Assignments:

All handouts and other information relating to assignments will be posted to this page.

What grades mean for the typical historial essay.

Informal Writing:

Discussion Questions - 10%

• You will write 10 informal commentaries for 12 of our class sessions as assigned.. Store these essays in a folder or binder and I will collect them every few weeks.
  • Each DQ (standing for - "Discussion Questions") is marked clearly in the calendar of readings.
  • Specific questions are (or will be) posted within each topic heading. Some sets of questions will be more specific than others.
• Each entry should be at least a page long (300 words) and some will be much longer. For example, I will ask you frequently to write brief comments on each source which we prepare on a given day, and this may take up more pages.
• All entries MUST BE TYPED AND DOUBLE SPACED.
• There are 12 days which require journal entries, and the best 10 will count for your grade. Entries will be graded S(atisfactory) or U(nsatisfactory). Each S is worth 1% of your final grade.
• I will collect reading journals only periodically, but will often use them as the basis for class discussion. If you fail to have yours with you when called upon, you will receive a U for the day. If you miss class, you must make up the reading journal before the next class for it to count.

Recursive Assignment: 5%

• "Recursion" means, from the Latin, to run back or return. For this assignment, you will re-read your reading journals and think about where your understanding has improved and write a 2-page thought piece on the subject. More information.
• Due 12/1.

Formal Writing

Mini-Essay - 5%

• 800-word essay on a chapter on The Medieval Household and its primary sources.
• Turned in via the MyDU system. More information.
• Due 9/8

Mini-research paper - 10%

• 1500-word essay on The Good Wife's Guide, a single extended primary source on a medieval French household. You will mine it for data about every day life and gender attitudes. Turned in via MyDU.
• Details.
• Due 10/13

Topical Essays - 15% each

• You will write three 1500-word essays on major topics of the class. I will give you more guidance before we get close, but each will involve identifying major themes from the primary sources and crafting a thesis about the way that women functioned within the given realm.
  • Land and Power - due 9/27
  • Women and Work - due 10/25
  • Religious Women - due 11/8
• Each essay will be turned in via the MyDU system.

Final Essay - 15%

• This essay will involve working with the ideas expressed by Judith Bennett in her book History Matters. You will use the primary sources you have read to agree or disagree (or some combination of both) with her theses about patriarchy and history. You will be specifically required to use data from the last month of the semester. More information.
• This will be turned in during exam week (our day) using the MyDU system.

Participation (and attendance) - 10%

At the end of each week, I will give you a little worksheet on which you will assess your contributions to the class, comment on your peers' work (and mine), and note any points of confusion. You will need to take ownership of your participation.

• Participation is more than just showing up, but it starts with just showing up. You cannot participate if you are not here and will be required to make up any work for each class you miss. You will need to speak to a peer to get notes then come to me with specific questions. Moreover, missing too many classes without written excuse (doctor, official Dominican event, death in the family) will directly penalize your final grade. Please read the following policy carefully:
  • Attendance Policy - You may miss three classes. I don't recommend it and you will have to make up the work on your own, but I will not ask any questions. For every class beyond three, you will need documentation to demonstrate the EMERGENCY that kept you from class. Otherwise, you will lose FIVE POINTS off of your final grade for every absence beyond three.
• But participation is about more than just showing up. It's about doing the reading, being prepared to talk about it, volunteering your input, being involved in your group work, preparing for the debates and other discussions, and generally being an asset to the class as a whole.
• Your participation is a significant percentage of your grade. Earn it. Take initiative. Do not expect to speak only when directly called upon and pass this section of the class.
• Finally, being late consistently may be counted as being absent. It will certainly lower your participation grade.