Objective: Students will create a 5 paragraph argumentative essay on a topic covered during the second quarter of World History.
Listed below you will find possible topics for your quarter 2 essay. The goal is to write a paper based on the research questions listed below. Some research materials will be provided for you, but you are not limited to these resources. This project will appear in the gradebook as both a quarter 2 project grade, and as the written portion of the semester exam.
The following outline the expectations for this project:
- Get a copy of the Argumentative Essay Brainstorm / Rough Draft to help you with this project.
- Select a topic (found below).
- Develop research questions. Research questions should fuel your research, and your paper’s job will be to answer them. The research questions should be “how” and “why” questions, and should seek to understand historical change.
- For example: How did the spread of Islam change the medieval world? How far was Islam able to spread? Why was Islam so successful at spreading? Why did it not go further? (What limited its spread?)
- Although these questions are fairly broad, they serve as a great starting point. You do not need to answer all the questions that you come up with. For instance, if I was researching these questions, I might narrow my research geographically, focusing on Iberia, India, Africa, or the Middle East. I might also focus on the factors that slowed or stopped the spread of Islam. Let the sources be your guide. If you have a lot of material on one area of your topic, go with that area.
- Conduct research. This means going to websites, reading books, etc. I recommend ABC Clio as your starting point. Search for the answers to your research questions, and don’t be afraid to adapt those questions to fit with the information you are finding.
- Develop a thesis statement. This is an argument that the information you have researched helps support. Your thesis statement must include an element of change.
- For example: Islam’s spread in Iberia was successfully halted due to the strong leadership of Charles Martel, a weakened supply line, and a decisive win at the Battle of Tours.
- Brainstorm. As you conduct your research, brainstorm for the paper. You will be provided with a packet that you can use to create a rough draft for your paper (see #1). However, you may use other methods to brainstorm for your paper. This includes creating an outline, using the bubble method, or any other method that you prefer. The brainstorm can be hand-written or typed.
- Type the essay using the template provided for you on Google Classroom.
- Proofread. Read over your essay, and have at least 2 others read over your paper looking for spelling, grammatical, and other errors.
- Turn in the assignment on Google Classroom by the due date (discussed in class)
Possible Topics:
- Intellectualism: In class we have spent a considerable time talking about thinkers. We have talked about Ancient Greek philosophers, scholars from the Islamic Golden Age, Renaissance thinkers, and philosophes from the Enlightenment. Write a paper that explores how knowledge has changed throughout history. Be sure to include specific thinkers and their contributions. You may focus on one thinker or time period, or expand your paper to encompass many periods and thinkers.
- The Roman Empire: This is a broad topic that can take in you several directions. You can argue that the Roman Empire has greatly influenced the modern world. For that angle, you might compare and contrast the US and Roman governments. You may want to consider the impact Rome had on spreading Christianity. You may wish to investigate technological and architectural advances. You might want to research the life of Julius Caesar, and make an argument about how influential he was. Honestly, there is a lot you can do here.
- The Vikings: Write a paper that explores the impact of vikings on history. These scandinavians have had an impact in places that include Scandinavia, Ireland, England, France, Russia, the Mediterranean, and even the Middle East. Focus on just one of these regions, or expand your paper to include more of these areas. Illustrate how these raiders, traders, and explorers from the north shaped history!
- The Mongol Empire: The Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous (sharing a common border) empire in history. Write about the importance and impact of the Mongol Empire, including influential leaders such as Genghis Khan, Ogedei Khan, and Kublai Khan. Describe the impact of the Mongols on different regions such as Russia, the Middle East, India, and China. You may focus on one region and/or leader, or include many components to your paper.
- The Protestant Reformation: Make an argument that relates to the Protestant Reformation. You may keep it broad, focusing on the split between within the Catholic Church, or you make focus on a reformer, such as Martin Luther or John Calvin. For example, you might investigate Martin Luther, considering whether he was good or bad for Europe. You can also examine Henry VIII of England, and investigate just how effective a ruler he was. Or if you would simply like the opportunity to learn more about a topic, consider researching the counter-reformation, Queen Mary I (“Bloody Mary”), Desiderius Erasmus, or others.
- The Printing Press: In class I made the case that the Printing Press is the most important invention in World History. For this topic, I would like you to make a similar argument. Be sure to include a variety of examples on the Printing Press changed history. It would be beneficial to look at its impact on the Protestant Reformation, the Scientific Revolution, the Enlightenment, and more. You may even link it to the computer age and compare and contrast the impact of both.
- The New World and the Old: Write a paper that makes a claim regarding contact between people from the New and Old Worlds. This can focus on the Columbian Exchange, the Atlantic Slave Trade, the English or Spanish Empire, or indigenous Americans. This is a very broad topic, and you would need to focus on a specific issue, but must include an element of contact between the Americas and the Old World no matter what your choice is. For example, you could write about disease, genocide, trade, ecological changes, or more.
- Comparing 2 historical figures: Write a paper that compares the achievements of important historical figures. Try and choose figures in similar roles (for example, Aristotle and Rousseau, who are both intellectuals, makes more sense than Pythagoras, a mathematician, and Henry VIII, the King of England). Some individuals we covered in detail include Julius Caesar, Augustus, Socrates, Plato, Archimedes, Martin Luther, King Henry VIII, Machiavelli, Johannes Gutenberg, Leonardo da Vinci, Hernando Cortes, John Locke, Voltaire, Joseph II, Catherine II (the Great), George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. You may include other leaders not listed here.