2 History and 1 Philosophy paper

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King’s College – Department of History Western University

History 1401E (570): Modern Europe, 1715 to the Present

Professor Wes Gustavson

Comparative Article Review Guidelines Due Date 18 March 2015

Historians often reach different conclusions when examining the same event or subject and even after examining the same evidence. The purpose of this assignment is to compare and contrast the views of two historians on a similar subject or event by addressing the thesis, content, argument, evidence, and conclusions of each article. Guidelines Choose one of the following categories. All of the articles are available from the Western Library System in electronic and/or in print form.

1. The standard of living debate during Britain’s Industrial Revolution a. Peter H. Lindert and Jeffrey G. Williamson, “English Workers Living Standards

during the Industrial Revolution: A New Look,” The Economic History Review, Vol. 36, No.1 (Feb 1983): 1-25.

b. Charles H. Fenstein, “Pessimism Perpetuated: Real Wages and the Standard of Living in Britain during and after the Industrial Revolution,” The Journal of Economic History, Vol. 58, No.3 (Sept., 1998): 625-658.

2. An episode of colonial violence

a. Dan Stone, “White men with low moral standards? German Anthropology and the Herero Genocide,” Patterns of Prejudice, Vol. 35. No.1 (2001): 33-45.

b. Philipp N. Lehman, “Between Waterberg and Sandveld: An Environmental Perspective on the German-Herero War of 1904,” German History, Vol.32, No. 4 (2014): 533-558.

3. Postwar British feminism

a. Susan Kingsley Kent, “The Politics of Sexual Difference: World War I and the Demise of British Feminism,” Journal of British Studies, Vol. 27, No. 3 (July 1988): 232-253.

b. Maria DiCenzo, “Our Freedom and its Results: Measuring progress in the aftermath of Suffrage,” Women’s History Review, Vol.23, No.3 (2014): 421-440.

A comparative article review contrasts two related articles that often address similar themes but from different perspectives and whose conclusions are often at odds with one another. As you read the articles and take notes, remember that this assignment is not a summary of the articles. Instead, the object is to analyze the arguments, assess the evidence used, and then evaluate the interpretations or arguments.

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Consider what themes or elements the articles have in common and where they differ. What types of analysis do the historians use? Do the historians advance a particular school of thought or a particular historiographical approach? In short, do the articles engage in a form of academic debate? Structure of the Comparative Article Review:

1. The introductory paragraph should contain the titles of the articles being reviewed and the authors’ names. It should also have a few brief words on the major themes or issues under discussion.

2. A few paragraphs should be devoted to summarizing the articles. In your own words, summarize the content and describe the major themes or issues of the article. What is the author’s thesis? What is the purpose and the central argument or arguments of the articles?

3. Evaluate or critique the article(s) being reviewed. It is convincing and does the evidence

support the conclusions being drawn? Does the article contribute to a historiographical debate or to an established school of thought? Please note that your critique must be scholarly. The article may be too long, badly written, and poorly organized but you need to express that criticism properly. For example, you might note that the author listed numerous examples without properly linking them to their central thesis and this made the article too long. Avoid phrases such as “I think this a good/bad article”. The entire review is your opinion. In a short review it is also best to use your own words and avoid long quotations from the articles.

4. Consider how the articles compare and contrast with one another. Is one more successful than the other? Which one did you find more convincing and why?

5. Conclusion: summarize your evaluation and present a final assessment of the articles and your overall impressions. You may also state what contributions these articles make to their field, and what readers would find these articles useful or interesting.

Things to consider when reading and taking notes

1. Can you express in a single sentence precisely what each author argues in their respective articles? That is, does the author present a specific thesis?

2. Does the thesis speak to a wider controversy about a particular subject? Why has the subject attracted so much attention from historians over the years? Or are the author(s) breaking new ground with their research? If so, why was, or why are, the articles(s) groundbreaking for their time?

3. Assess the congruence or lack thereof between the author’s thesis and the evidence proviced to substantiate the argument? Are you convinced? If so, why? If not, why not? This discussion will be central to your own thesis or critique of the article. Most of your review should be devoted to your evaluation and conclusions.

Technical Requirements

- Length: The assignment should be 1500 words excluding the bibliography and self- evaluation letter. Assignments that either exceed these limits or fall short of them may be

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returned to you for revision before marking, or penalized. Please note the word count on the title page.

- Assignments should be typed, double-spaced, have a title page and the pages should be

numbered. Note: The title page is not page one!

- Your assignment should follow the rules of grammar etc expected in a formal paper. Avoid clichés, slang, first person tense and conversational language wherever possible. Please refer to the attached tips for formal history essays for specific ‘dos and don’ts’. In addition, you may want to make use of any number of manuals on style and form.

- A bibliography is necessary and citations to the articles and to any other sources should be

made according to the Chicago Manual of Style. Please refer Mary Lynn Rampolla’s, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History or the following Chicago Citation Guide for the correct format.

- Additional sources are not required but you may integrate them if you wish. As always,

internet sources are strictly forbidden unless authorized by the professor (the articles themselves are, of course, allowed). However, sources available through Western Libraries’ electronic databases (JSTOR etc) are permitted and students are encouraged to make use of these resources.

- The assignment is due by 11:55 pm on 18 March 2015. Please note that this date is firm. I

will grant extensions only in cases of illness (with proper documentation) or other urgent matters of a personal or familial nature. Computer breakdowns will not be considered grounds for an academic accommodation. For further information please see the College’s Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extension of Deadlines attached to the syllabus and Western’s Medical Accommodation policy.

