Walton (HIST)

Walton (HIST)

The purpose of this paper is to give you an opportunity to practice higher order research and to gain some familiarity with the conventions of the discipline of history. There are many directives for this paper which reflect the strict demands of the field of history which requires meticulous research and careful documentation of sources. This paper however is intended to be only an introduction to historical methodology and is therefore short (900-1200 words) and requires only 2 outside sources (that is 2 sources that are not from our lectures, textbook, or the primary source selections for Forums). I am available to offer feedback on your thesis, an outline, or a draft at any point before the deadline. Please feel free to Message me with any questions you may have about this paper or your ideas for it. There is no limit to the amount of feedback you can receive on the frontend of these paper assignments. Once the paper is submitted you will receive feedback on it to which you will respond in a specially designated Forum.
Exact Requirements
Prompt
Pick ONE of the "Guiding Questions" below and use it to create an argument-centered thesis statement (see under Argument Driven Papers below). Write a 900-1200 word argumentative paper in which you prove your thesis using at least 2 outside sources beyond the provided course materials that meet the criteria as listed in the Source Requirements and Paper Resources document. The format should be 12 point font, Times New Roman, double spaced. All pages except the first page should be numbered and the paper should include a title page. The essay is to be uploaded here in the Assignments section.

WA 2 is due week 6 and will be returned with a grade and three content related questions during week 7. You will pick one of these questions and respond to it during week 8 in a specially designated Forum.


Required Research Materials
The primary purpose of this assignment is to practice tracking down and utilizing higher order research materials. For this reason, all research materials used in the construction of the paper must adhere to the guidelines outlined in the Source Requirements and Paper Resources handout. Please read the Source Requirements document in its entirety. To summarize briefly, it specifies that the 2 outside sources must be one of 3 types: 1) primary sources, 2) peer-reviewed journal articles, 3) or academic books. Tips on how to find such sources are included in the handout. In addition to these 2 outside sources, the course textbook, lectures, and the primary source selections assigned for Forums may be used; the 2 outside sources, however, are required. No other sources should be consulted for your research and no other sources beyond the course materials and these 2 outside sources should be appear in the paper either in the footnotes or the bibliography.


Examples of argument-centered theses based on hypothetical sample Guiding Questions:
The paper must be an argumentative paper. Argument driven papers begin with an argumentative thesis. The thesis in such a paper cannot therefore be a question or a general description of a given topic. Rather, the thesis should be a statement of what you are going to prove in your paper. The structure of the paper should also be argument driven. Each body paragraph should present a leg of your argument and present, cite, and explain evidence to prove your thesis.
Examples of argument-centered theses based on hypothetical sample Guiding Questions:

Guiding Question: In the seventeenth century, the Spanish monarchy crumbled. Why?

Thesis option 1: The Spanish monarchy crumbled due to X and Y as can be demonstrated using two examples from history, the events of A and B.

Thesis option 2: The Spanish monarchy crumbled due to X and Y as can be seen in the contemporary accounts of A.



Guided Questions to pick from:

Guiding Questions:
What tied together the cultural and political achievements of the late 12th century?
What was new about the learning in the schools and the architecture of church buildings in the 12th and early 13th centuries?
What new sources and institutions of power became available to rulers in the second half of the 12th century?
What do the works of the troubadours and vernacular poets reveal about the nature of entertainment--its themes, its audience, its performers--in the 12th century?
How did the idea of crusade change from the time of the original expedition to the Holy Land?
What were the chief differences that separated the ideals of the religious life in the period 1150-1215 from those of the period 1050-1150?
How was the gift economy associated with Romanesque architecture and the money economy with the Gothic style?
In what areas of life did 13th century Europeans try to impose order, and how successful were these attempts?
How did people respond to the teachings and laws of the church in the early 13th century?
How did artists, musicians and scholastics try to link this world with the divine?
How did the search for order result in cooperation--and confrontation--between the secular rulers of the period 1215-1340 and other institutions, such as the church and the towns?
Why was Innocent III more successful than Boniface VIII in carrying out his objectives?
What impact did the Mongol invasions have on the medieval economy?