7 pages paper

HIS 118: Final Project Guidelines and Grading Guide

Overview

The final project for this course is the creation of an “imaginary” autobiography based on the life of one of the following figures who lived during the modern period from 1500–present:

1. A Spanish conquistador in the Americas

2. A slave taken from Africa and forced to labor on an American plantation (male or female)

3. A Hindu living in the Mughal Empire (male or female)

4. An Chinese peasant in the final stages of the Qing Dynasty (1830s–1912) (male or female)

5. An Eastern European living in a Communist state during the Cold War (male or female)

The final project represents an authentic demonstration of competency because it requires the student to process information concerning the individual from many different sources including primary and secondary sources. That information is then combined to produce a work that explores the life of that person.

The final project is divided into two milestones and a final product, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submission. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Two and Five, and the final product will be submitted in Module Seven.

Outcomes

In this assignment, you will demonstrate mastery of the following course outcomes:

· Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of the history of world civilizations after 1500 (Knowledge)

· Critically analyze ideas from both primary and secondary sources (Critical and creative thinking)

· Develop arguments based upon primary and secondary sources and articulate those ideas in the written and spoken word (Communication)

Prompt

Create an imaginary person from the time period and area we are studying. You must research and write about this imaginary person who lived during the noted time period, but the person should NOT be someone famous such as Hernan Cortés or Francisco Pizarro. Through research, you must recreate a person’s life and write an autobiography. In other words, you “become” that person and write his or her story. Note that this is not a timeline or chronology of events. You will be using historical details and events. You must develop an argument that analyzes the impact that major events of this period would have had on your character.

To successfully complete this project, the autobiography must include the following items:

1. An explanation of the character’s social and economic standing in his or her society and his or her approximate date of birth

2. The character’s view of recent events with an explanation of how these events are viewed from the vantage point of his or her background and of the physical location in which he or she lives

3. A broad analysis of the historical events of the age in which the character lives

Your autobiography will address the following critical elements:

1. Introduction

An introduction contains general, not specific, information and tells the reader what the paper will attempt to accomplish. Include your name (the figure you have selected to write about) and the time period. (HIS 118.1)

2. Body of Paper:

· Research and write about this imaginary person who lived during the time period that you have chosen, but this person should NOT be someone famous such as Hernan Cortés or Francisco Pizarro. Critically analyze the ideas from your sources. (HIS 118.2)

· Background: Through research, you must recreate a person’s life and write an autobiography. To write the story, you could use actual events from the past and develop a character that might fit into the context or background of the period reflecting the following concerns of the time period (HIS 118.1):

a) Social

b) Political

c) Economic

d) Religious

· Point of View: Use appropriate terms and vocabulary from the course that are reflective of the time period. (HIS 118.1)

· Develop an argument that analyzes the impact that major events of this period would have had on your character. (HIS 118.2)

· Historical Perspective: Provide the reader with a portrait into the past that might be credible from a historical perspective. In other words, the reader should be able to get significant insight into the time period in which your character lives and the concerns and events of the age. Provide a perspective on the major global transformation of the time. (HIS 118.3)

· The conclusion must include a summary of your person’s accomplishments, life, special issues, and how that person influenced later generations of people. Discuss the evolution of the society in which your character lived in relation to both domestic forces and cross-cultural contact. (HIS 118.3)

Sources: The student must use at least six different sources, of which two must be primary. Use a variety of sources such as books, journals, newspapers, magazine articles, and so on. Include a bibliography page with the appropriate information about the sources. Use the SNHU History Library Guide to conduct your research.

Note: The use of proper citations is scored on the rubric below under the Articulation of Response critical element. DO NOT USE DIRECT QUOTATIONS without using footnotes/endnotes that include appropriate source information for footnotes/endnotes. There should be no direct quotations other than your own, which do not need to be cited. If you happen to provide any quotations, they must be cited. If the student does not include proper acknowledgment for using others’ words, that is plagiarism and will earn a zero. You can find the rules for historic writing in A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations by Kate Turabian. In addition, you can use Purdue University OWL site.

Milestone Deliverables

Milestone One: Topic and Proposal

In task 2-4, you will submit the name of the figure you will become for your creation of the imaginary autobiography. Submit the name, date of birth, where your character lived, family names, and three sources to be used. This milestone is graded as pass/fail. This milestone is part of the overall process and designed to keep students focused on the final research project. Feedback will be provided by the instructor.

Milestone Two: First Page of Rough Draft and Bibliography

In task 5-4, you will submit the introduction to your person (general, not specific, information) and the first page of the seven to eight-page paper. It can be a rough draft. All six sources should be submitted with this milestone. This milestone will be graded using the Rough Draft Rubric. Feedback should be applied to the final submission.

