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Assignment II
Part of what we will try to establish in this course are connections that tie events that are often centuries and continents apart. Think of it as big picture over time.
I would like you to reflect upon the possible connections that would tie the rise of Genghis (Chinggis) Khan to the era of intense spiritual and intellectual upheaval and questioning in late Medieval Europe (14th, 15th, and into 16th centuries) that preceded what came to be known as the Protestant Reformation. The Mongol expansion sparked a series of events that might provide us with at least one piece of the puzzle to explain what led society to question everything it had more or less quietly accepted before. (I stress, this is a possible explanation of some of the many factors). Very specifically, I am asking you to consider disease as the particular engine of change here. You are NOT going to discuss the PR itself, but to consider how the Mongols set off a chain of events that ultimately and indirectly (through the Plague) created a shift in attitudes that could open the way to a movement of questioning, like the PR, to emerge
In essence I am asking you to follow the domino pieces. Some of the domino pieces include the Mongol conquests, Mongol Empire, Movement of Armies and Merchants, Plague, Devastation, Depletion of Monastic Orders, Expanded Charity Requirements…. Making the correct connection and linkages and expressing them well is crucial. I am asking to follow on particular argument though focused mostly on disease, so although there are many other interesting factors (knowledge transfers and the like) please focus on disease.
In other words, try to provide a narrative that could explain the connections between these seemingly unconnected events some. You need to provide details derived from our class material on each event and a clear explanation of the connections – please be sure to establish a timeline and to provide dates.
Notice that there is already an argument inherent to this prompt. You do not need to create and original argument. Part of the exercise here is to see how well you can succinctly express this argument in your thesis statement.
Instructions:
To answer this question, you will want to use the Power Points on the Mongol Expansion and the PP on the Black Death, and the article titled “Biological Warfare at the 1346 Siege of Caffa ” (I HAVE ATTACHED PDF’S OF THESE)
Please be sure to cite.
The article contains primary source material which should be of great help to you as you explain just how the disease possibly spread to Europe (at least one documented route we know of) and affected society. DO NOT use arguments from outside sources.
I expect this to be typed, proofed, edited and polished. Double space, use 12 size font and employ regular margins (1 inch). You should be able to answer this in no more than 4 pages .
Send me or your TAs any questions you might have, and we will do our best to answer them. I have given you two weeks to complete this assignment, please do a good job of it.
There are a few issues I would like to elaborate on in order to dispel any possible confusion
1- The Mongol unification gave rise to a certain set of events. Those then set other events off, which in turn set off yet others until we finally have the events that I have referred to as a period of upheaval and questioning (Those things that caused people to question the church and so on and so forth.) That is what I am asking you to discuss and explain. How the plague arrived in Europe and how it created to the preconditions for a movement of intellectual and social revolt (so to speak.)
2- The article we read should be useful since if you draw the right information from it you can describe the effects of the plague and how it affected society, to support the argument that this was a time of chaos and fear and so on a so forth…Be sure to review the lecture notes carefully and use them when appropriate.
3- Please use Chicago Manual of Style referencing style – I have provided you brief guide (module 3.) You may also want to use our library resources: http://libguides.fiu.edu/citation
PROOF, EDIT, and USE WRITING CENTER
WARNING: Let me also take this opportunity to point out, in the strongest terms possible, that plagiarism will result in severe penalties in this class. Let me be very clear, between the turn-it-in filters and our experience detecting tone shifts in a paper, your chances of successfully passing off a plagiarized paper are slim.
Assignments will be graded on the following criteria:
1) Quality of thesis statement which you craft in response to the question: A thesis statement as you should be aware, is a succinct statement that usually comes at the very end of your introduction and posits your argument. Basically, you will be assessed on how well you explain the argument you are presenting in your paper, or in some cases how well you describe the arguments in the reading or readings you have been assigned (depending on directions in prompt)
2) Quality of supporting evidence: You will be assessed on how well you use relevant quotations and appropriate material from assigned readings and lectures to support your argument; and on whether you cite that material properly. In this class we will be using what is known as the Chicago or Turabian style in order to format our citations. NOTE: Failure to use assigned material will result in vert poor or failing grade all other things considered.
3) Organization of Paper: You will be assessed on how well you organize your narrative in support of your argument. In short, does your narrative progress logically and in a way that supports your thesis/argument and leaves the reader convinced of how right you are!
4) Quality of writing. YES, quality of writing is crucial. Recall this is not a literature composition but an analytical essay. Write clearly and succinctly. Doing otherwise could result in failure!
Quality of Intro and Thesis Statement:
Does the paper include a thesis statement that presents the overall argument of a connection between the Mongol expansion, and changes to European mental attitudes.
The idea is to explain how the Mongol expansion led to increased contacts between peoples. The Mongol Armies (this includes the Tartars mentioned by Gabriel de Mussis) having brought many areas of Eurasia under their control secured the trade routes and promoted trade. This brought large numbers of merchants from Europe into direct contact with the Mongol armies and merchants from the East. While the exchange of goods and ideas was beneficial it also inadvertently facilitated the spread of the plague which caused great trauma across Afro-Eurasia. In Europe this eventually led to the questioning of everything by society, including the Church
b-Is thesis positioned correctly in introduction (at the end)
c-Does any part of introduction create ambiguity as to the main argument that the prompt directed us towards
Quality of Supporting Evidence
a- Student engaged the Mongol and Black Death PP, and the Required “Siege of Caffa article (hopefully using the Gabriel De Mussis Primary Account in article.)
b- Student uses the most relevant quotes and details where appropriate (details of disease, of the horror…) and clearly explain the purpose of the quote. Basically, does student demonstrates understanding of what they are quoting
c- Student appropriately uses quotation marks and understands the need to integrate quotes in sentence and paragraph.
*useful skill: appropriately shifting verb tenses and prepositions inside quotes and inserting changes between brackets [] as appropriate, is a way to properly integrate quotes into your narrative
e- Student cites material appropriately using Turabian style in the footnotes
Organization of Paper
a- Student addresses every part of prompt
b- Student uses paragraphs to appropriately organize the narrative and clearly delineates the topic of each paragraph (topic statement) and retains clarity throughout
c- Student transitions smoothly between paragraphs (using transitional statements where necessary) and not leave reader wondering ‘why are we discussing this sub-topic here?’
d- Student has a proper conclusion that revisits thesis and expounds on it
Quality of Writing
a- Word Choice (words used in appropriate context.)
b- Grammatical errors (verbs usage, preposition usage, possessive usage…)
c-Sentence Clarity! Are words and phrases well-arranged do they create a well-formed sentence
d-Sufficient Original Content
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