Global Literacy Research and Reflection Assignment – Final Step
Purpose: To assess your ability to interpret the global past, to assess aspects of global diversity, global heritage, and global interdependence, and to select evidence and construct an argument using historical evidence, you will prepare a short essay that pursues a research question and reflects on global literacy and being “enlightened citizens, globally astute leaders, and engaged solution creators.”
Research questions and historical evidence must be approved by the instructor in advance of final paper submission. Some factors to consider in developing a research question:
- Global diversity: Does answering the question involve examining more than one region? (East Asia, South Asia, Southwest Asia, Europe, Northern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Austronesia, South America, Mesoamerica, North America) If it doesn’t incorporate regional diversity, does pursuing the question involve exploring religious, linguistic, cultural, social, or gender diversity?
- Global heritage: Does answering the question involve examining a cultural, social, or political institution, artifact, movement, idea, architecture, piece of art, or leader of lasting significance?
- Global interdependence: Does answering the question involve exploring interdependence in world history, involving connections either between societies, civilizations, and regions or within them?
Some general topics that have worked well include:
- Pastoralism and agriculture
- Writing and oral tradition
- Religion
- Free and unfree labor
- Gender relations
- Political power and legitimacy
- Trade and travel
Papers work well when analyzing two or three examples from different parts of the world or one example across an extended period (i.e., more than one textbook chapter).
Practical considerations include identifying a question that can be answered using historical evidence, such as maps, images, and primary sources included within Worlds Together, Worlds Apart, with context from the textbook and/or other course materials.
The final paper should be between 750 and 1000 words (typically 3-4 pages of double-spaced, 12-point font). This word count does not include footnotes or bibliography. You must indicate the page numbers from which you gather and/or quote material. Copying from any source without proper citation is plagiarism and will result in a 0 on the assignment. A grading rubric will be utilized on this paper.
What you’re submitting: a research paper, 750-1000 words in length, that uses examples and sources from within Chapters 1-13 of Worlds Together, Worlds Apart, the student site, and/or Deep Dive options to answer a research question related to world history prior to 1700.
If you use AI: while most students find attempts to use AI to be a time waste, you may use it up to Level 3Links to an external site., but note that you need to use examples from Chapters 1-13, the student site, and/or Deep Dive options and you need to include any prompts and AI-generated results you used for this project as an appendix at the end of the paper.
