Paper 2 - 25%

SECOND 5-6 PAGE (1500-1800 WORD) PAPER

DUE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, BY 11:59 PM

SUBMIT YOUR PAPER AS A WORD DOC OR PDF THROUGH CANVAS

Reminder:  If you need to request an extension on a paper, you must email me (urbanski@uw.edu) before the paper is due and tell me when you will turn it in (it should be within two days at most unless there are extenuating circumstances).

Wondering how your work will be assessed? The TA will be grading your work under my direct supervision. We will read papers together to ensure that we are using the same grading criteria and standards. We will assess papers based on the following criteria:

• the strength and clarity of your thesis
• the strength, organization, and complexity of your argument
• your use of evidence and analysis of that evidence
• your factual accuracy
• how well you provide historical context
• the quality of your writing
• your use of citations/footnotes 
• word count (you must meet the minimum word count or you will automatically get a C - 70-79% at best)

The rubric we will use for grading the papers is included below and contains a more detailed breakdown of how we will assess each criterion. 

NEED HELP WITH YOUR PAPER? 

We are happy to help you get started or review thesis statements. Come to see us during office hours to discuss your ideas and we can make sure you’re on the right track.

If you need additional help, the following writing centers are available to help you at any stage of the writing process, from getting started to polishing drafts.  

History Writing CenterLinks to an external site.

CLUE Writing CenterLinks to an external site.

Odegaard Writing and Research Center

PAPER TOPICS

The first two paper topics ask you to provide your own analysis of some of the sources we have for class. Topics 3 and 4 ask you conduct a small amount of additional research in order to either confirm or dispute a historian’s thesis, or assess the plausibility of a new historical theory. And topic 5 asks you to engage in some creative thinking. For each of these topics, we want to see you make an original argument using the sources we have read for class and tie your conclusions back to the themes and concepts discussed in lecture.

Choose ONE of the following topics:

1. Compare the depiction of Thomas More in William Roper’s Life of Sir Thomas More with that of Cardinal Wolsey in George Cavendish’s Life and Death of Cardinal Wosley. How do Roper and Cavendish use conscience and Fortune to explain the actions and eventual fates of their protagonists? How do the motifs of conscience and Fortune shape your perception of the personalities and characters of More and Wolsey? Which do you find more effective? (You can only write on this topic if you did not use it for you first paper.)

• How do the authors use the motifs of conscience and Fortune within their accounts, and how does this framing affect the way you view More and Wolsey?
• Which author’s approach did you find more effective and why (e.g., did you find one approach more credible than the other, did you think one was more objective than the other?)?

2. Compare Wyatt’s rebellion with the Rebellion of the Northern Earls. How important was the gender of the monarch in these rebellions?

• Analyze the composition and goals of the two rebellions: who were the rebels, who were their leaders, what were their grievances/demands, and how did they go about demanding redress?
• How much of a threat did these rebellions pose to the queen and how did the government respond to each of them?
• How did the fact that the monarch was a woman play a role in the rebellion and/or factor into the demands of the rebels? In other words, do you think that either of these rebellions would have occurred if the monarch at the time had been a man? (You should consider English marriage laws and assumptions about the roles of husbands and wives in assessing the role of gender in Wyatt's Rebellion.)

3. Fact check the historian: Analyze the evidence from the Chelmsford witch trial of 1579 (here is the original chapbook Download the original chapbook and here is a transcription of its text with modern spelling Download text with modern spelling) and compare it to the Macfarlane-Thomas "charity refused" model that Sharpe describes in Witchcraft in Early Modern England? Does the evidence from the Chelmsford trial confirm or rebut the model?

• Historians like to fact check each other rather than just taking another historian's word about what happened in the past. This question asks you to do the same by examining both a well-known model and some of the evidence used to create that model. 
• Lay out Sharpe’s description of the Macfarlane-Thomas "charity refused" model (p. 35). What kind of person was likely to be an accuser, and what kind of person was likely to be accused? What kind of incident usually sparked an accusation? What were witches accused of doing? How did economic factors play into witchcraft accusations?
• Analyze the evidence in the Chelmsford trial and determine whether the evidence it provides fits the Macfarlane-Thomas model.
  • What incidents sparked the Chelmsford accusations? Who were the accused? Who were the victims? How were the alleged witches portrayed? What exactly were they accused of doing?
• Does the evidence from this trial support or contradict the "charity refused" model? Are there any exceptions?
• Given the evidence you’ve just examined, do you think the "charity refused" model is valid for Essex in the 1570s?

