|
Home | Syllabus | Essays | Examinations |Multiple Choice Quizzes | Geography Quizzes | Lecture Outlines | Web Readings | Lecture Notes I | Lecture Notes II | Lecture Notes III | Lecture Notes on Rome History 265: World History from the Stone Age to the Renaissance |
|
Reaction Paper Questions and Criteria
Four essays will be assigned during this session. Below are the questions for this session's essays. You are expected to express your reaction and answer the question given for each due date in a the equivalent form of a typed,and double spaced paper at least two but not more than three pages in length. The lowest score of the four essays will be dropped. Each essay will be worth 50 points for a total of 150 points toward the course grade. Each essay will be due by E-MAIL to his_ncp@shsu.edu by 12:00 PM on the day stated in the syllabus. Only those who can show that they have no possible access to a computer will be allowed to turn in a hard copies of the essay. No essays will be accepted after this deadline and there are no makeups.
1st Essay Questions (Choose one).
1) Compare and contrast the Mesopotomian and Hebrew stories of creation and the flood presented in the first sourcebook. In which ways are they similar and different in events and themes? How do they reflect different religious views. Answer this question by by using available materials in the web sources as examples. [Web Readings Section I]
2) Herodotus' descriptions of Mesopotamia and Egypt were written over 2500 years after the emergence of those civilizations. Chronologically their origins were as distant to Herodotus, as Herodotus is to us. Nonetheless Herodotus was one of the only sources (along with the Old Testament) for the history of the river valley civilizations until the development of modern archaeology in the 19th century. Compare and contrast Herodotus' description of either Egypt or Mesopotamia with what we know about those civilizations today.[Web Readings Section II-III]
3) Compare and contrast the role of kingship as described in Hammurabi's Law Code and and the Laws of Manu. What role does religion play in the affirmation of monarchy? What role does a priesthood play in maintining the law? [Web Readings Sections II andIV]
4) How do the Edicts of Asoka reflect his conversion to Buddhism? [Web Section IV]
5) According to Sun Tzu, what were the most important principles of warfare? How did these principles apply to the armies of China in the era of Warring states and the early Chin dynasty. Would they apply to modern armies? [Web Readings Sections V]
6) According tto the analects and the doctrine of the Mean, what does confucius see as a prerequisite for a good society and state? Who does Confucius believe ought to hold a preeminent role in society and state? [Web Readings Sections V]
7) What does Mencius say about the Human nature and government? How do his views relate to the concept of the Mandate of Heaven? [Web Readings Sections V]
8) In a brief essay discuss the effect that migrations of nomadic peoples had upon the development of the ancient Near East from earliest times to the about 800 B.C. How disruptive were they? Was there a continuity or a restoration of city life in their wake? In discussing this issue, concentrate on the Hyksos invasion of Egypt in the 1880's B. C., the movement of Sea Peoples, Hebrews, and others in the 1200's B. C. In composing your essay, use lectures, the Penguin History, the web sources, and other materials, if you wish. [Web Readings Section II and Web Readings Sections VII-VIII]
9) While the Ancient Near East came to be dominated by region-wide Empires, such as Persia from 700 B.C. onward, these Empires were far from monlithic. From the primary-source readings on the Persian Empire, what weaknesses do you percieve in that state? What strengths do you see that could have been be used to consolidate and maintain Persian rule? In your view of the readings, how did they legitimize the authority of the Kings? In presenting your views, cite the web reading you consider the most important in answering the question. [Web Readings Sections VI]
2nd Essay Questions (Choose one).
