HISTORY: WORLD CIVILIZATIONS To 1500 WILLIAM SKTLES, SPRING 2014

TERM PAPER ASSIGNMENT

Write a 4-5 page paper using a primary source to analyze a topic of your choice on world history to 1500 CE. The purpose is to examine a primary source document in depth so that you may better understand the culture and the society that created it.

The paper should have clear thesis statement and it should present evidence from the text to support your assertions. Be sure to cite the author in your paper using either MLA or APA citation styles.

Take time to develop your argument by using these techniques:

1. Consider the author's argument and the evidence they use. What does the author claim, how does he or she prove it, and what are the assumptions evident in the text?

2. Consider how the primary source illuminates the history of the time in which it was written. Compare the argument and perspective of the primary source with what you've read in our textbooks (The Heritage of World Civilizations, and Sources of World Societies).

3. Instead of summarizing what the primary source says, move on to the next step of analyzing. How does the author structure the text? Is the author's reasoning sound? What strategies does the author use to make his or her case more convincing?