How does this author contribute to the historiography? Does the author make a convincing argument? How does this text work as a piece of historical writing? How does it relate to your knowledge of history or other books you have read?

Weekly response papers

Students will write weekly response papers (8 total) that synthesize the assigned readings. These papers should be 2 pages and contain three key elements:

1) Summary of the Argument(s): Describe the main historical argument of the text. What is the main point of argumentation?

Note: If you are dealing with a group of articles or primary sources, you will need to approach this differently.  Describe, instead, how the articles fit together. What story do they tell as a whole? Or, what debates or perspectives do they cover?

2) Evidence: How is the argument supported? What type of source materials does the author use? How is the text organized?

3) Evaluation: How does this author contribute to the historiography? Does the author make a convincing argument? How does this text work as a piece of historical writing? How does it relate to your knowledge of history or other books you have read (either inside or outside this course)?