History 217 Paper 1
Writing Essays in History
An argumentative/persuasive essay does exactly what it says: makes an argument and tries to persuade the reader that the argument is correct. I suggest that you use the 3 point, 5 paragraph essay format, as it works very well for these kinds of essays. It is NOT required–you may do two points or four points or however many you choose and can have more than five paragraphs. It is just a suggestion.
Outline your essays and work from that to help you with organization and structure. Write for an educated, but uninformed reader–not the professor, but someone who has not read the book, has not taken the class. Use formal style–no “I”, no slang, proper grammar, etc. Since this is history, use past tense. Cite your sources (you do not have to cite lectures, I especially do not require specific citations of them although many students reference them generally–so they cite the lecture title, but don’t put the exact time in the lecture the information was stated, etc.). Use whatever citation style/format you use in your major–APA, MLA, etc. We use the Chicago Manual of Style in history, which requires footnotes, but I do not expect that in a survey course. Use what you already know. If you do not know a citation style, make one up! At the end of the paragraph or end of the quotation, put parentheses with the author’s name or short title and the page number.
The first paragraph is your introduction. In it, first set up the topic with a few sentences that introduce the reader to the topic. When writing about a book, include the title and author’s full name in the introduction. Second, and most importantly, you need to make your argument in a thesis statement. Be precise and specific. State the “because” (the reason how and why things happened). Most students can write their thesis statement in one sentence, but sometimes it takes a couple or three sentences to make the argument. Third, focus your argument and the essay on the main points that you will be explaining in your analytical body paragraphs. This can be done in a separate sentence immediately after the thesis and at the end of the introduction. Or it might be part of the sentence statement itself. Most students focus the paper and the argument with a separate sentence that says, “This could be seen in . . . .” and then they list their main points–usually three, especially if using the 3 point, 5 paragraph format.
Then comes the body of the essay, your analytical paragraphs. The general rule of thumb is to have one paragraph per point that you are making. In these paragraphs, explain what you mean, using specific details. You are interpreting what happened and how and why it happened. Get into the content–tell the story, describe characters and events, analyze how and why things happened. This is where you demonstrate your critical (analytical) thinking. When writing on a book, use quotations from the book as evidence. This is where you present the facts, using them as evidence to support your thesis. Be sure to consider historical context–recognize that you are writing about a different time and a different place and that people at that time and place did not know what was going to happen later and that they had different values, perspectives, and so on. These tend to be fairly long paragraphs and sometimes you need to break them up into two or three paragraphs if you have a lot of information. But most students are able to do one paragraph per point–three analytical paragraphs in the 3 point, 5 paragraph format.
Finally, write your conclusion. This is where you bring things together and restate your argument in a different way but reiterate it to remind the reader of what they should conclude from your analysis.
You may choose to be literary and dramatic. But most students just want to get the job done and do not spend time writing a gripping tale with elegant turns of phrase. I am not expecting you to be a great writer, but things like writing mechanics and style do count for a portion of the grade–about 10%. The only time it really makes a big difference in grading is if I simply cannot understand what is being said because of such poor writing. That is rare, but does happen.
Do not plagiarize. To not get caught lifting material from others is actually more work than writing the paper on your own. Don’t cheat, it isn’t worth it.
Dr. Fuller – History Essay Rubric Total Score: /100
Excellent
Good
Needs Improvement
Weak
Poor
Unacceptable
Introduction
Clear thesis statement; no mistakes in writing mechanics; formal, flowing style; focus of argument and paper is clear; engages subject critically; on topic/reading; considers context. 20 points
Has few mistakes but is weak in one minor area, such as clarity, style, or writing mechanics. Be more specific with thesis/focus on specifics to set up essay. On topic/reading. 16 pts.
Few mistakes but is weak in more than one minor areas: clarity, style, or writing mechanics. OR thesis needs to be more specific; does not set up the essay and argument.
