PRECEPT ASSIGNMENTS

25% of your grade - 8 exercises, each worth 2%-5%

 

EXERCISE DUE DATE
1. Using the Internet (3%) 9/16
2. Primary Source Analysis (5%)  9/23
3. Short Response Paper (2%)
 10/7
4. Taking Note, Synthesizing Material, Creating an Outline (4%)  Within one week of 10/20, 11/9, or 12/2
5. Crafting Discussion Questions (2%) 10/21 or 11/4
6. Analyzing Visual Evidence (4%) 11/11
7. Plagiarism/Documentation Exercise (2%) 11/18
8. Secondary Source Analysis (3%) 12/7

1.
Using the Internet
(Due Wed., 9/16)

        Jules Benjamin, A Student's Guide to History, pp.105-107 (Tenth Edition) or pp.114-116 (Eleventh Edition) has valuable information concerning the use of web-based materials as historical sources.  First, review this information.  Then, find two websites--one that is solid and useful for historians and another that is more problematic.  (If you can find websites having to do with religion and/or violence it would be particularly relevant, but it is not absolutely necessary.)  In a short essay (1-2 pages) evaluate both of these websites following the guidelines in Benjamin.  Focus on the questions in the boxed-off section (116).
       Be sure to list the URLs for your two websites at the top or bottom of your essay.  I may ask some of you to present and critique these sites in your sections on Wednesday and Friday.
2.
Primary Source Analysis
(Due 9/23)

       Based on the martyrdom accounts you are reading this week, choose one of the questions posted for discussion this week or come up with a question of your own.  Write a 2 page (double-spaced) essay responding to the question.  (Do not go over 2 pages!) Make sure that your answer a) has a thesis or argument, and b) deals closely with the text giving specific examples or evidence from the documents you have read.  A good essay will raise larger issues of significance, not merely small details of events that occurred in the texts you read.
3.
Short Response Paper
(Due 10/7)
    Choose one of the three discussion questions on the primary-source readings for this week and type a 1-page response.  In your response be sure to cite the text(s) or give a concrete example or illustrations to support one main point.  You may single space your response, but please do not go over 1 page!

4.
Taking Note, Synthesizing Material, Creating an Outline
(Assignment:  Due within one week of 10/20, 11/9, or 12/2)

        Read Benjamin, 15-21 (11th edition), 37-42 (10th edition).  Take careful notes on one of the three remaining public lectures sponsored by the history department in the series Faithful Narratives: The Challenge of Religion in History this semester.  Following the guidelines in Benjamin, rewrite your notes on a separate sheet of paper.  Finally, type up an outline of the lecture based on your attentive listening and editing of your lecture notes.  Hand in both the revised version of your notes and an outline of the lecture within one week of the public lecture.

5.
Crafting Discussion Questions
(Due 10/21)
 
        Based on the assigned readings come up with four broad discussion questions that raise important issues from the texts we have read on the crusades.One of your questions should be based on the European perspective of the crusades, a second should address the Islamic perspective, a third question should be comparative in nature bringing in both the Islamic and European perspectives in the same question.  The fourth question can be on any topic related to the relevant readings.
        Pick one of your own questions and write a short response.Make sure that your answer deals closely with the text and gives at least one specific example from the documents you have read. The questions and your response must not exceed 2 pages in length.
5.
 Crafting Discussion Questions
 (Due 11/4)
        Based on your readings this week come up with four broad discussion questions that raise important issues from the texts we have read this week on the conquest of Mexico.  One of your questions should be based on the Spanish perspective of the conquest of Mexico while the second should address the Mexica perspective.  As a second option, you could develop two discussion questions that are comparative in nature and bring in both the Spanish and Mexica perspective in the same question.
        Pick one of these questions and write a 1-2 page response.  Make sure that your answer deals closely with the text and gives specific examples from the documents you have read.  Once more, a good question and a good answer will raise larger issues of significance, not merely small details of events that occurred in the texts you read.
6.
Analyzing Visual Evidence
(Due 11/9)
7.
Plagiarism/Documentation Exercise
(Due 12/2)

You have two assignments for this week's precept session on Wednesday:

1. Read Natalie Davis, "The Rites of Violence: Religious Riot in Sixteenth-Century France," Past & Present 59 (May, 1973): 51-91.  [You will find it on JSTOR.] Come to class and be prepared to discuss this article.  It would not hurt to prepare a short summary of the text or take notes from it, though you will not have to hand in any notes.

2. Written assignement:  First, for help with effective note taking and how to avoid plagiarism read Benjamin, A Student's Guide to History, pp.107-118, and the following on-line page from the American Historical Association on "Defining Plagiarism."  Then complete the following exercise on plagiarism, type your responses and bring it with you to class to discuss and hand in:  Exercise
8.
Secondary Source Analysis
(Due 12/7)

Your final precept assignment is due NOT in your Wednesday precept sessions but rather in class on Monday, 12/7.  Professor Jeffrey Adler, an American historian in our department, will be coming to our class to lead a discussion on an article he has written on the theme of violence.  In preparation for this class, you must read the following article:  Jeffrey Adler, “On the border of snakeland: Evolutionary psychology and plebeian violence in industrial Chicago, 1875-1920,” Journal of Social History 36 (2003), 541-560, available through JSTOR.  For your written assignment please type your answers to the questions posed below.  1 or 2 pages is sufficient for this assignment as several of these questions necessitate only a one sentence response.  (You may single space your responses.)

1. What is the setting or context of this article?  What is the big historical picture?
2. What is the problem or issue that the author is examining?
3. What are the primary sources that the author uses?  What type of secondary sources does he rely on?  How well are these two types of sources balanced?  Read through the endnotes to determine how the author deploys his sources.
4. What are the limitations of the primary sources?  What type of biases may be present in these sources?  What would it be great to know that the sources do not tell us?
5. What is the central argument or thesis that the author is making in the article?
6. Does the author prove his point or justify his conclusion?  Why or why not?  Are there any holes or logical flaws with the author’s argument?  Explain.

In addition to answering these questions, bring three issues for discussion with the author.  These should be included at the end of your response to the six questions above.
A. What did you find confusing or difficult to understand in this article?  Come with one issue.
B. What part of the author’s interpretation might be wrong?  On what point or points do you think he may be reaching a conclusion that could be debatable even if you think his hypothesis is correct?
C. After reading this article, identify one topic that you would like to know more about.  Perhaps the author mentions this issue only in passing, but your curiosity was raised by its inclusion. 

Finally, please be prepared to raise at least one of these issues with Dr. Adler in class on Monday!