Essay Instructions: We will pay $150.00 for this order!!
[Taken verbatim from the course handbook]
"ESSAY QUESTION:
"How was the slave trade practised in Europe and Africa before 1550, in comparison to the slave trade in and between the two regions after 1550? What were the main differences between the two periods in terms of their origins, motivations and effects on African society?"
Please do not exceed 2000 words. If you exceed this limit you may be penalised for excessive length.
You must have a bibliography and footnotes, both in MLA style. Remember that a bibiography also includes works which you have not cited, but found useful.
SUGGESTED READING:
these do not constitute all of your reading! You should have 12 to 15 sources at least. These are just to get you started:
1) Affonso of Congo, 'Evils of the Trade' in B. Davidson (ed.), The African Past: Chronicles From Antiquity to Modern Times (London, Longmans, 1967), pp.191-194.
2) W. Sollars (ed.), The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa the African Written by Himself (New York, Norton, 2001), pp.32-43.
3) 'A Letter to a Member of Parliament, 1745' in M.E. Wiesner et al Discovering the Global Past: A Look at the Evidence (Boston, Houghton, 2002), pp.105-108.
4) 'Excerpt from Richard Ligon, The True & Exact History of the Island of Barbadoes, 1673 in M.E. Wiesner et al Discovering the Global Past: A Look at the Evidence (Boston, Houghton, 2002), pp.110-115.
COURSE OUTLINE:
Old Worlds, New Empires 1250-1750 is a global history course. That doesn't mean that we'll study the history of the whole world, it means that we'll;
- make a comparative study of historical events, structures and processes around the globe
- try to analyse the wide-ranging impacts of events in various parts of the world, on other societies and cultures in other areas. For instance, why did the Black Death pandemic of 1347-51 apparently have very different effects in Europe and Asia? Why should the English takeover of Dutch colonies in 17th century America affect Indonesian contacts with North-Western Australia? We'll find out...
Two big questions raised in the course are:
- How did it come about that in 1250, the great Asian power-blocs and economies (the Mongol empire, the Indian Ocean trading region) held the balance of global wealth and influence; yet by 1750, European countries had established economic, political, and cultural dominance over much of the globe?
- What factors allowed, or caused, this major shift in power and influence?
This course covers a series of themes:
- how the world was viewed by people at different times and places
- how agrarian economies and class structures worked in different parts of the pre-modern world
- the effect of disease on world history
- what different political structures arose in different parts of the world, and why
- religious conversion and imperialism
- colonialism and its implications for gender relations and slavery.
MARKING CRITERIA:
A pass essay (50-59%) should:
answer the question, show why you've come to your conclusion; give some primary evidence for your argument; and show some indications that you've read a few reliable sources on the issue.
A credit essay (60-69%) should:
achieve evrything a pass essay does, but also; make a more sophisticated and critical argument; show extensive reading; and use primary sources critically.
A distinction essay (70-79%) should:
achieve everything a credit essay does, but also; make an original argument; show extensive reading (especially outside the given reading list); and show an ability to critique both primary and secondary sources.
A high distinction essay (80-100%) should:
achieve everything the other standards do, but also; show a highly original argument, and/or a very well-developed critical reading of both primary and secondary sources. A high distinction essay may also use a greater variety of sources, and address more profound theoretical questions of how best to write global history."
Forgive me if this is too much detail, I figured it would be better to include some information which may be irrelevant than accidentally exclude some which may have been useful. I understand that the texts in the suggested reading list are available at most university libraries. However, please don't hesitate to email me if you are having trouble getting hold of them and I will then email copies to you.
Thank you.
