to improve. There will be two journal essay due each week; each essay will be 10 point.
The criteria for grading the journals are as follows:
• Each Primary Source Essay should be a formal, cogent, academic essay, around three paragraphs (750 to 1000 words) in length. Essays should have:
o 1) A solid Introduction Paragraph that provides a well formulated thesis / main idea. Also, the introduction should provide the “historical context” of the author and the context the topic the primary source was written (i.e. who was their audience, what event was occurring at this time, and what was their main argument)
o 2) A Body Paragraph(s) that adequately reflects a clear understanding of the entire reading and references the primary source frequently. Furthermore, you fully answer the questions from the essay prompt within this section.
o 3) A Conclusion Paragraph that explains and thoughtful analyzes why the writing, or the topic of the writing, was “historically significant”. In short, how did the primary source shape / reflect the cultural, social, political and economic events of the era it was written and the events that occurred there after.
• Finally, your essay should make appropriate CROSS – REFERENCES and connections to the other sources referenced during the week (i.e. Text, Notes, & Podcasts).
A – Excellent. Essay shows careful reading of the source, thoughtful analysis of the issues asked for, demonstrates very sound understanding of the historical context and historical significance and makes appropriate connections and specific references. (9.0-10.0 pts.).
B – Good. Essay shows careful reading of the sources, reasonable analysis of the issues, good understanding of the historical context and historical significance. (8.0-8.9 pts).
C – Average. Essay shows careful reading of the source, some attempt at analysis, some reference to historical context and historical significance. (7.0-7.9 pts)
D. – Poor. Essay shows superficial reading of the source, little or no analysis of the issues, little awareness of or reference to the historical context and historical significance of the source. (6.0-6.9 pts).
F – Failing. Essay shows little or no familiarity of the source, no analysis of the issues, demonstrates no awareness of historical context and historical significance. (0.0-5.9 pts)
Because analytical writing is a skill that many students have not yet cultivated, I have provided the following tutorial. Please review it now by clicking on the link under the tab labeled Writing Tools.
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Differntiated Writing For Your Journals
There are two (2) Primary Source Essay – Journal assignments in every unit. The best way in which to approach writing your Essay Journal is the same method that you employed in your Composition or Expository Writing classes. There are two writing options from which you may pick.
Option A
For those of you who are not very confident about your writing skills, write up each assignment as a separate, independent paragraph. Each paragraph should have a topic sentence that makes a definite statement about the question and its historical context, should be supported by additional sentences that explore the material presented in the assigned primary source readings for the week, should use appropriate material from the reading in the textbook, and should indicate the historical significance at the end. This is the more basic approach.
Option B
For those of you who are confident about your writing skills, the most appropriate format is a multi-paragraph organization that includes: an introduction developing a theme or thesis in response to the question and placing it into an historical context, a body of several paragraphs each with a topic sentence that explores the material presented in the assigned primary source readings for the week as well as appropriate material from the reading in the textbook, and a conclusion explaining what all this means in relation to the question and its historical significance. While this is a more difficult approach, it will better prepare you for dealing with the Exam questions.
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Essential Definitions
Historical Context In order to better understand something in history, we must look at its context–those things which surround it in time and place and give it meaning. In this way, we can gain, among other things, a sense of how unique or ordinary an event or idea seems to be in comparison to other events and ideas. (http://www.answers.com, 9/29/14). Therefore, students will do well by applying the AAA rule as cited below:
-The Author: Who was the author(s), and when did she / he live? Which culture did they live in and how did that affect their thinking? Do you note any bias in the report?
-The Audience: Who were they writing to and which culture did the audience live in and when?
-The Argument: What is the main idea / thesis of the piece? Can you summarize it with the 5W’s + H? Can you summarize the events described in the Primary Source? Can you cite a section of the passage that best summarizes the main idea / thesis?
Historical Significance is the analysis of the writing. Among many things, Historical Significance considers how important or significant the writing affected or reflected Western Culture (i.e. like a ripple effect). For example, you should consider:
1) How important was it in its own time?
2) Did this importance continue in the following decades or centuries?
3) How did this particular event or idea change events or ideas that followed?
4) How did following generations continue or discontinue the tradition established by this particular event or idea?
5) Finally, what is the political, social, cultural, economic, and geographic ramifications and ideas within the writing (i.e. this is the current Global Studies approach within Western Historiography – see the work of historians like Jerry Bentley and Patrick Manning for further details).
(https://answers.yahoo.com, 9/29/14, heavily modified).
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Direct Quotations
Yes, you may cite and quote. HOWEVER, you may not use direct quotations from the primary sources as a substitute for actually explaining the meanings of the primary sources.
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Citations
Appropriate citations, both of the textbook and especially of outside sources, must be provided in the original submission in order to receive full credit for the assignment.