Lacks focus. Slightly off topic/reading. 12 pts.
Many mistakes, is weak in one major area: unclear thesis statement, lack of focus, does not engage subject critically, off topic/reading; lacks context; does not set up essay—and in minor areas. 8 pts.
Weak in more than one major area: unclear thesis statement, lack of focus, does not engage subject critically, off topic/reading; lacks context; does not set up essay—and in minor areas. 4 pts.
Weak in several major areas: unclear or no thesis statement, lack of focus, does not engage subject critically, off topic/reading; lacks context; does not set up essay—and in many minor areas. 0 pts.
Body I
Development of Argument
Argument well developed; connections made between facts and interpretation (theory); shows critical thinking; shows significance of events, people, facts; shows context; all points are explained clearly and completely. 20 pts.
Few mistakes but is weak in one area: argument not developed fully; lack of connections; lack of critical thinking; needs expanded analysis; lack of context; lack of clarity; lacks significance; some points not explained completely.
16 pts.
Few mistakes but is weak in more than one area: argument not developed fully; lack of connections; lack of critical thinking; needs expanded analysis; lack of context; lack of clarity; lacks significance; some points not explained completely. 12 pts.
Many mistakes and is weak in more than one area: argument not developed fully; lack of connections; lack of critical thinking; needs expanded analysis; lack of context; lack of clarity; lacks significance; some points not explained completely. 8 pts.
Many mistakes and is weak in several areas: argument not developed fully; lack of connections; lack of critical thinking; needs expanded analysis; lack of context; lack of clarity; lacks significance; some points not explained completely. 4 pts.
Many mistakes and is weak in many areas: argument not developed fully; lack of connections; lack of critical thinking; needs expanded analysis; lack of context; lack of clarity; lacks significance; some points not explained completely. 0 pts.
Body II
Use of Evidence
Specific events, people, dates, facts are present and connected to argument. Quotations included and used appropriately. Evidence placed in context. Uses primary sources. 20 pts.
Few mistakes but is weak in one area: needs more specifics; lack of connections; few quotations; lack of context. Needs more primary sources. 16 pts.
Few mistakes but is weak in more than one area: needs more specifics; lack of connections; few quotations; lack of context. Needs primary sources. 12 pts.
Many mistakes and is weak in more than one area: needs more specifics; lack of connections; few quotations; lack of context. Needs more primary sources. 8 pts.
Many mistakes and is weak in several areas: needs more specifics; lack of connections; few quotations; lack of context. Needs more primary sources. 4 pts.
Many mistakes and is weak in many areas: needs more specifics; lack of connections; few quotations; lack of context. Needs more primary sources. 0 pts.
Body III
Style/Organization/
Writing Mechanics (Grammar, word choice, etc.)/Citations
Writing mechanics are strong, style smooth and formal, well-organized (use of paragraphs, etc.), sources cited/proper citation. 20 pts.
Few mistakes, but is weak in one area: mechanics, style, organization, citations.
16 pts.
Few mistakes, but is weak in more than one area: mechanics, style, organization, citations.
12 pts.
Few mistakes and is seriously weak in one or two areas: mechanics, style, organization, citations. 8 pts.
Many mistakes and is seriously weak in one or two areas: mechanics, style, organization, citations. 4 pts.
Many mistakes and is seriously weak in more than two areas: mechanics, style, organization, citations. 0 pts.
Conclusion
Conclusion is clear and shows significance of argument/subject; critically engaged; and well-written. 20 pts.
Conclusion is strong, but is weak in one area: clarity, significance, critical engagement; writing. 16 pts.
Conclusion is good, but is weak in two areas: clarity, significance, critical engagement; writing. 12 pts.
Conclusion is weak in three areas: clarity, significance, critical engagement; writing. 8 pts.
Conclusion is weak in all four areas: clarity, significance, critical engagement; writing. 4 pts.
No conclusion. 0 pts.
