Due Date: June 21st at 5 pm.

Please submit via the course website, under “Requirement”.

SUBMISSION OF ESSAY


Submission of Final Essay

  1. Please complete your essay using a word processing program or Google docs, ensuring that everything is formatted correctly, including footnotes. 
  2. Go here: https://hist365finalproject.opened.ca/write/
  3. Input your title into the “Title” section.
  4. Include your name under “author” (please do not submit your essay anonymously as otherwise I won’t be able to give you credit for your work!).
  5. Cut and paste your essay into the “Writing” area. Make sure that it is formatted as needed. See the red “editing tool tips” for assistance. Your bibliography should appear at the end.
  6. Choose an image for the “header image” related to your topic and upload. Don’t forget to include a credit for where you have taken this image from. 
  7. Click on ‘Save Draft’, then ‘preview’. 
  8. You can edit it as many times as you would like, but if you want to leave and then return, make sure to include your email address and the page will send you a link through which you can edit your piece.
  9.  After you are done with editing, don’t forget to click “Publish Final”.
  10.  Check back after June 21st to see the work of your fellow students!
  11. Don’t forget to fill out the self-evaluation form and submit it to blackboard. Please download it and fill it out. You can access it here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19_KzqOnnIaBGlX93PHukSVpdEJAN1_br2rkEXEPWvlk/edit

Citations:

  • Please use the citation style for your major. So if you’re a history major, please use Chicago! If you’re major is in any other discipline, use that citation style.

Requirements:

  • 2000-2500 words PLUS citations. 
  • Bibliography (Formatted according to the style of your discipline).
  • The remaining requirements will depend on the option you have chosen (medieval Spanish history and popular imagination OR historical topic on medival Spanish history). For details, see below. 

Medieval Spanish History and Popular Imagination Academic Essay

Write an essay examining some aspects of Guy Gavriel Kay’s representation of medieval Spanish history in The Lions of al-Rassan.

There are three central aspects that your essay must explore: 

  • where Kay’s novel presents a historically AUTHENTIC representation of some aspects of medieval Spanish history
  • what aspects of his novel are historically inauthentic
  • the role the fantasy genre plays in allowing the author leeway in his interpretation of these aspects of medieval Spanish history

Your essay should not be an exhaustive list of the various parts of Kay’s novel that are authentic/inauthentic nor should it focus on what is “right” or accurate, instead you should choose to focus on three to four key themes (gender, military actions, religion, medicine, cross-cultural relations, political structure, economic activities, landscape are some examples of what you could explore).  

You must use the primary and secondary sources read for this assignment as evidence to support your arguments about authenticity/inauthenticity as well as specific examples from the novel.

The format of your essay should be as follows:

  1. Introduction with thesis statement
  2. BRIEF (maximum one paragraph) summary of the novel’s storyline. Remember I have read the novel and thus do not need a detailed account.
  3. Discussion of the historically authentic aspects of the novel.
  4. Discussion of the historically inauthentic aspects of the novel.
  5. Discussion of the use of the fantasy genre to depict historical periods/events/people.
  6. Conclusion. Restatement of thesis statement.

NOTE: You can choose to discuss sections 3 through 5 in another order.

For help on developing your thesis statement and constructing your essay, please see Step Three and Step Four below.

Historical Topic Essay

Write an essay on any topic related to the history of medieval Spain. 

STEP ONE: WHERE DO I START????

You may want to start by looking first for a primary source that will act as the basis of your paper.  

Questions to consider when reading your chosen primary source:

  • What issues does your source raise about medieval Spanish history in its time period?
  • How is it related?
  • Are there any specific themes or concepts discussed that you could use as a basis for your paper?

Some of the reading we’ve covered for the course thus far may have piqued your interest so you can also start with ideas generated there.

NOTE: Part One of the Final Project is designed to help you choose a primary source and start thinking about how it might be used for your research project. 

STEP TWO: SECONDARY RESEARCH

You now need to think about looking at some secondary sources. You will likely have raised some questions in your reading of a primary source, so look for books/articles that deal with some of the broader themes you’ve written down.

NOTE: Part One of the Final Project is designed to help you choose an initial secondary source and start thinking about how it might be used for your research project.

After doing so, read two or three other secondary sources to see how historians have viewed your broader topic.

  • What are their answers to the questions you’ve posed?
  •  What type of evidence do they use? Do you agree or disagree based on what you’ve read yourself in your primary source? Does this primary source evidence support or refute their assertions?
  • What view of your topic do these secondary sources provide? What kind of issues or debates regarding your topic do they explore?

STEP THREE: DEVELOPING YOUR THESIS STATEMENT

What is a thesis? The thesis is the controlling idea around which you construct the rest of your paper. In a history paper, the thesis generally explains why or how something happened. Every word of your paper should support your thesis. Information you do not directly relate to your thesis will appear irrelevant. This means, of course, that in a paper with a weak or no thesis, much of the paper will appear to be irrelevant and unguided.

The thesis is a scholarly argument. A history paper takes a stand on a historical issue or problem, and attempts to develop a coherent and persuasive line of thought intended to convince the reader of the validity of that stand. Your thesis is the concise statement of your argument.

A good thesis derives from a good question. Since the thesis is your conclusion to a scholarly argument, there must be a clear question at stake. This question is known as your research question. A thesis which does not answer a question, or answers a simple or obvious question, is not a thesis. You need to ask thoughtful questions of your topic and primary source material to develop a good thesis. The best theses are good precisely because the questions they answer are significant, complex, and original.

STEP FOUR: ORGANIZING YOUR PAPER

The Basic Structure of a History Research Paper: 

INTRODUCTION

  • Introduce the problem
  • Define key terms
  • State the thesis (which should be the answer to your research question)

THE BODY

  • How is your paper organized?
  • Paragraphs
    • Topic sentence
    • Argument supporting topic sentence
    • Evidence supporting your argument
    • Connect evidence back to your topic sentence

CONCLUSION

  • Restatement of thesis
  • Significance of thesis (why should we care about this problem?)