Double-space, underline your thesis, and list your sources at the bottom of your microtheme. Not doing EACH of these things will result in my grading you down one full grade–apiece. This microtheme will ask you to choose a paired set of documents and use the secondary source to help you analyze the primary source. You should be sure that you apply analysis to BOTH sources–don’t forget to analyze your secondary source and the have the two interact! Be sure to use the skills you perfected writing the Critical Thinking Assignment and Warm Up. You can use the Strayer book and lectures as background material of course. ANALYZE, ANALYZE, ANALYZE!!! Primary sources are designated with (P) and secondary sources are designated with (S). A primary source is one that was written by the people of the time and place discussed or a witness to events inside or outside of their society. The Bible and US Constitution are primary documents. A secondary document is something written about the past or an outside view. Your Strayer text is a secondary document, as are the lectures written by me for this course. You must have a strong thesis statement. You should use all of your discussion to prove your thesis with analysis and resist summary. You may of course use quotations from the documents as needed, but the GREAT majority should be in your own words. My lectures, the Strayer text, the evening news, or Full Frontal with Samantha B, are not eligible sources! I would also prefer that you do not use outside sources. You may of course use the knowledge you gain from lectures, the Strayer textbook, and the supplemental readings to make your arguments, but they cant count as sources. Writing the Microtheme Sometimes it is easier to say what something isnt than what it is when you are trying to define it. The microtheme assignment is not a research paper or a persuasive paper. Writing me a research paper or a persuasive paper will get you a poor grade–a D usually. Equal space, or almost equal space should be devoted to each source. Instead, you will be constructing a thesis based on what the authors are trying to tell us ABOUT HISTORY. Use your experience writing the Warm Ups to approach the materials for this assignment. How to Write the Microthemes The material on this page is copyrighted by Michele Scott James 2018. Constructing a thesis statement Microthemes are small analytical discussions or compositions that have one single point, or a few closely connected points that form a coherent argument. They begin with a clear thesis statement, and then make points that support it. A thesis statement is an assertion that can be proved or disproved. In other words: “Dogs are canines,” is not a thesis statement. My statement is not a thesis statement because it has an obvious answer, and cannot be disproved; dogs ARE canines. Here is an example of a poor thesis statement: “Greek women in Athens had few rights.” My response to this is “Well yeah, everyone knows this, why would someone write a microtheme about it?” In addition to a strong thesis statement, please use relevant facts, names, and dates that support the assertion(s) made in the thesis. Microthemes are usually about two to three pages long, or 750-1000 words. Warm Ups should be between 300 and 500 words. Again, you must choose to argue a position in your microtheme–research topics are off limits. For example: “Women in Ancient Greece is NOT a microtheme topic (see above), “Women in Ancient Athens had a lower status than men because of Greek views of love and equality” is. Form Microthemes must be well written, properly spelled, and demonstrate correct grammar and good style. You should list your sources (use approved sources only please) at the end of your microtheme. Please link a PDF to the Canvas link for each assignment in Assignments. If you have an ancient computer (I have one of these as my backup–so I understand) and cannot convert your word processing document to PDF, you may convert it to RTF and submit it that way. Written assignments should not be composed of materials that are not part of this class; if you do use any relevant outside material, it must be carefully cited, and does not count as one of your approved sources. Ideally you must use lecture, textbook material, and articles from Annual Editions together with your own ideas. Do not plagiarize; it will negatively affect your grade, and could get you reported to the Dean. There is a difference between primary and secondary documents–we can learn different things from them.* Many different techniques are available to scholars: DNA analysis, sonar ground imaging systems, etc.–how do they change our view of the subject? The types of sources we use can make us reach a different conclusion than someone who wrote on the same topic, but used different sources. The West in the World, 5th ed., vol. I, by Sherman and Salisbury Annual Editions World History vol. 1, 12th edition (P) The Odyssey, (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. Book IX by Homer and (S) The First Woman to Translate the Odyssey into English (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.Wyatt MasonHide
