HIS 1510: Introduction to Western Civilisation (Part I)

Due date: 9 October 2014, 10:10 AM.

Submission: submit electronic copy (MS Word or compatible) using Turnitin option on the HIS 1510 BlackBoard companion site.

Length: 1000-1500 words (= ca. 4-6 pp. double-spaced, 12-point font, 1 inch margins).

Documentation: please append a bibliography to your essay. For citations in the body of your discussion, you may use footnotes, endnotes, or in-text references, so long as you follow a recognized & consistent format (see Harvey, Hacker, Rampolla for various styles).

This essay assignment requires that you reread carefully the primary sources studied so far and think about them as an historian. Your essay should draw on three or more of the primary-source readings up to Week VI (inclusive), at least one of which must be Lysistrata , the Bible, or the Qur'án. You are not expected to conduct independent research; the lectures, textbook and other readings should supply you with enough background to engage these primary sources directly.

The most important work this essay is designed to get you to do is to ask a question (or a set of related questions) about the things primary sources can teach you about history. (There is no one right way to do this!) Asking good historical questions entails thinking about the different ways it might be possible to answer such questions: do you have evidence that would allow you to answer this question? do you have a framework for making sense of this evidence? are there problems, dead ends, or unanswerable parts of the question, and do you have a way of accounting for these? What's often called the 'thesis' of your essay need not be a conclusive answer to the question(s); rather, a good thesis explains why the question you're asking is a good one, and shows how the process of attempting to find an answer is a productive way of joining together documentary, empirical evidence and theoretical, analytic frameworks.

A successful paper will contain a title , alerting the reader to the question(s) that interest you, as well as a clear thesis statement and a concluding paragraph reflecting on your project. The arguments you make in the paper will be based on carefully selected passages from the primary sources (= evidence), which you will interpret (= analysis). Your essay should include a discussion of the historical context of the works it examines, of the authors' viewpoints and biases , and of your own approach to reading the texts.

Some optional topics for structuring your essay are suggested below; you may pick from these, but should refine them to your specific needs and interests. Alternatively, you may make up your own topic independently of these suggestions. In either case, you must consult with your instructor to confirm that your topic is viable and suitable. You should come to my office hours no later than Week V for consultation.

Suggested topics:

1. Imagine a conversation in which the authors of the sources you selected discuss women's and men's proper social roles. On what would these authors agree and disagree? What would they consider to be plausible ways for men and women to demonstrate virtue? You may also wish to consider some of the visual material we have examined in lectures and readings, such as images, sculpture and architecture.
2. Attaining and maintaining legitimacy is a paramount concern for any political player. How is political legitimacy viewed, sought and contested in the sources you selected? How do criteria for legitimacy differ among cultures? Or are they stable, in whole or in part? How might we explain striking similarities, even among sources separated by centuries? You should consider rhetoric, style, political and moral values, accomplishments, as well as manifestations of political illegitimacy.
3. Religion is thought to have played a prominent role in the lives of pre-modern people; societies have different notions of what religion is and how the supernatural is to be approached, however. Analyse the way in which religious sentiments, beliefs and practices differ among the societies depicted in the texts you have selected.
4. Imagine you are a radio talk-show host, syndicated in three of the societies whose sources we have read; you are about to convene a “Restoring [core value]” rally. Which value will you celebrate? At what treasured monument will you convene the rally? What will you urge your listeners to do, and how will you sway them? What might be some of the problems you face? And what would your detractors say about your efforts?

Have fun!