Reading Assignments

You can proceed through the readings pretty much as you please, but here is an arrangement that you can use.

Writing Assignments

Term Paper

This is a standard-issue history term paper. The parameters are different for graduate and undergraduate students. Note that I give the length as a word count, which is what I will go by. If you need some sort of guideline, figure about 250 words equals one printed page.

The draft and the final version will be graded separately. Consult the section on grading for more details.

Undergraduate Students

Minimum length 2,500 words. Minimum of three books consulted, but you should be able to show that you have used most or all of what our library has to offer on the topic.

Graduate Students

Minimum length of 5,000 words. I won't set a minimum for works consulted, but expect to exhaust BSU's resources and to look further afield as well, and to search journals as well as monographs.

Diplomatic report

By the third week everyone will have to choose a state (a nation or a city-state). This will become your country for the duration of the course. Every week, starting in Week 4, you will write a report on your state. Click here for a list of states from which you can choose.

Essay

Write one essay on a specific topic. This essay will be in the fashion of an encyclopedia article or a newspaper article. The length will be no less than 750 and no longer than 850 words. You should choose your topic accordingly. All topics have to be approved ahead of time.

All essays will be posted to the Web Essays that receive an A will be eligible to be added to the E-Ren Web permanently. If I add your essay, I will link it into the class and you will have a little share of net fame!