History of Western Civilization
This paper should be two structured essays that possess the usual apparatus of an academic paper: an introduction with a thesis; supporting paragraphs that draw from the texts, whether primary or secondary, to support and develop the thesis; and a conclusion.
Instructions:
You are to write two essays of at least 600words each (1200 words in total). At the end of each essay you should write down the word count. You are welcome to go over the minimum word count if you think that your answers will be improved by more material. I do not grade you based on the word count, but keep in mind that if your essay is shorter than 600 words, you most likely will not have enough material or detail to answer the questions sufficiently, and by that resulting in a lower grade.
You should use short quotations and references from the texts and readings to illustrate specific points or arguments you are making.
Keep in mind that the strongest essays will include material from multiple sessions. The topics/questions are designed to be expansive and they require you to address events over a wide time frame.
Each essay MUST be properly documented with parenthetical citations, which include the name of the author and the page number – there is no need for a works cited page, as the texts are all common. For the Textbook, (Hunt, page number) is sufficient. For the Sources book (Lualdi, page number). If you want to cite the lectures, simply reference the name of the lecture (first slide of each lecture).
Only in the case you use outside sources do you need to have a works cited page but I strongly discourage you from using general webpages like Wikipedia. If you do use online sources you need to offer a link to them in your works cited page. As this is an exam, any instance of plagiarism or use of outside sources that are not cited will be reported to an Academic Integrity Officer. Any exam that has no citations will receive 0 points.
I am testing you on having watched/listened to the lectures and read the assigned readings from both the textbook and the Sources book.
If you use materials, books, and other items that are not easily accessible to the instructor, please keep a copy of them as I might ask you to provide them to me to verify the accuracy of your citations. If you can not provide them to me within a week of it being requested, you will receive 0 points for the exam.
Please keep in mind that the strongest historical essays pay close attention to the chronology of events. An essay that moves back and forth in time period is generally a disorganized essay, so I would suggest you try your best to keep your events and examples in chronological order.
Questions: Choose ONE from each part.
You must pick one topic from each part, so your first answer must be either Option 1 or 2, and the second answer must be either Option 3, 4 or 5
PART A:
Option 1
After the Viking, Magyar, and Muslim invasions, many parts of Europe saw the creation of new systems of hierarchy and dependency, both in rural areas (often referred to as the feudal system) as well as in towns/cities. What were some of the reasons for the emergence of both the feudal system and the commercial system of guilds in medieval towns and villages? How did those systems contribute to general stability in the early medieval period, at least compared to the volatility of the preceding centuries?
For this topic, you don’t need to strictly compare/contrast the two systems. I am simply looking to see that you can discuss the general organization of medieval society both on the village and the city/town level.
Option 2
During the 12th and 13th centuries, the Church faced opposition both from within and outside, as the period saw the emergence of numerous heretical movements and popes battled kings for temporal dominion in Europe. What were some of those criticisms about and how did the Church react to them? Do you think that the Church emerged from those criticisms weakened or strengthened? Please offer specific examples to support your argument your argument/s.
For this essay, be sure to include both calls for reform within the church as well as the outside struggle with the rulers of Europe. As always with historical essays, keeping things as close to chronological order as possible is a good idea.
PART B:
Option 3
Is it important to understand the works of Greek and Roman thinkers in order to understand the intellectual achievements of the Late Middle Ages, The Renaissance or the Early Modern period in European history? Are some works more important than others? Would these later achievements have been possible without knowledge of the Greeks or the Romans?
For this topic, be sure to include examples from each of the three periods listed in the question.
Option 4
European society changed drastically from the 14th and through the 16th centuries. What were the central changes or ideas that contributed to the generally rapid social changes of the period? What were some of the main contributing factors to the rapid population increase of the period and what factors contributed to a general rise in prosperity among the middle classes but also some of the peasant populations?
Please keep in mind that for this question I want you to look at society in general, meaning that I don’t want you to focus on kings, popes, or people in power.
Option 5
How important is it to consider the history of Northern Africa, the Middle East, or even the world as a whole when thinking about the history of Europe from the Middle Ages to the Early Modern Period? Is it possible to teach or discuss European history without taking into account developments in the rest of the world? Offer at least three examples of why not, or if you feel the opposite, why is it possible?
For this question, please try to offer examples that span the period from the Late Middle Ages to the Early Modern period.