4. Think like a historian: There is a new theory about the fate of Edward V, one of the princes in the Tower. Examine the following sources and write a paper assessing this new theory. Is the theory plausible, and what additional evidence would you need to see to be convinced that this is a likely explanation for Edward’s fate?

• Historians are constantly making new arguments when new evidence comes to light, or challenging old arguments by reassessing existing evidence. One of the jobs of the historian is to assess new theories about the past by critically analyzing them. We take into account the evidence for the theory, as well as the source of the theory, to determine whether this new theory is plausible (it could have happened), or implausible (it could not have happened).
• Summarize the new theory proposed by John Dike and The Missing Princes Project and lay out the evidence offered to support it.
• Evaluate the source of the theory (The Missing Princes Project). Who are they, what is their purpose, and what stake do they have in putting this theory forward? Does this make the theory any more or less credible?
• Assess the likelihood of the theory itself based on the current evidence. Is it plausible or implausible? In other words, could it have happened or not?
• Are there other ways to interpret this new evidence or other arguments you could make with it?
• What additional evidence (other than DNA) would a historian need to see in order to be persuaded that this theory is a highly likely explanation for Edward V’s fate? 

- https://royalcentral.co.uk/features/new-theory-suggests-richard-iii-saved-the-boy-king-he-replaced-170335/ Links to an external site.

- https://www.historiamag.com/enduring-mystery-princes-in-the-tower/ Links to an external site.

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardian_(Richard_III) Links to an external site.

- https://www.revealingrichardiii.com/langley.html Links to an external site.

For context and a rundown of various theories, you can check out Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princes_in_the_Tower#:~:text=The%20Princes%20in%20the%20Tower,their%20father's%20death%20in%201483 Links to an external site..

5. Counterfactual History: Imagine that Richard III won the Battle of Bosworth, killed Henry Tudor (aka the earl of Richmond), and established his own dynasty. How would Shakespeare's portrayal of Richard III be different if he had been writing his play during the reign of one of Richard's descendants? In other words, how would a victory at Bosworth have affected Richard's historical reputation and the way he is remembered in popular culture?

• Counterfactual history is a type of thought experiment that highlights the role of contingency in history by exploring what might have happened had events in the past played out differently. 
• Consider how Shakespeare portrays both Richard's character and his physical appearance. Who is the hero and who is the villain in the play, and how would these roles change if Richard had won?
• Choose three or four scenes from Richard III, describe the scenes and how Shakespeare portrays Richard in them, and then describe how you think Shakespeare would have written these scenes if Richard had been victorious at Bosworth and one of his descendants had been on the throne in Shakespeare's day.
• How important are popular representations, like plays, in determining a monarch's historical reputation?

Instructions for Papers:

• Papers should be 5-6 pages (1500-1800 words). Include the final word count at the top of your paper next to your name.
  • Papers that do not meet the minimum word count requirement will automatically be dropped to a C. It’s alright to go slightly over the word count, but you want to make sure you meet the minimum.
  • Use a standard 12 point font such as Times, Times New Roman, or Calibri.
  • Use 1-inch margins (the “normal” or “default” settings in Word).
  • Double-space the body of the paper; the heading on the first page with your name and course information should be single-spaced.
• Craft an argument that addresses the paper prompt. Do not make up your own assignment.
  • Make sure your paper contains a clear thesis statement at the end of your first paragraph, and that the rest of your paper is devoted to substantiating that thesis.
    • Writing an introduction is often the most difficult part of the writing process, and we often don't know exactly what our argument will be until we've analyzed our evidence in the process of writing the paper. You might find it helpful to put off writing your introductory paragraph and thesis statement until you've written the rest of the paper - it's much easier to summarize your argument in a thesis statement once you've actually made that argument.
  • Introduce your source(s). Tell us who, what, when, where, why, for each source you use and address any issues the source might have.
  • Give appropriate historical context from lecture and the textbook as needed. It might be helpful to imagine that you are writing for a friend who is not taking this course - what would you need to explain in order for them to understand your argument?
  • Each body paragraph should contain a claim/topic sentence, followed by specific evidence from our primary sources that substantiates your claim, and analysis of that evidence (i.e., an explanation of what the evidence means and how it supports your argument). 
  • Provide a conclusion that reiterates the most important points in your argument and offers a strong restatement of your argument.
• Citations. You must provide footnotes for any information quoted or paraphrased from any source other than yourself. If the information came from any source other than yourself (whether it is a preface, book, journal, website, lecture, or the textbook), you must give the original author credit by including a footnote. Failing to credit the original author of an idea is plagiarism.