Final Research Project

In task 7-2, you will submit your final paper. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the main elements of the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This milestone will be graded using the Final Product Rubric (below).

Final Product Rubric

Requirements of submission: Written components of project must follow these formatting guidelines when applicable: double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, 1-inch margins, and discipline-appropriate citations. The paper’s length must be 7–8 double-spaced pages or between 1,750–2,000 words of content. It must have a title page with the subject’s name, student’s name, class, instructor’s name, and date. The paper must adhere to Turabian format.

Instructor feedback: Students can find their feedback in the grade book as an attachment.

Critical Elements	Distinguished	Proficient	Emerging	Not Evident	Value
Identification of Character/ Introduction (HIS 118.1)	Identifies a character with substantial details appropriate to the historical time period (9-10)	Identifies a character with accurate details appropriate to the historical time period (8)	Identifies a character but does not use details appropriate to the historical time period (7)	Does not identify a character and use details appropriate to the historical time period (0-6)	10
Argument (HIS 118.2)	Proposes a well-developed argument on the impact of major events of this period and uses clear and relevant details (14-15)	Proposes an argument on the impact of major events of this period (12-13)	Does not sufficiently propose an argument (11)	Does not propose an argument (0-10)	15
Background: Social (HIS 118.1)	The social background is substantially analyzed to show an appropriate context for the transformations of the time period and is connected to the political, economic, and religious background of the time period (5)	The social background is sufficiently analyzed to show an appropriate context for the transformations of the time period (4)	The social background lacks sufficient detail to show an appropriate context for the transformations of the time period (3)	The social background is not sufficiently analyzed (0-2)	5
Background: Political (HIS 118.1)	The political background is substantially analyzed to show an appropriate context for the transformations of the time period and is connected to the social, economic, and religious background of the time period (5)	The political background is sufficiently analyzed to show an appropriate context for the transformations of the time period (4)	The political background lacks sufficient detail to show an appropriate context for the transformations of the time period (3)	The political background is not sufficiently analyzed (0-2)	5
Background: Economic (HIS 118.1)	The economic background is substantially analyzed to show an appropriate context for the transformations of the time period and is connected to the social, political, and religious background of the time period (5)	The economic background is sufficiently analyzed to show an appropriate context for the transformations of the time period (4)	The economic background lacks sufficient detail to show an appropriate context for the transformations of the time period (3)	The economic background is not sufficiently analyzed (0-2)	5
Background: Religious (HIS 118.1)	The religious background is substantially analyzed to show an appropriate context for the transformations of the time period and is connected to the social, political, and economic background of the time period (5)	The religious background is sufficiently analyzed to show an appropriate context for the transformations of the time period (4)	The religious background lacks sufficient detail to show an appropriate context for the transformations of the time period (3)	The religious background is not sufficiently analyzed (0-2)	5
Point of View (HIS 118.1)	Demonstrates clear point of view appropriate to the time period and uses an effective voice throughout (5)	Demonstrates clear point of view appropriate to the time period with only minor issues involving voice (4)	Demonstrates clear point of view, but meaning is hindered by the lack of an effective voice throughout (3)	Does not demonstrate a clear point of view (0-2)	5
Historical Perspective (HIS 118.3)	Demonstrates a well supported historical perspective that offers credible observations on the significance of the time period and uses research to support thinking (14-15)	Demonstrates an accurate historical perspective that offers observations on the significance of the time period (12-13)	Demonstrates an accurate historical perspective, but does not make clear observations on the significance of the time period (11)	Does not demonstrate an accurate historical perspective and does not make clear observations on the significance of the time period (0-10)	15
Summary (HIS 118.3)	Demonstrates the connection to later time periods and the evolution of society and uses research to support thinking (14-15)	Demonstrates the connection to later time periods and the evolution of society with appropriate details (12-13)	Demonstrates the connection to later time periods and the evolution of society but lacks sufficient details (11)	Does not demonstrate the connection to later time periods and the evolution of society (0-10)	15
Source Analysis (HIS 118.2)	Historical thought is supported by the analysis of both primary and secondary sources and compares the effectiveness of each source (14-15)	Historical thought is supported by the analysis of both primary and secondary sources (12-13)	Does not sufficiently provide an argument substantiated by source analysis (11)	Does not analyze the sources (0-10)	15
Articulation of Response	Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format (5)	Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization (4)	Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas (3)	Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas (0-2)	5
Earned Total Comments:	100%