8/13/2019 History 112 Potential Paper Topics

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History 112 potential paper topics

This list is intended as a suggestion, not as a requirement. You may choose topics not appearing on thislist, but please clear them with me first. The basic requirements for a topic is that it should be a historytopic (not anthropology/archaeology, not literature, not something else and that its main focus should fallwithin the time period of this class! roughly "##$1"## %&.

'egardless of the topic you choose, the paper should include the following elements!

1. bibliography of primary and secondary sources consulted. )or a paper of this length (2###$2"## words you should be consulting a *++*-* of )+& secondary sources and TH'&&primary sources. T&! &%Y%0&+ 'T+%0&3 '& T %%&T40& 3-'%&3)' %00&5& 0&&0 &'. T -3& TH&*. T %+T& TH&*. %+%H&6

2.   Notation indicating where and in what conte7t you8re using the sources you89e listed. Historydepartment standard notation follows the Chicago Manual of Style or :ate Turabian8s Manualfor Writers of Theses and Dissertations, but for this paper +8m willing to accept or *0formats. + do, howe9er, require you to be consistent in the way you cite your sources and thatyou are careful to cite your sources whene9er and where9er you borrow ideas, words, phrases,etc., from other authors.

;.   Standard expository composition format. You should ha9e a short (not more than oneparagraph in a paper this length introduction and a short conclusion. You should spend mostof your paper laying out your points and supporting them with e9idence drawn from yourprimary and secondary sources.

 + won<t require that you follow the outline for writing essay answers that we will go o9er in class= you mayfind it helpful, or you may not. Howe9er, part of your grade will rest on how well you<9e followed thepoints +<9e listed abo9e.

1. &arly merica. How do historians thin> that the merican trade system de9eloped in the yearsbefore the %olumbian contact6 id ci9ili?ations li>e the *aya and the ?tec ha9e an importantimpact on trade6

2. Tang %hina and Heian @apan. 4oth these ci9ili?ations were imperial court$centered societies.How else were they ali>e, and in what ways did they influence each other8s de9elopment6

;. %hristendom and the %rusades. The crusades are not only wars of aggression, but also a startingpoint for the renewal of trade between the eastern *editerranean and Aestern &urope. How didthis trade change both these affected areas6

B. The +slamic world. The +slamic world is defined not Cust by religion, but also by elements of sharedculture and trade. How did this influence play out on the peripheries, li>e Aest frica andsoutheast sia6

". The %olumbian contact. +n what ways did the %olumbian contact change the mericas, &urope,

 frica, and sia6 How were world populations affected on both sides of the tlantic6

D. *edie9al empires of frica. The empires of *ali, 5hana, and 3onghai dominated trade acrossnorth and west frica for centuries. Ahat influence did they ha9e on &urope and sia6