1) Of the primary source readings on China and India, which would you consider the most similar in theme and outlook to those of the Ancient Near East? Enumerate the reasons for your opinion, citing evidence from the web readings. [Web Readings Section II-V]
2) Compare and contrast the authority and powers of Kings in Egypt, Mesoptamia, Persia, China and India, as described in both your secondary and primary sources. In presenting your views, cite evidence from the web readings. [Web Readings Section II-VI]
3) From your reading of Confucius, Buddha, Ecclesiastes, Plato, etc, would you agree with Professor Pappas that there was a great age of philosophical development between about 600 and 300 B.C.? Cite primary web sources in answering this question.[Web Readings Sections IV-V, Web Readings Sections VIII, and Web Readings Section IX]
4) In their descriptions of the governments of Athens, Sparta, Carthage and Rome, Aristotle and Polybius use the terms democracy and republic? How closely do their descriptions of these states resemble depictions of modern governments? How do they differ? [Web Readings Section IX]
5) The Greeks are said to have developed two of the important forms of western literature--Drama and History. Compare and contrast the historical and dramatic approach to confronting or depicting the problems of war and peace in classical Greece by using either Herodotus and Aeschylus, or Thucydides and Aristophanes. How do Herodotus and Aeshylus portray the Greek victory over the Persians? Or how do Thucydides and Aristophanes confront the dilemma of prolonged civil war among the Greek city states? Use the Penguin History and the web sources (as well as other materials, if you wish) as your the bases for your discusssion. [Web Readings Section IX]
6) In the courts of Athens, defendants represented themselves at trial, as did Socrates in his trial for impiety and corrupting the youth. Prepare a brief for the defense for Socrates as a modern lawyer, using depositions (affidavits) from Socrates, Xenophon, Crito and Euthyphro. Limit your brief to five pages in which you present the main points made by your witnesses. In composing your brief, use lectures, the Penguin History,, the web sources, and other materials, if you wish. [Web Readings Section IX]
7) Historians have debated over the nature of the personality and ultimate goals of Alexander the Great. To some he was a military genius who eventually envisioned one world living in peace under one government. To others he was an erratic alcoholic who was prone to fits of murderous temper and whose conquests were no different from those of previous megalomaniacs of the Ancient Near East. In a brief essay discuss whether Alexander was typical of other "world conquerors" or was he a visionary who wanted to unite East and West, Europe and Asia. In preparing the essay, use available materials in the web sources and text, as well as any outside materials on Alexander you may wish to use. [Web Readings Section IX]
8) According to the historian Polybius, what political and military institutions made Rome able to dominate the Mediterranean? What did Rome have over its rivals, Carthage and the Hellenistic monarchies, in the political and military sphere that made it overcome them. Cite the readings of Polybius and Aristotle that you consider the most important in answering the question. [Web Readings Section X]
9) Compare and contrast the careers of two "losers" in Roman history, Crassus and Otho. One is representative of the late Republic and the other of the early Empire. How did their careers and demises affect the development of the Roman State? Cite Plutarch's biographical sketches in answering this item. [Web Readings Sections X-XI]
3rd Essay Question (Choose one).
1) The enlightenment historian Edward Gibbon commented that the Roman Empire was a victim of Christianity and the Barbarians. In your opinion, based upon the readings, was the migration of peoples in the 4th and 5th centuries a negative or positive development in world history? Did the Roman Empire fall and the ancient world end as a result of this factor, or the migrations help to transform a civilization and a world order already in crisis? In presenting your opinions cite specific examples from Pliny, Josephus, Priscus, Salvian and other sources. [Web Readings Section XI-XIII]
2) Comment on the lifestyle and social organization of the "barbarians" with sedentary "civilizations. What is the attitude of authors like Priscus, Ammianus Marcelinus, Jordanes, Salvian, and the others toward nomadic and semi-nomadic peoples? [Web Readings Section XII]
3) From the readings on the Christian church, how would you describe the relationship between Christians and the Roman state? How did the Emperor Constantine's edict change that relationship? What did Constantine do to change that relations? Cite evidence from the web readings to back up your points.[Web Readings Section XIII]
4) Compare and contrast the Lives of Saint Anthony and Saint Columban as both biographies and historical documents. [Web Readings Sections XIII and XIV]
5) What do the Salic Laws say about the state and society of the Early Germanic Kingdoms. In particular, what do they reveal about the relationship of Germans to Romans. Do you see any fundamental differences between the Salic Law and the Capitulary of Charlemagne? [Web Readings Section XIV]
6) Compare and contrast the conversions of Emperor Constantine and King Clovis? In you view what were the reasons for their conversions and what were the consequences? [Web Readings Sections XIV and XV]
7) Compare and contrast the security conditions in early medieval Europe as described by the Monk of St. Gall and the later ninth century chroniclers. What role did the Vikings play in the 9th and 10th century Europe? [Web Readings Section XIV]
8) According to Justinian, what was the difference between the laws of nature, of nations and of men. How is freedom and slavery defined. How is slavery justified. [Web Readings Section XV]
9) Analyze sports, juvenile deliquency, and organized crime in 6th century Constantinople and compare them to the same phenomenon existing in 20th century Houston. In giving you analysis cite Procopius's The Secret History as well as news reports from Houston. [Web Readings Section XV]
10) In what ways does the Islam of the Koran reemind you of the Judaism and Christianity of the Old and New Testaments? How is it different? Cite some specific examples. [Web Readings Section XVI]
11) Analyze the tale of Sindbad the Seaman and Sindbad the Landsman. While it is a work of fantasy, what elements of it can be used by historians. What does it tell us about trade and navigation in the Islamic world? Give specific examples to make your points.[Web Readings Section XVI]
4th Essay Questions (Choose one).
