By the end of the course, you need to complete two short essays and eight blog assignments, as well as a five-page book review/report. Here are ideas for blog assignments on the first five units. You can choose three or invent your own.
BLOG:
Reflect on differences between the original and final versions of Jefferson's Declaration of Independence.
BLOG:
Reflect on the place of religion in colonial North America. You might focus on millenarianism or on attitudes toward Native Americans or on religious toleration (and lack thereof.) For any of these topics, you may need some additional research.
BLOG:
You are a thoughtful, intelligent, caring teenage daughter of the French aristocracy in July, 1792. (Refer to Unit 4 overview to situate this within the timeline of the Revolution.) Write a letter to your cousin, whose parents have sent him to America for safety.
BLOG:
You are a daughter of a colonel in the American army of revolution in 1773. Your father believes the purpose of the revolution should be limited to forcing the British government to respect some rights of self-government in the colonies. Your cousin believes the revolution should bring complete independence and formation of a new country. Your three journal entries or letters focus on your own concerns about the scope of the revolution.
BLOG:
You are the widow of Crispus Attucks. Explain your feelings about his participation in and ultimate death in the beginning of the American revolution.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Essay Instructions
(from University of Washington)
ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF AN ESSAY
* An introduction, a body, and a conclusion: In a short essay such as this your introduction and conclusion should be one paragraph each. The body should consist of at least 3 paragraphs. As a general rule, a sufficiently developed paragraph in an academic essay should consist of at least 5 sentences.
* A thesis statement: Your thesis statement is one sentence that clearly and concisely states your position. The rest of the paper is the argument that you construct to support the thesis statement. A thesis statement should not simply be a statement of fact, because there is no need to construct an argument to support a simple statement of fact. A thesis statement should represent a position that others could conceivably argue with. A thesis statement typically appears in the introduction of the essay, though it is not often the first sentence in the introduction. A good thesis statement is vital to your essay's success because it defines the focus and purpose of your essay. If you are unable to write a good thesis statement, you are probably not very sure of what you want to say. Perhaps more important, the thesis statement determines the structure and content of your argument.
* Documentation: In your two integrative essays, you will be using sources that are not required reading for the course. In that case, you will need to document your use of those sources, with in-text citations as well as a Works Cited. If you need to brush up on documentation, visit the DDLS (Distance Degree Library Services) style guides page at http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/electric/library/tutorial.html
ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF AN ESSAY
* An introduction, a body, and a conclusion: In a short essay such as this your introduction and conclusion should be one paragraph each. The body should consist of at least 3 paragraphs. As a general rule, a sufficiently developed paragraph in an academic essay should consist of at least 5 sentences.
* A thesis statement: Your thesis statement is one sentence that clearly and concisely states your position. The rest of the paper is the argument that you construct to support the thesis statement. A thesis statement should not simply be a statement of fact, because there is no need to construct an argument to support a simple statement of fact. A thesis statement should represent a position that others could conceivably argue with. A thesis statement typically appears in the introduction of the essay, though it is not often the first sentence in the introduction. A good thesis statement is vital to your essay's success because it defines the focus and purpose of your essay. If you are unable to write a good thesis statement, you are probably not very sure of what you want to say. Perhaps more important, the thesis statement determines the structure and content of your argument.
* Documentation: In your two integrative essays, you will be using sources that are not required reading for the course. In that case, you will need to document your use of those sources, with in-text citations as well as a Works Cited. If you need to brush up on documentation, visit the DDLS (Distance Degree Library Services) style guides page at http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/electric/library/tutorial.html
Alternative Essay assignment
You can choose between this essay assignment and the integrative essay assignment from the University of Washington. Choose one and complete it by 4/22. Be sure to read the essay instructions post as well.
ESSAY:
Compare the Glorious Revolution of 1688 (Unit 3), the French Revolution (Unit 4) and the American Revolution (Unit 5). Note particularly the development of the French and American revolutions, and how they changed character as they happened – from 1770-1776 in the United States and from 1788-1799. Possible focuses include (but are not limited to) differences in leadership and participation, differences in issues sparking the revolutions, differences in outcomes.
