INSTRUCTIONS for WRITING ASSIGNMENTS in HISTORY 121

“Critical thinking involves reading, discussion, writing, then objectively following the
evidence, evaluating the sources, corralling one's bias, and making
a mature decision based on the most logical interpretation of the facts.” 

Writing. In order to do these projects successfully, your reading and writing skills should be sufficient for achieving a good grade in English 111. That means that you should have completed ESL if you are not a native speaker.  If you have not taken English 111, and are not sure about things like documentation, use of sources, etc., be sure to read all instructions carefully, including my Writing Tips for Online History Students and How to Avoid Plagiarism. You should also read tips on getting a good grade on writing projects.

Each essay should be based on original sources, including what you see during your site visit.  Your grade on each essay will depend on the thoughtfulness and imagination with which you discuss the topics. The essays provide ample opportunity for improving your writing. Read comments on returned papers carefully and follow any suggestions in your subsequent papers. Please read the instructions for each project carefully and follow them to the best of your ability. I will return ungraded any essay which does not conform to instructions.

Three Short Essays (3-5 pages) based on Documents: Each short essay is worth 100 points. I will grade them iand return them by US Mail with comments and suggestions.
One Site Visit Essay based on a visit to a historic site or museum. Worth 150 Points.

• Instructions for Essay 1
• Instructions for Essay 2
• Instructions for Essay 3
• Instructions for Site Visit

Guidelines for Essays:

• Include a cover page with your name, course number, istructor's name, date and title of your Essay.
• Include a header with your last name and page number which will appear on each page.
• Print essays double spaced on one side of the paper only, leaving 1 inch margins. (Double space everything, including quotations, but do not put an extra space between paragraphs.)
• Use standard 10 or 12 pitch type font and format paper according to good practice.
• Standard English is required—excessive grammatical errors may affect your grade.
• There is no penalty for correct spelling; use a dictionary if you need to. Use spell checkers with caution.
• Submit by email as MS Word, Word Perfect or Rich Text Format (.rtf) document.

Site Visit Essay (7-10 pages, 150 points). This project requires an essay on any topic relevant to your course, History 121 (1607-1865), and includes a site visit. You should research the topic and site you plan to visit in advance. Then draft your essay, make your site visit, taking notes on what you observe. After your visit, revise your essay draft based on your visit and any additional research you may need to do. Your research may be “modified” to the extent that you do not have to use sources beyond what is on this web site, though you are encouraged to do so.