As part of the requirements for this course you will write an 800 word essay that should be typed, double-spaced, uses 12-point Times New Roman font, and contains citations and a bibliography page in MLA style. You will compare and contrast TWO artistic (paintings, sculpture, sketches), literary (literature), architectural (pyramids, temples, churches, statues, monuments) OR philosophical works produced by two cultures covered in the course. You can jump ahead and consult your textbook to get ideas about which cultures and works you would like to compare and contrast for the essay. The works that you choose for each of the two cultures do not have to be featured in your textbook. If you are interested in a particular culture, you can look for works by that culture in books or on the internet.
A cultural theme such as class, floods, droughts, death and attitudes toward death, war rivalries, structures of power and politics, religious conflict, chaos and order, gender, revenge, etc. has to connect the two works you choose. For example, if you are interested in structures of power and politics you could compare and contrast an Egyptian pyramid to the Parthenon in Greece. In this example, the two cultures are Egyptian and Greek and the two architectural works are pyramids and the Parthenon. The theme that connects them is power. Or you could compare and contrast a selection from the Epic of Gilgamesh (Mesopotamian culture/literary work) to another literary work from another culture if you find that they share a theme. These are only two examples; the possibilities are endless. The topic for your essay is due on September 21st as specified in the syllabus. You can consult a maximum of 5 sources for this essay. The sources that you use MUST BE CITED in your essay in MLA style. Use the sources to gain background information and context about the works you choose. For example, you will have to explain what their history is or whom or what is depicted in them. You will be making arguments in your essay and supporting them with evidence. These sources will provide that evidence. Sources must be books, database articles, and magazines. DO NOT use your textbook as one of your sources; it will not count. The same goes for using the readings that I post for the course. As HCC students you have free access (in the library and online) to databases such as JSTOR where you can download articles. I strongly advise against using unreliable websites and blogs as sources.
Your essay must be 800 words, however, if it goes over that is fine. You will lose points if your essay does not meet the word count requirement. Make sure that you submit YOUR OWN WORK. When you submit via Canvas, your essay will be checked by Turnitin. If you plagiarize, you will receive a ZERO. Essays that do not have in text citations and a bibliography page in MLA style will be considered to be plagiarized because you would not be giving credit to the authors and sources that you used. Consult the following link as it provides valuable information about MLA style: MLA Style Guide.
Lastly, do not wait until the last minute to submit your essay on Canvas on the due date. For example, if you wait until 11:35 p.m. you run the risk of submitting your work late. The Turnitin tool takes time to upload your essay.
Consult the rubric for the essay. It informs you exactly how I will grade your essay.
If, after reading this, you have questions email me AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
