Second Paper (25%)

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

DUE MONDAY, MARCH 3, 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 or your TA before the paper is due and tell us 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 TAs will be grading your work under my direct supervision. We will read papers as a group and ensure that we are all using the same grading criteria and standards.

FOR THE STANDARD TOPICS (4-5), we will be assessing the following elements:

• 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.

FOR THE CREATIVE TOPICS (1-3), we will be assessing the following:

• how well you demonstrate your familiarity with the primary sources for your topic
• how well you integrate quotes and paraphrases from the primary sources into your paper
• how accurately you convey either the arguments of papalists or royalists; the personalties, opinions, and experiences of Roland and Abelard; or the personality, opinions, and experiences of Heloise
• 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)

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 CenterLinks to an external site.

Paper Topics

Like the first paper, the second paper asks you to focus on analyzing our primary sources and using the historical evidence they provide. However, the first three options are more creative topics and the last two are more standard history essay topics.

FOR THE CREATIVE TOPICS (1-3): you still need to use the primary sources in your paper, directly quote or paraphrase from those sources, and provide citations. You should also use material from lecture and the textbook to provide historical context as needed, but you do not need to have a traditional thesis statement or introduce the primary sources as you would in a standard History paper. We will grade these on how well you use the primary sources to create an accurate portrayal of a royalist, a papalist, Roland, Abelard, or Heloise.

FOR THE STANDARD ESSAY TOPICS (4-5): Focus on analyzing the evidence in our primary sources for information, and offering your own analysis of that evidence. Make sure you have a traditional thesis statement, that you introduce the primary sources, and that you provide historical context drawn from lecture and the textbook.

Choose ONE of the following paper topics (do not make up your own topic):

1. Take a side in the Investiture Conflict. Write a 1500-1800 word polemical essay supporting either Gregory VII’s or Henry IV’s position in the Investiture Conflict. You should cite historical evidence to support the side you choose; but like any polemicist, you will want to slant the evidence to support your side and destroy your opposition. You will also want to make some theoretical arguments about the proper place of a king and a pope in a Christian world. For source materials, use the documents in Tierney, Crisis of Church and State, pp. 44-84. Like any good medieval author, you will need to cite your authorities (“As Pope Gregory VII has said…,” “as the Anonymous author of York has argued…”, etc.), and be sure to use footnotes when citing your sources.
   • A polemical essay should offer a strong defense of the side you have chosen and really attack the other side. Use some of the letters between Gregory and Henry, or the works of the propagandists as inspiration, but make sure you're accurately conveying the arguments of both sides.
   • Your thesis should express support for either the royalist or papalist side and include some of the reasons why the side you have chosen is the correct one. You should then expand on those reasons in the body of your paper, and explain why the other side is wrong. The point of this topic is to demonstrate that you have read and understood the documents and can accurately portray both sides of this debate.
2. Write a dialogue between Roland and Abelard. Roland and Abelard meet in the afterlife, have a few drinks, and get into a debate about the meaning of life, their greatest achievements, and their biggest regrets. Write a 1500-1800 word paper in which you record (in character) what each man says during this debate. What does each of them consider to be the ultimate purpose of life, how do they think one can achieve that purpose (what actions does each think should be taken and what should be avoided), what does each of them count as his greatest achievement, and what does each of them regret most? Be sure to accurately portray the positions of both Roland and Abelard, to note where they might agree or disagree, and to pull paraphrases and quotes from both texts to support your characterization of their positions.
   • You must use information from both texts to construct your portrayal of Roland and Abelard and you must cite your sources. The point of this topic is to demonstrate that you have read and understood both sources and can accurately convey the attitudes and opinions of both Abelard and Roland.
3. Help from Heloise. Pretend you are Heloise and are writing an advice column dealing with life’s little problems in the twelfth century. Write a letter seeking advice from Heloise and Heloise’s response (spend more time on the response). Topics may include: How to decide if the convent is right for you. Advice for unwed mothers. Should you marry your philosopher/scholar boyfriend? Advice to Aud from the Song of Roland on what to do when your fiancé is killed in battle and you just feel like dying. (You can write letters and advice for more than one of these topics. If you have ideas for advice from Heloise on other topics, get approval from your TA.)
   • Make sure to base your response(s) on the opinions that Heloise expresses in her letters and to cite your sources. The point of this topic is to demonstrate that you have read and understood Heloise's own words and can accurately convey her attitudes and opinions.
4. Analyze and compare the depictions of Islam and Muslim society in the Song of Roland and the Life of Saint Louis. How are Islam, Muslim society, and individual Muslims portrayed in each source? Which portrayal is more accurate, and how do you account for the differences in these portrayals?
5. Analyze and compare the idealized conceptions of kingship found in the fictional Song of Roland (written c. 1100) and the Life of Saint Louis (written 1309). How does the portrayal of Charlemagne compare with the portrayal of Louis IX? What are each authors’ criteria for a good king? How have the criteria for a good king changed, and what has remained the same? How do you account for these differences?

Requirements:

• Papers must be 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 wordcount (say 100-200 words), 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.
• The creative topics (1-3) do not require a traditional thesis statement, but you should have a clear argument and your portrayal of an 11th century royalist, papalist, Abelard, Roland, or Heloise should be historically accurate, based on the primary sources, and must cite those sources. 
• If you are writing on one of the standard topics (4 and 5):
  • 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. 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 papers containing plagiarized (including AI generated) material will receive a 0, and you will have to rewrite the paper in order to pass the course (you will still receive a 0 on the assignment). If this is a second instance of plagiarism, you will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct and will fail the course.

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

Plagiarism

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 papers containing plagiarized (including AI generated) material will receive a 0, and you will have to rewrite the paper in order to pass the course (you will still receive a 0 on the assignment). If this is a second instance of plagiarism, you will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct and will fail 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 overly casual language, 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 our primary sources, lectures, and textbook.  For this course we will be using Chicago Style citations.  If you are unfamiliar with Chicago Style citations, you can consult the Chicago Manual of Style at http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html Links to an external site..

Sample first citations (Chicago Style):

Anonymous of York, “Tractatus Eboracenses,” in Brian Tierney, The Crisis of Church and State (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1988), p. 77.

The Song of Roland, trans. Glyn Burgess (Penguin Classics, 1990), p. 76.

The Letters of Abelard and Heloise, ed. Michael Clanchy (Penguin Classics, 2004), p. 20.

Jean de Joinville, “Life of Saint Louis,” in Chronicles of the Crusades, trans. Caroline Smith (New York: Penguin, 2008), p.182.

Judith Bennett, Medieval Europe: A Short History, 12^th ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021), p. 36.

Urbanski, Lecture, 1/25/2020.

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

Sample abbreviated citations:

Anonymous of York, p. 77

Song of Roland, p. 76

Abelard, p. 20

Joinville, p. 182

Bennett, p. 36

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