Students will write weekly response papers (8 total) that synthesize the assigned readings.

These papers should be 2 pages and contain three key elements:

1) Summary of the Argument(s): Describe the main historical argument of the text. What is the main point of argumentation?

Note: If you are dealing with a group of articles or primary sources, you will need to approach this differently. Describe, instead, how the articles fit together. What story do they tell as a whole? Or, what debates or perspectives do they cover?

2) Evidence: How is the argument supported? What type of source materials does the author use? How is the text organized?

3) Evaluation: How does this author contribute to the historiography? Does the author make a convincing argument? How does this text work as a piece of historical writing? How does it relate to your knowledge of history or other books you have read (either inside or outside this course)?