Western Civilization Since 1648
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HIST 101: Western Civilization Since 1648
Mondays & Wednesdays, 12-12:50 PM
ESSAY ASSIGNMENT
(Instructions & Guidance)
As explained in the Syllabus, you have a 5-7 page essay due on Friday, April 16, at the end of
Week 13. Your essay should focus on one of the longer readings assigned in the course—those
written by Equiano, Rousseau, Engels, Mill, Marx and Engels, Pankhurst, Remarque, Orwell,
and Levi. The purpose of the essay is not to summarize the reading you choose. Instead, it is to
analyze the reading and develop a sustained, specific argument about its meaning. This
document is a guide to help you plan and write your essay.
SELECTING A TEXT
The first step is to decide which text you want to write about. There is no right answer. Pick the
text that most interests you—the one that you want to read more of and understand more deeply.
Then, re-read the text. If the original assignment was only a small portion of the text, read more
of it. Take notes as you read, highlighting the points and ideas that stand out to you.
DEVELOPING AN ARGUMENT
After re-reading and making notes, develop an argument about the text. What does that mean?
An argument is an original interpretation that goes beyond summary. Assume that your reader
has already read the text. Instead of summarizing the plot, tell me something about the text that
isn’t immediately apparent. Think of this as “deep reading.” We all know what the text says; tell
me something specific about what it means.
Developing your own argument is a challenge. Here are some additional suggestions regarding
the kind of questions you might consider. You do not have to answer all of these questions.
Instead, think of them as possible starting points to help develop the argument that you want to
make.
1. How does the language of the text reflect or reinforce the text’s meaning?
If you adopt this approach, you will want to think about form: not just what the text says but how
it is written. Consider symbolism, word choice, repetition, narrative structure (plot), tone, and
voice. In other words, think about language, and about rhetoric. Then explain how these
elements add something to the text’s meaning. If you were writing about Equiano, for example,
you might develop an argument about the symbolic function of the ocean; about the ways in
which Equiano uses language to suggest that the Middle Passage was psychological and
existential, not just physical.
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2. What does the text reveal to us about a historical theme discussed in the class?
Under this approach, you will analyze the text as a primary source, and explain what it tells us
about a specific historical development, transformation, or concept. Again, using Equiano as an
example, you might ask, “what does Equiano’s autobiography reveal to us about the character of
antislavery thought?” Then, in providing an answer, you would develop a specific argument, for
example about the role of domestic ideals, or religious concepts, in antislavery advocacy. The
key is be specific, and to dig deeply into the text. It would not be enough, for example, to state
that Equiano’s text shows that some in the late-eighteenth century came to oppose slavery.
Instead, you need to say more about how and why; about how we should understand
“antislavery;” about how Equiano and other antislavery advocates understood and represented
the world.
3. Does the text articulate or promote a specific political vision, or a set of political ideals?