Overview
Throughout Modules Five and Six, you have been guided through beginning your Project 2: Historical Analysis Essay, which you will continue to work on in Modules Seven and Eight and formally submit for completion at the end of Module Eight of the course. This progress check assignment provides you with an important opportunity to get valuable instructor feedback on the progress you are making and to ensure you are on the right track for your later submission.
Prompt
Modules Five and Six have introduced you to how historians approach assessing historical evidence to refine their thesis statement and message. By now you should have enough evidence compiled from your research to begin writing your historical analysis essay. You will begin working on the essay piece by piece. In Module Five: Analyzing History, learning block 5-4 (page 2) in the webtext, you will work on drafting an introduction for your historical analysis essay. This introduction will include the necessary parts of an introduction: an explanation of the topic and argument, an overview of evidence, and your revised thesis statement.
Specifically, in this assignment, you will submit parts of the following elements of your Project 2: Historical Analysis Essay for review by your instructor:
In Module Five: Analyzing History, Learning Block 5-4 (page 5) in the webtext, you worked toward the following element:
- Introduction: In this section of your essay, you will introduce your readers to the historical event you selected. Specifically, you should:
- Provide a brief overview of your historical event. For instance, what background information or context does the reader of your essay need?
In Module Five: Analyzing History, Learning Block 5-4 (page 1) in the webtext, you worked toward the following element:
- Based on your research question, develop a thesis statement that states your claim about the historical event you selected. Your thesis statement should be clear, specific, and arguable, as it will give direction to the rest of your essay.
Please note that the numbering included above directly aligns with the numbering of these elements as they are presented in the Project 2 Guidelines and Rubric. For your final historical analysis essay, you will also include body paragraphs, a conclusion, a reference list, and your essay’s overall message, but you do not need to include them in this submission. You will be prompted to build upon this progress check submission to prepare your final historical analysis essay for submission in Module Eight.
What to Submit
The Historical Analysis Essay Progress Check 1 must be submitted as a 1-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. Follow the formatting of the example included in Module Five: Analyzing History, learning block 5-4 (page 5) in the webtext, and include identifying information (name, course code and title, name of university, and date) as well as section headings (revised thesis and introduction) as appropriate.
Historical Analysis Essay Progress Check 1 Rubric
| Criteria | Proficient (100%) | Needs Improvement (75%) | Not Evident (0%) | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction: Overview | Provides brief overview of historical event | Provides brief overview of historical event, but with gaps in detail or clarity | Does not provide brief overview of historical event | 50 |
| Revised Thesis Statement | Develops clear, specific, and arguable thesis statement that states claim about historical event, based on research question | Develops thesis statement that states claim about historical event, but thesis statement is not based on research question or lacks clarity or specificity or is not arguable | Does not develop thesis statement that states claim about historical event | 30 |
| Articulation of Response | Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization | Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas | Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas | 20 |
| Total: | 100% |