EUH
3383: Pagans, Christians,
Barbarians
Paper #1
This
paper is due in class on Tuesday, Feb. 15. Please do not slip late papers under my door, and do
not send them through campus mail or as e-mail attachments. In such cases
I will have to count the paper as late based on the day I received it, not the
day you left or sent it. Also, please be sure that your name is clearly typed on your paper. Along with your paper, please hand in any
handwritten or typed notes you have taken on the book as a whole. (These notes will not
be graded.)
Lateness Policy: 5 points will be deducted from you grade for each day the paper is late, unless you have a valid medical excuse (with a note from a doctor or health clinic) or a serious family emergency.
PAPER ASSIGNMENT: Please write a 3 to 4-page essay (typed, double-spaced, around 900-1200 words) in response to one of the following questions concerning Robert Wilken, The Christians as the Romans Saw Them:
1. Which chapter in Wilken’s book do you think
provides the best basis for understanding relations between pagans and
Christians in Late Antiquity? Why are the particular sources or issues
presented in this chapter so important for understanding pagan Roman culture
and mentality?
or
2. Which chapter did you find the most compelling in terms of the pagan Roman
critique of Christianity? Whether or not you agree with the assessment,
why was this critique particularly convincing or important for the Romans and
particularly challenging to Christians and their faith?
These are broad questions, and I am not looking for any particular “right” answer. Whichever question you choose, your response should have a clear thesis or argument. The body of your essay should be an analysis of the relevant chapter in Wilken taking special note of the evidence (i.e. primary sources) he presents to make his case. You may refer to Peter Brown’s book or my lectures for help in setting the context, and you may refer to other chapters of Wilken by way of comparison, but your essay should focus on the particular chapter you have chosen to discuss.
Do not include footnotes or a bibliography with this paper, but indicate the page number in parentheses whenever you cite or refer to a specific passage in the book.
Check
these websites for help in preparing this and other papers:
Stylesheet for papers in the Humanities provides help with the mechanics of style, grammar, syntax, footnotes, etc.
Grading - Please check this website before writing your essay for an idea of the standards I am looking for in these papers. It explains what distinguishes an A paper from a B or C paper. You might want to check it again before you edit your final draft of the paper.