| Instructions for
Assignments
Spring 2006 |
|
| Instructions for
Assignments
Spring 2006 |
| Instructor: Jim Jones Email: jjones@wcupa.edu; Telephone: 610-436-2168 | Office: 519 Main Hall Office hours: MWF 1-2pm, W 3-5pm |
| Return to HIS 511 syllabus |
BOOK REVIEW
1. Choose a scholarly book on the relevant period of African history and clear it with me first. "Scholarly" books are easily recognized by their inclusion of reference notes and a bibliography.
2. Read the book and identify the author's subject area, sources, question, and argument. To complete this step, it may be necessary to consult other works.
3. Write a five-page double-spaced review of the book (roughly 1000 words) that includes clear descriptions of the items mentioned in the previous step.
4. Print out your review with one-inch margins and a 12-point font (Arial, Times Roman or Courier are preferred). Staple the pages together in the upper left corner, write "HIS 511," your name, and the date at the top of the first page, and number pages 2-5. Do not use a title page or place your paper in a binder or cover.
5. Turn in your book review at (or before) the beginning of class on the day that it is due. Reviews submitted after class has begun will be considered late.
Your grade will be determined by the completeness
and clarity of your presentation of the book's content (25%), the
clarity and accuracy of your presentation of the author's
argument (25%), your analysis of the range and quality of the
author's sources (25%), and your accuracy in spelling, grammar
and punctuation (25%). Papers turned in less than 24 hours late
will receive a 25% penalty; papers turned in more than 24 hours
late will receive a zero.
MAP TEST
The map test will require you to locate items on a map and/or
describe their location in writing. For example, you might have
to draw the Nile River on a map, showing the correct locations
for the source, mouth and general course of the river.
Alternately, if you are asked to describe its location, you might
write "The Nile is located in northeastern Africa with sources in
the Ethiopian and Ugandan highlands. It flows north through the
Sudan to Egypt and enters the eastern Mediterranean Sea."
Your grade will be determined the accuracy of your
answers and spelling (based on this list
of places). I will give partial credit for correct answers
with small spelling errors, but I will not spend a great deal of
effort trying to decipher major spelling errors. It is your
responsibility to spell African place names correctly.
FINAL PAPER
The last assignment requires you to annotate one of the
following series of web documents from the on-line archive
accessible at
http://courses.wcupa.edu/jones/his311/archives/arcindex.htm.
HOW TO GET STARTED: Select a topic from the above list that
has not yet been claimed, and inform your professor and
classmates at the beginning of the next class.
Read the web document, note any terms or concepts with which
you are unfamiliar, and define them. Identify any people
mentioned by name in the web document. [NOTE: In most cases, a
"web document" contains notes on a series of actual paper
documents in the archives. You should use all of the notes in
the web document to prepare your paper.]
Refer to our textbooks for material on the same period as
your document and determine what light that they shed on the
notes in the web document. If questions remain unanswered, seek
additional information from the WCU library collection, the JSTOR
on-line periodicals service (which can be accessed from on-campus
computers through the Francis Harvey Green web site) and other
Internet sources. If you are still having problems after that,
describe your problem to Dr. Jones in person or via email at
jjones@wcupa.edu.
WHAT TO WRITE: Begin by describing the document or series of
documents that you have selected. Explain when it/they were
written, what geographical area they cover, the identity of the
authors, and the purpose they were intended to serve.
Comment on their accuracy in light of what you have learned
from your other reading. In particular, seek errors and explain
why you think they are errors, using reference notes to document
your argument. If you wish to defend the accuracy of author(s)'
work, do that, but once again, use reference notes to document
your argument.
Finally, write a conclusion that places your document in the
larger context of colonial African history. Explain why colonial
authorities devoted resources to documenting the subject of your
web document, and took any actions that are described in the Web
document.
Make sure that you provide reference notes (end notes are
preferable) for everything you cite in your paper. The
formatting of your paper and reference notes should follow the
Chicago Manual of Style (Turabian).
SUMMARY: Your completed research paper should include the
following sections:
Your grade will be determined by the completeness and clarity
of your written paper (50%); accuracy in spelling, grammar and
punctuation on your written paper (25%); and the range and
quality of your sources (25%). Papers turned in less than 24
hours late will result in a 25% penalty for the entire
assignment. Papers turned in more than 24 hours late will result
in a zero for the entire assignment.
FINAL DISCUSSION
Each person will have five minutes to describe his/her
document and its context, and additional time to respond to
questions from the rest of the class.
Your grade will be determined by the clarity of your
presentation (50%) and the extent to which your answers show an
ability to connect the document you chose with the larger issues
of colonial African history (50%). [NOTE: If there are no
questions from students, the professor will provide at least
one.]
Return to HIS 511 syllabus