John S. Ott
Portland State University
Fall 2014
HST 300 - Historical Imagination
ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES: SHORT ESSAY
PAPER DUE IN CLASS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13
I. Basic guidelines
(1) All papers must be typed using 12-point font, double-spaced, and about 4-5 pages in length. (Papers should be no more than 6, nor less than 3, pages in length.)
(2) Please number your pages, and make sure that your first page includes a title and your name. You do not need to attach a bibliography of sources.
(3) For purposes of citation, parenthetical, in-text references to sources are fine. For example: (Carr, 43); (Wilson, 12). You may also, if you choose, use one of the three citational styles (MLA, APA, Chicago) that we have studied. As pagination on web-based sources varies, cite the book number, chapter, and/or section heading as appropriate (e.g., Marx, "Ideology in General"). Make sure to cite all the sources of your statements and conclusions.
(4) Your paper should present a thesis, or argument, and will be evaluated according to your ability to define a thesis or argument; use of sources to support your argument; persuasiveness of ideas and/or synthesis; style and organization; punctuation, sentence syntax, and grammar; and how well the basic guidelines here are followed.
A viable thesis statement is the distinguishing hallmark of an "A" paper. Your paper should argue a particular perspective or point of view, and should be supported by evidence drawn from the texts. Simple statements of fact do not qualify as theses; it must be possible to raise a counter-argument to the argument you are putting forward. Perhaps most crucially, a good thesis statement will strive to establish the broader significance of the arguments and evidence the paper presents. Put simply, it will have a clear answer to the "So what?" test. If you can take your draft thesis statement and find that it provides a satisfactory answer to the question "So what?" then you are on your way. If you are having problems, ask or e-mail for help. You may also want to have a look at my style guidelines for writing History essays.
(5) Write as though your audience (me) is already familiar with the texts. Do not spend an excessive amount of time summarizing material. Contextualize your arguments as necessary, though.
(6) Good--and excellent--papers are always proofread.
II. Late paper policy
Late papers will be accepted until December 2 (Tuesday) but will be marked down according to the following timetable (NB: This includes weekends!). Mitigating circumstances such as a demonstrable medical condition or acute personal crisis may be grounds for an extension, but only if requests are made in advance of the paper due date.
1 day late: 1/2 grade step (-12 points, or from A- to B)
2-5 days late: 1 full grade step (-22.5 points, or from B+ to C+)
6-10 days late: 1 full grade step plus 1/3 (-30 points, or from A to C+).
11+ days late: 2 full grades steps (-45 points, or from A to C). A paper turned in eleven or more days after the due date can earn no higher than a C. Please note that you will need a final grade of C- or higher to count this course toward the History major or minor.
III. The Assignment
Using a minimum of four primary sources (which include, for our purposes here: Thucydides, Machiavelli, the Bourbourg Chronicle, Voltaire, Von Ranke, Marx, Butterfield, and Collingwood), answer the following question(s) in a concise essay. You may reference and utilize the secondary readings (i.e., Carr, Wilson, Howell and Prevenier, Grafton) but should not build your argument around them. You should not use, nor will you need, any outside sources to complete this assignment.
With what broader philosophical and/or methodological issues has the writing of History been primarily concerned up to the early twentieth century? In other words, with what aspects of human existence, ideas about History, kind of historical events, and approaches to presenting the past have historians occupied themselves? There are numerous ways to get at this question, and your essay should proceed comparatively, by weighing similarities and differences among the various authors you choose to use. Some possible approaches, or questions to consider as you think about and write this assignment:
- What sorts of "big questions" did historians seek to answer up through the mid-twentieth century? What did earlier writers of history believe that History writing should be concerned with, and what kind of knowledge should it produce? What answers should history give to its readers?
- What aspects of the human condition (human affairs, events, decisions, follies, needs, wants, etc.) have prompted historians to raise the questions they do, and how have they gone about answering them?
- Which of these various questions do you consider to be the most important for the development of the study of History, and why? Are, for example, the concerns of Thucydides, Voltaire, Butterfield, Marx, etc., still relevant for the modern profession and our own understanding of History? Why or why not?