H206, spring 2009

Some Guidelines for your Papers

A. General information

Please note that usually you are not asked to write a paper about the specific community we have studied (Ravenna, West Stow, etc.) - you are asked to use the information that we learned about that community as a piece of evidence in making an argument about a type of medieval community. The site represents one piece of evidence, and the primary source readings provide additional evidence, sometimes about different communities.

The sixth paper is slightly different, as here all the primary sources are specifically about Florence.

B. Requirements for the papers

In your papers, you must do the following five things. Each of the following criteria is worth one letter grade. If one of these is missing, you will be marked down a letter grade. If two are missing, you are down two letter grades.

1) Answer the question.

Read the assigned question on the syllabus carefully. IF YOU CAN'T FIND THE QUESTION, ASK! Most of the paper assignments involve two or more related parts. When you are writing your paper, make sure you answer all parts of the question.

2) Historical context

In each paper, you should not be talking about "medieval times", but you should know something about the particular time and place that your paper is about: 6th century Italy, 12th century England, etc.

Look over your class notes and skim the assigned reading in the textbook to refresh your sense of the historical context. Note that the historical context should complement your analysis but should never be the focal point.

3) Primary sources

You must use evidence from three of the assigned primary sources. "Using evidence" in this case means quoting or paraphrasing the source. If you are quoting from one of the sources on the syllabus, you do not need to provide a footnote, although you should identify the source.

Read each source carefully. Ask yourself the following questions:

1) What kind of document is it (A legal code? A letter? An inventory? A sermon?)

2) What is it about? Whose point of view is expressed in the document (is it biased toward one party or another? How?) What is the document's purpose?

4) What kind of information can you find in it that will help you to answer the question? *** Keep in mind that even if the document does not relate specifically to the community you are writing about, it may pertain to a community similar to it. In this case it is acceptable to make comparisons.

5) Never quote a primary source without an explanation. It does not speak for itself. You need to interpret why the information you quoted is significant. Sometimes just one or two sentences will do ("This quote demonstrates that..." or "For example, in the document describing riots at Chartres we see...")

6) Very long quotes should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. Only highlight the information that is relevant to your point and paraphrase the rest. If you quote more than three lines, you should indent that quote and single-space it.

4) Specific information about the community

You must use information about the specific community (Ravenna, West Stow, etc.) as evidence in your essay.

Look at both the Powerpoint presentations and the webpages linked to the syllabus for information about the community. How does this information relate specifically to the question? How can you use specific pieces of information about the community as evidence to answer the question?

One problem many students have is that they simply say "Wharram Percy was a feudal village." This is not obvious; it has to be proven. If you say "Wharram Percy had one or two manors that were obviously larger and more imposing, but most of the village consisted of peasant households; this corresponds to what we know about feudal social organization" you are on the right track. You must be specific. Thus, don't just say something vague about how big and impressive Chartres cathedral is; say something specific about one part of it.

5) Organization and style.

One of the criteria for grading will be a well-organized and well-written essay.

Before you start writing, think about the connections between primary sources, communities, and the historical context in relation to the question. The connections are there -- you just need to find them to put it all together.

Next, underline the passages from the primary sources that you think will help you to answer the question and choose the images that you will use to support your points. Make a short outline.

Your paper MUST have a clear introductory paragraph. Do not simply rephrase the question; instead, provide a short overview of what you will cover in your paper. It is entirely permissible, even encouraged, to conclude your introductory paragraph with the statement "In this paper I will. . .". Such a statement both helps you to figure out what you are doing in this paper, and helps the reader understand what you are doing throughout the paper. Such a statement should probably be answering the assigned question; if what you are doing in the paper doesn't answer the question, you're not doing the right thing.

The body of your paper should support your points with primary sources, material covered in class, and historical context.

Grammar, spelling, and punctuation will all be part of this component of the grade.

If you need help with your writing, Writing Tutorial Services provides both group and individual instruction; I strongly encourage you to consult them early in the semester.