CROSS-CULTURAL WORLD HISTORY

Assignment 2

Minor Essay

In this first assessment item, you are asked to write a 600 word essay on the question set out below. You will submit your essay via SafeAssign by the end of Week 5.

Assessment Information: Essay

Length:

600 words 

Weight:  30%

Submission: SafeAssign

TASK DESCRIPTION: ESSAY

Answer the following question: How can Mary Louise Pratt’s concept of ‘contact zone’ be used to investigate experiences in cross-cultural world history?

In this first assessment item, you are asked to reflect on the set reading by Pratt from topic one of the unit, and to provide evidence of further reading into the topic – both from the course readings (set and extension) and your own wider research. In your answer, explain why a cross-cultural history approach provides a valuable way to understand world history from different perspectives.

This essay should be set out formally – see our document on writing essays – including in double space, with endnotes or in-text referencing. No need for a title page, but please include all your contact details and the exact title at the top of page one. Marks will be given for both the quality of the analysis and synthesis of the readings and presentation and style. This is also a good chance to practice uploading your essay on the Safe Assign system by the unit website – see our support document explaining how. Remember that whatever you write will be checked against all texts on the web. Your task is to combine your own thinking with the ideas of published historians, such as the readings in our unit, and to do so while properly signaling when you are either quoting from them or paraphrasing their ideas. One of your best sources for how to accomplish this task is the readings themselves, as we follow the same expectations as peer-reviewed journals and published books.

List of Requirements

1. Your essay does not need a cover page, but the essay question must be listed clearly and in full at the top of the first page along with your name and student number.

2. Your essay must be written in at least 12 point font, with appropriate margins, page numbers and at least 1½ line spacing.  Please insert your name and student number in the page footer.

3. Your essay must be written in a proper essay structure (introduction, body and conclusion). You should not use bullet points or headings.

4. You may use appropriate sources from the topic reading lists, but are encouraged to consult additional scholarly sources. Unacceptable sources include lecture notes, encyclopedias, and unverifiable internet sources (e.g. Wikipedia). As a guide, you should use at least six (6) sources. 

5. All sources used in your essay must be fully cited in-text and listed in a bibliography. Referencing style may be either APA or Harvard ‘author/date’. For a guide on how to reference, consult the on-line Referencing Tool available via Griffith University Library.

1. You must submit your assignment via SafeAssign by 5pm on Friday of Week 5. 

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA: ESSAY

In assessing your work, the teaching team will be looking for demonstrated effort, skills and ability in the following areas: 

1.    ACCURACY and UNDERSTANDING:  Is the information accurate?  Does the student demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of the key themes and concepts addressed in the course readings?

2.    ARGUMENT: Has a plausible argument been constructed in response to the question?  Is the argument persuasively made and appropriately supported?

3.    STRUCTURE and EXPRESSION: Is the style of the essay clear and concise,with a logical flow. Does the writing display fluency, clarity and grammatical correctness? 

4.    PRESENTATION: Is the essay well presented in regards to page numbering, font size, line spacing and similar details which comprise a well presented essay?

5.    IN-TEXT CITATION and BIBLIOGRAPHY: Have the sources been cited according to appropriate scholarly conventions?  Is there evidence of independent research of additional scholarly sources?