Syllabus
Section Essays
There are three section essays. Each is structured the same way, and each covers a different part of the course—ancient, medieval, early modern. Each essay must be between 750 and 1000 words. Each must have a minimum of four sources.
I'll grade on the following criteria:
- Quality of your sources (provided you have at least four)
- Completeness of your answer
- How well you demonstrate understanding of the material
- Quality of your writing (I will expect you to use your spellchecker and your grammar checker, at a bare minimum)
- Strenth of your argument; this includes persuasiveness, clarity, correctness, and level of detail
- Specificity; that is, does your essay address all parts of the question and does it wander away from the question
- On time: no late essays
Length Requirements
I'm not kidding about the length requirements. If the word count is under 750, you get graded down. Also, if the word count is over 1000 you will also be graded down. Writing to a specific length is a skill you should learn.
The word count does not include the bibliography, title, etc. It applies to the body of your essay.
Bibliography
Your essay must have a bibliography. I don't care about the format.
On Sources
Four sources are required. You are welcome to use encyclopedias (including Wikipedia), but they won't count toward the required four. You are welcome to cite any of the readings associated with this course (my essays, primary sources, etc.) but again they won't count toward the required four. I'm trying to get you to read scholarly books and articles.
Note bene: if your essay does not meet the minimum requirements, you will automatically receive a D, be returned your essay, and will have the chance to bring it up to minimum. The only exception is being late; since my time machine broke, there's no way to give you the chance to go back and be on time.