• • Microsoft Word and Google Docs will insert footnotes for you and automatically number them. Depending on the version you are using, go to the “insert” menu and choose “footnote,” or go to the “references” menu and choose “insert footnote.”
  • Footnotes are placed at the end of the sentence, after all quotation marks and punctuation. E.g. “This is where you place a footnote.”¹
  • Avoid using block quotes (quotes that take up more than three lines of printed text in your paper). Block quotes are a sign that you have been too lazy to paraphrase.  Overuse of block quotes, especially without analysis, will result in a low grade.
• All cases of suspected plagiarism or AI use will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct for investigation and disciplinary action. Any assignment determined to be plagiarized or produced by AI by the Office of Student Conduct use will receive a 0. A second confirmed case of plagiarism or AI use will result in failing the course.

• You do not need to provide a list of works cited. 

Plagiarism / Use of AI

Plagiarism is the use of anyone else’s words or ideas as if they are your own, without attributing them to their originator.  This includes:

• Copying paragraphs, sentences, phrases or words from a book, article, website, or anywhere else without enclosing them in quotation marks and noting the source of the quotation. The copying does not have to be verbatim to be plagiarism.  Changing the sentence structure, changing some of the words, or paraphrasing is still plagiarism if you do not credit the source of the ideas.
• Submitting a paper that was in whole or in part downloaded, purchased, or copied from the Internet or any other source.
• Submitting work as your own that was written by anyone other than yourself.
• Submitting work as your own that was produced by any form of AI, such as ChatGPT.
• Submitting work for one class that was originally prepared for another class, or submitting work for one assignment that has previously been submitted for another assignment, can also be considered a type of plagiarism.

Plagiarism is academic dishonesty; it is an offense in the same category as copying answers from another student on a test.  The easiest way to avoid plagiarism is by crediting all quotes and paraphrases to their originators by footnoting them, and, of course, by never submitting anyone else’s work as your own.

All cases of suspected plagiarism or AI use will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct for investigation and disciplinary action. Any assignment determined to be plagiarized or produced by AI by the Office of Student Conduct use will receive a 0. A second confirmed case of plagiarism or AI use will result in failing the course.

Style:

• Make sure your subjects and verbs agree.
• Use the active voice, not the passive voice, whenever possible.
• Use proper grammar, punctuation, spelling, and syntax.
• Do not use contractions in a paper (e.g. use “it is” rather than “it’s” and “would have” rather than “would’ve”).
• Do not use slang or jargon, and try to avoid clichés.
• If you have trouble with grammar, usage, word choice, or punctuation, check out a style guide, such as Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style (look for one of the more recent editions). It offers a good, basic guide to writing and a clear explanation of the rules governing word choice, usage, grammar, and punctuation.

Citations:

You must provide footnotes when quoting or paraphrasing material from any source other than yourself.  For this course we will be using Chicago Style citations.  If you are unfamiliar with Chicago Style citations, please consult the Chicago Manual of Style at http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html.

You must use a full citation the first time you cite a source

Sample first/full citations (Chicago Style):

George Cavendish, “The Life and Death of Cardinal Wolsey,” in Two Early Tudor Lives, eds. Richard Sylvester and David Harding (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1962), p. 85

Anthony Fletcher and Diarmaid MacCullough, Tudor Rebellions, 6^th ed. (Pearson, 2015), p. 28

Lydia Starbuck, "Did Richard III actually save the boy king he’s accused of killing?" Royal Central, Dec. 2021 (https://royalcentral.co.uk/features/new-theory-suggests-richard-iii-saved-the-boy-king-he-replaced-170335/ Links to an external site.) accessed (put the date you accessed it here)

Wikipedia, "The Princes in the Tower" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princes_in_the_Tower#:~:text=The%20Princes%20in%20the%20Tower,their%20father's%20death%20in%201483 Links to an external site.) accessed (put the date you accessed it here)

James Sharpe, Witchcraft in Early Modern England (Routledge, 2020), p. 50

“The Confession of Elizabeth Fraunces,” in A Detection of damnable driftes, practized by three VVitches arraigned at Chelmisforde in Essex, at the laste Assises there holden, whiche were executed in Aprill. 1579, p. 2.

William Shakespeare, Richard III, Act #, Scene #

You should use an abbreviated citation each subsequent time you cite that source.

Sample abbreviated citations:

Cavendish, p. 86

Fletcher and MacCullough, p. 28

Starbuck, "Did Richard III actually save the boy king he’s accused of killing?"

Wikipedia, The Princes in the Tower

Sharpe, p. 50

“Confession of Elizabeth Fraunces”, p. 2

Richard III, Act #, Scene #

NOTE: make sure you put the page number(s) where the specific evidence you are using can be found in each of your footnotes (unless the source is a website).