Take-Home Essay #2

Honors 210B Spring 2006 Take-Home Essay #2 Instructions:

Write a thoughtful, polished, 6-8 page essay (approximately 1500-2000 words) on one of the questions below. The essay is due two weeks after distribution of this question, at the beginning of class on Wednesday, May 3. Be sure to read over the syllabus for information on grading criteria, late assignments, and rules for the take-home essay exams. Your essay must be typed, double-spaced, with 12-point font and one-inch margins.

Before you begin writing your essay, complete Writing Worksheets 1 and 2. You must staple both Writing Worksheets to the back of your essay. (Failure to do so will result in 5 points off of your essay grade.)

The essay covers course material from Week 7 through Week 11

Choose one:

Essay Question 1:

Agree with, disagree with, or modify the following statement:

“The modern era (from the 18th century through the first half of the 20th century) began with the hopeful Enlightenment ideals of popular sovereignty, freedom, equality, and human progress as championed by 18th-century Enlightenment thinkers and revolutionaries. However, the modern era as a whole can best be characterized by the utter failure of the ideals of the Enlightenment.”

Essay Question 2:

Agree with, disagree with, or modify the following statement:

“Throughout the course of modern global history (from the 18thcentury through the first half of the 20th century), interactions between diverse cultures more often resulted in positive cultural exchanges and transformations rather than in negative cultural confrontations and clashes.”

Guidelines

Regardless of which question you select, you must write on all 4 of the following historical cases:

1. The Enlightenment (Bentley, Ch. 29) 2. Industrial Societies (Bentley, Ch. 30) 3. European Imperialism (Bentley Ch. 33 and King Leopold’s Ghost) 4. Transformations of China (relevant selections of Bentley Ch. 27, 32, 37, 38, 40 and Wild Swans)

Note: The underlined readings listed above are especially important sources of evidence for your essay. Your essay must include specific quotes from these discussion readings as evidence for your claims. You may turn to the Bentley book to help you provide historical context, but your main evidence must come from the discussion readings.

**Hint #1: There is no single “right” answer for this essay. I am asking you to develop your own argument or point of view and to support your own interpretation using the relevant class material.

**Hint #2: No outside research is required or allowed for this essay. You must gather evidence to support your argument using only the sources made available to you in this class. These include: 1) Assigned discussion readings 2) Lectures and in-class discussions 3) Textbook chapters in Bentley and Ziegler, Traditions and Encounters A successful essay will make use of all of these sources. Remember that the assigned discussion readings are especially important pieces of evidence for your essay. Your essay must include specific quotes from the assigned discussion readings as evidence to support your argument.

**Hint #3: Please use the Chicago Style for your footnote citations. You may treat all the information you have gathered from lectures as general knowledge that does not require citation.

**Hint #4: Beware of closely paraphrasing or using the words of the textbook or discussion readings without giving credit to the author. This is plagiarism and will result in a zero on the assignment. Plagiarism is stealing the words, ideas, or thoughts of another person and treating them as your own. Students sometimes plagiarize from books and web sites (by using the author’s words without quotation or attribution), but they also can plagiarize from each other. Changing a word or two in a sentence is not enough to avoid plagiarism. When in doubt, cite the source! If you have any questions about plagiarism, please see me.

For example, on p. 638, Bentley and Ziegler write, “Martin Luther’s challenge held enormous religious and political implications.”

Plagiarism: “Martin Luther’s challenge had enormous religious and political consequences.”

Plagiarism: “Martin Luther’s criticisms held huge religious and political implications.”

Legitimate rephrasing in your own words: “The criticisms Martin Luther voiced led to wide-reaching changes for both church and state.”

Some Sample Chicago Style Footnote Citations

Footnote citation for a book with a single author:

In the body of your paper, you would write the following:

As Chris Smith has noted, “Honors 210B is the best course ever.”1

At the bottom of that page, the following footnote reference would appear:

1. Chris Smith, Great Classes: A Survey of History Courses (New York: Routledge, 2002), 159.

Footnote citation for a book with more than one author:

1. Michael Craton and Gail Saunders, Islanders in the Stream: A History of the Bahamian People (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1992), 24.

With no intervening reference, a second mention of the same page of the above work can be referenced like this:

2. Ibid.

The following reference is to a different page of the same work referenced immediately prior:

3. Ibid., 68.

Use this form after the first complete reference if only one work by this author is used:

2. Smith, 256.

Please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Granata if you have any questions, and good luck!