1) Compare and contrast Herodotus' description of the Scythians, Marcelinus' and Priscus' description of the Huns, and Marco Polo's description of the Mongols. How are these descriptions different? How are they similar? [Web Readings Section XII and Web Readings Section XVIII]
2) Compare and contrast the legendary voyages of Sindbad, with the supposedly factual accounts of Hanno, Niarchus, Marco Polo, Afanasi Nikitin and Vasco Da Gama. In your view, is there a clear cut line between legend and history, fiction and reality? [Web Readings Sections IV, IX, XVI, XVIII, and XXII]
3) Compare and contrast the conversion of Ethiopia, as desctibed by Socrates Scholasticus, with the conversions of Ireland and Russia as descibed in the confession of St. Patrick and the Russian Primary Chronicle. [Web Readings Sections XIV, XV, and XX]
4) What do the descriptions of Kanem Bornu, Ghana, and Timbuktu say about the ties they had with the Islamic World? What was their level of civilization compared to the Middle East and Europe of the time? [Web Readings XX]
5) What does the Chronicle of the Cid tell us about Muslim-Christian relations in Medieval Iberia? Were the relations between the Christian and Muslim rulers and warriors uniformly hostile, or were they more complex in nature. Cite specific examples from the Chronicle of the Cid. [Web Readings Section XIV]
6) Compare and contrast the Norwegian account of 1066 in the Saga of Harald Hardrada with the Norman account of Orderic Vitalis. Which one seem to be more historically accurate? [Web Readings Section XIV]
7) What does the Saga of Harald Hardrada tell us of the impact of the Vikings on the Medieval World? Could it be asserted that there was a Northern Medieval commonwealth that interacted with Western Christendom, Byzantium, and Islam? In taking your position, cite evidence from the saga and other sources. [Web Readings Section XIV]
8) Do you believe that the Fourth Crusade and its consequences could have been avoided? Cite both secondary and primary sources to support your views. [Web Readings Section XIX]
9) What do the readings from Boccaccio and Froissart say about the crisis of the fourteenth century in Europe? Is there an apolcalyptic tone in their writings or do they see events they depict as normal occurances? [Web Readings Section XIX]
10) What did Cortes find the most admirable about the Aztecs and their capital? When comparing his description with his eventual role in the destruction of that civilization, how do you explain his attitude? [Readings Section XXII]
Guidelines and Evaluation Criteria for the Essays: |
| 1. Coverage of Subject: Be sure that your essay directly addresses the question. Fully answer the question without side issues or repetition. Make a significant effort to fully cover and reiterate the question or topic of the essay in the conclusion. (10 points) |
| 2. Analysis: The focus on the question should be maintained thoughout the essay. Points and/or subtopics should be clearly conceived, presented and discussed. Be sure to present your own view as well as the view of the sources. (10 points) |
| 3. Content: The information you present to subtantiate points and topics ought to be accurate and clearly presented. The facts and the interpretation of those facts that you offer in the essay should contribute evidence to the general arguments you present. Do not make assertions in your paper without backing them up with evidence from the sources. (10 points) |
| 4. Organization and Form: Your essay should be composed in a clear and logical manner. If your essay is a narrative essay, events should be covered in a clear chronological outline. If your essay is analytical or descriptive, your points should be presented in a logical sequence which enhances your general argument. Make certain that your essay has an introductory statement, a body of evidence, and a conclusion. (10 points) |
| 5. Writing and mechanics: The writing style of your essay should be clear and concise. Your essay should be written in proper English and addressed the prospective audience of educated lay people. Be sure that each paragraph leads logically into the other and that all terms, events, people and other items are adequately defined. Be certain that all information is properly documented. Make sure that you follow the fundamentals of paragraphing, sentence structure, grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Be certain that you have maintained proper margins and form. Have your essay carefully proofread for mechanics, organization, continuity, and transition. (10 points) |
| TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE---50 POINTS |
| 1. Pertinance and coverage: | __________ | Out of 10 |
| 2. Analysis: | __________ | Out of 10 |
| 3. Content: | __________ | Out of 10 |
| 4. Organization & Form: | __________ | Out of 10 |
| 5. Writing & Mechanics: | __________ | Out of 10 |
| TOTAL | __________ | OUT OF 50 |
