RULES FOR ANSWERING SPECIAL DISCUSSION BOARD QUESTIONS:

1) Remember, you need to demonstrate an understanding of events--not only in terms of what happened but also why it happened and what effect it had on society. Remember to answer each part of your question as well.

2) Stay on target-answer the questions as fully as possible and don't wander off the subject-doing so will hurt your grade.

3) Be aware that you are required to use resources other than your textbook in composing your answers to Special Discussion Board Questions. You are also required to cite those sources at the end of your posting. This means you may need to take a trip to your local library or conduct an online search or two before you have the information necessary for you to compose your posting. DO NOT use any of the following as sources: your textbook, films or television programs (so no You Tube), blogs, Twitter posts, or Facebook pages. DO NOT use endnotes, footnotes, or any other form of source citation within the body of your post. You will lose points for each instance if you do.

4) Express yourself clearly. Use good grammar and spelling. Write in complete sentences. Do not use any of those abbreviations so commonly used on blogs and text messages. I suggest you compose your contribution on a word processing program with a spell-checker. Then cut and paste-or type it in. This may help you get out everything you want to say before you hit "submit." Be sure to use at least 12 point type for your response so it can be read. And, no, you cannot edit your contributions after they are posted.

5) Your contributions should have real substance to them. Contributions such as "Yeah, what she said." or "I do so totally agree with what everyone has said" will receive zero (0) points. Most questions can be answers in 1,000 - 1,500 words--sometimes more, sometimes less. The best rule of thumb is to make sure you answer each part of the question in detail.

6) Be polite-no name calling, no long-winded attempts to dominate the discussion, no profanity, no threats. If you disagree with someone, you may say so and then present YOUR argument-spending your time tearing down THEIR argument will hurt your grade and could get you thrown off the Discussion Board.

7. Be sure the paper is Plagiarism Free.

Write an essay on the Black Death in which you answer all of the following questions:

The Black Death (a combination of diseases including the Bubonic Plague) hits Europe in 1348 and kills off approximately 75% of the human population. So, let's test your Black Death IQ. DO NOT write a list of answers to the questions--I am looking for your ability to tell me what it all means, too. Also, be as specific and detailed with your information as possible.

1) The best guess is that the Black Death was spread by the bite of infected fleas that live on the Black Rat. Why were there so many rats? Why were there so few cats to kill the rats? And what other roles did humans play in rat overpopulation?

2) In any given town where the Black Death hit, it counted the members of which two occupations among its first victims? Why is it that those individuals would be especially vulnerable?

3) In searching for a cause for their suffering, who did Europeans blame for the Black Death and how did they seek revenge? Name at least two of these groups and give at least two detailed examples of this persecution.
4) What changes in social customs and attitudes came about in Europe as a result of the Black Death?

5) What changes in literature and art came about in Europe as a result of the Black Death?

6) How did the Black Death affect the Muslim world? In particular, who was blamed for the disease; and how did the treatment of Muslim victims differ from the treatment of victims in Europe? Most important here, how does the course of scientific inquiry in the Middle East diverge from that in Europe in the wake of the Black Death?

7) What did an "innocent" nursery rhyme like Ring Around the Rosie have to do with the Black Death? (in your research you may run across a school of thought that says it didn't...ignore that school of thought)

Be sure to include your list of sources with your post.