ESSAY:
Compare the Glorious Revolution of 1688 (Unit 3), the French Revolution (Unit 4) and the American Revolution (Unit 5). Note particularly the development of the French and American revolutions, and how they changed character as they happened – from 1770-1776 in the United States and from 1788-1799. Possible focuses include (but are not limited to) differences in leadership and participation, differences in issues sparking the revolutions, differences in outcomes.
Integrative essay
This is the essay assignment from the independent study. You can choose between this essay assignment and the alternative essay assignment. Choose one and complete it by 4/22. Be sure to read the essay instructions post as well.
Cultures Meet in the Americas: An Integrative Essay
This assignment requires you to consider the interaction between European American and Native American cultures. Specifically, you will try to determine whether these two very different cultures are compatible.
Now, in retrospect we know the consequences of this interaction, based on the historical record. One interpretation of that record suggests that Native American cultures were completely overwhelmed by European cultures. However, this interpretation is certainly an over-simplification. A visit to any reservation in the United States or to an urban Native American community--or a virtual visit to a Native American website, for that matter--would reveal that Native American cultures have not disappeared. In fact, many of these cultures are vibrant.
At the same time, however, any study of the power dynamics between Native American and European cultures would reveal that the Europeans have frequently dominated, at least on the large scale. The movement of the frontier line through the North American colonies and later across the nation was often determined by the ability of European Americans to overwhelm Native American opposition.
Whatever the reality of the interaction, the question remains: Given the proper circumstances, could traditional Native American cultures have co-existed alongside European American cultures, with both remaining relatively intact and viable?
As you respond to this question, you will want to address some of the fundamental characteristics of the two cultures, especially related to such basic issues as the relationship between the individual and the group, authority, economic systems, religious beliefs, and attitudes towards the natural environment.
Your Assignment: Write an essay of at least five paragraphs that presents your position on the above question in addition to your argument supporting that position. Be sure to build your argument using concrete examples taken from the online text, the online reader, and internet resources on contemporary Native American groups. Don't, for example, simply say that Native Americans respected the environment. Support this assertion with an example or two from a particular Native American culture. Your use of examples will help you to develop otherwise vague and nearly meaningless generalizations (such as "Native Americans respected the environment.")
You will need to deal in roughly equal proportion with both European and Native American cultures in order to build an effective argument to support your position.
Additional resources:
Resources:
Native American Anthology from University of Washington
Andrew Jackson message
Cultures Meet in the Americas: An Integrative Essay
This assignment requires you to consider the interaction between European American and Native American cultures. Specifically, you will try to determine whether these two very different cultures are compatible.
Now, in retrospect we know the consequences of this interaction, based on the historical record. One interpretation of that record suggests that Native American cultures were completely overwhelmed by European cultures. However, this interpretation is certainly an over-simplification. A visit to any reservation in the United States or to an urban Native American community--or a virtual visit to a Native American website, for that matter--would reveal that Native American cultures have not disappeared. In fact, many of these cultures are vibrant.
At the same time, however, any study of the power dynamics between Native American and European cultures would reveal that the Europeans have frequently dominated, at least on the large scale. The movement of the frontier line through the North American colonies and later across the nation was often determined by the ability of European Americans to overwhelm Native American opposition.
Whatever the reality of the interaction, the question remains: Given the proper circumstances, could traditional Native American cultures have co-existed alongside European American cultures, with both remaining relatively intact and viable?
As you respond to this question, you will want to address some of the fundamental characteristics of the two cultures, especially related to such basic issues as the relationship between the individual and the group, authority, economic systems, religious beliefs, and attitudes towards the natural environment.
Your Assignment: Write an essay of at least five paragraphs that presents your position on the above question in addition to your argument supporting that position. Be sure to build your argument using concrete examples taken from the online text, the online reader, and internet resources on contemporary Native American groups. Don't, for example, simply say that Native Americans respected the environment. Support this assertion with an example or two from a particular Native American culture. Your use of examples will help you to develop otherwise vague and nearly meaningless generalizations (such as "Native Americans respected the environment.")
You will need to deal in roughly equal proportion with both European and Native American cultures in order to build an effective argument to support your position.
Additional resources:
Resources:
Native American Anthology from University of Washington
Andrew Jackson message
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