- Students are also advised to familiarize themselves with the History Department’s essay

regulations and plagiarism policies attached to the course syllabus.

Self-Evaluation Letter

The final aspect to the assignment is a self-evaluation letter or statement. In a short paragraph(s), answer the following questions: What are the strengths and weaknesses of your assignment? What would you like to improve? What questions would you like answered in the professor’s comments? This section does not count towards the word limit of the assignment.

Turnitin.com

An electronic copy of the review must be submitted to turnitin.com by 11:55 PM on 18 March 2015. Students may access turnitin.com through the OWL assignment page. Simply logon to the course OWL site and click on the Assignments link and then open the Comparative Article Review link and scroll down to the submissions section. Once uploaded your assignment is transmitted to turnitin.com. Students who experience technical problems with turnitin.com are encouraged to contact the Information Technology Services Support Centre (519-661-3800 or ext. 83800). http://www.uwo.ca/its/helpdesk/

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To protect against loss of your review, or an allegation of academic fraud, students are advised to keep a duplicate copy of the assignment (as submitted), and to retain their rough notes and drafts until the final grades have been determined. Finally, please read carefully the Policy on Cheating & Academic Misconduct attached to the course syllabus.

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Writing Tips for Formal History Essays Composition

1. Omit needless words. As Strunk and White wrote in The Elements of Style, “A sentence should not have unnecessary words for the same reason that a machine should have no unnecessary parts.”

2. Do not overuse the passive voice (“The Russian Revolution was led by Lenin”) because it tends to be weak

and wordy. Use the active voice wherever possible (“Lenin led the Russian Revolution”).

3. Proofread your essay for spelling, grammatical, and typographical errors. Presentation

4. It is best to write history essays in the past tense. (“In 1933, Hitler became Chancellor”) as opposed to the historical present (“In 1933, Hitler becomes Chancellor”) which is much harder to sustain without making mistakes.

5. Do not use contractions (e.g. “don’t”).

6. Do not overuse the first person (“I will prove that”). Generally, the third person conveys more authority.

However, judicious use of the first person is acceptable.

7. In formal essays, avoid colloquialisms or slang.

8. Cliches (e.g. “every cloud has a silver lining”; “reared its ugly head”; “circumstances beyond there control.”) are the death of creativity. Do not use them.

9. Titles of books and periodicals (including newspapers) and the names of ships are italicized (e.g. “The New

York Times, HMS Hood).

10. Spell out numbers under 100. Technical

11. Number all of your pages, including your bibliography. Generally it is best to begin numbering with the second page. The title page is not page one!

12. Remember to staple your essay. No paper clips or folders please.

13. Do not indent your first paragraph, and do not put an extra space between your paragraphs.

14. Be wary or very short or very long paragraphs.

Quoting

15. Put all quotations in quotation marks.

16. Use direct quotes from secondary sources very sparingly. Normally, a ten page essay will contain no more than one or two such quotations. They are best used to as evidence to back up points you make in your own words. It is best to write in your own words, and use footnotes to acknowledge the source of your information. It is better to quote from primary, rather than secondary sources.

17. If you absolutely must use direct quotations from a secondary source, introduce them properly. Each

quotation should be introduced or contextualized and integrated into the text. In other words, you should

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not have a sentence that is entirely a quotation, unless it is part of a long quotation. Do not “drop” them into your text to finish a sentence that you have begun. (e.g. Do not do this: In 1941, “Stalin ignored warnings of an imminent German attack”; rather if you must quote, do this: According to leading Stalin scholar John Doe, in 1941 “Stalin ignored warnings of an imminent German attack,” etc).

18. Large, indented (offset) quotations (usually reserved for quotations of more than four lines) are single

spaced, and do not require quotation marks, as the indentation tells the reader that the passage in question is a quotation.

19. Note that “quotation” is a noun, while “quote” is a verb.

Grammar

20. In most cases, form the singular possessive with ‘s. Note that pronominal possessives its, hers, yours, ours, and theirs are possessive without an apostrophe. “It’s” is commonly mistaken for the possessive form of “it”, when in fact it is a contraction for “it is” or “it has’.

21. Under no circumstances does the ‘s indicate the plural form. “German’s” means belonging to one German.

“Soldier’s” means belonging to a soldier. “Germans” and “soldiers” are the correct plural form.

22. Do not use sentence fragments, even though they are sometimes used to good effect in popular writing.

23. Proverbial expressions, colloquialisms (see tip seven) and familiar phrases do not require quotation marks. It is also best to avoid using quotation marks to suggest irony as the same effect can often be achieved by reworking the sentence.

Words and Phrases, Commonly Misused

24. “Effect” is a noun that means “result” and a verb that means “to bring about”. “Affect” means “to influence”.

25. “Disinterested” means impartial, not “uninterested.”

26. “Italians thought” is preferable to “Italy thought”. Countries do not think.

Punctuation

27. Offset subordinate clauses with commas. “Leon Trotsky, in exile since 1929, was murdered on Stalin’s order in 1940.”

28. Use a comma to separate long clauses joined by a conjunction (and, but, for, since).

29. A semicolon (;) can be used to join two principle clauses not connected by a conjunction (e.g. “Throughout

his political career Wilfred Laurier showed that he wanted to avoid splitting Canada into two warring camps; this was true of his actions throughout the conscription crisis.”

30. Colons (:) are not the same as semicolons. Normally, they introduce a long list. (“The Allies forbade the

export to Iraq of key materiel: missiles, tanks, automatic weapons, ammunition, explosives, land mines, and aircraft.”) They can also be used before a long quotation.

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