Some of you submitted Major Essays that did not follow the instructions below that are pointed to with this arrow4. Do remember that not following instructions with the questions does fall within the F criteria on the rubric.

Some of you may already be content with your grade after you do the Final Exam and may want to let the current paper stay as is. That is fine with me. I understand the tight schedules some of you live under.

On the other hand, some of you

1. may want to resubmit your Major Essay before 12:00 PM (noon) on 3/20 and I will reevaluate the grade that I will have to enter.

2. And if you do, you MUST email me telling me to go look at your revised paper.

Instructions and Choices for the Major Essay (a Turnitin.com Assignment Through Blackboard)

What is on this webpage:

REQUIRED content

What is the purpose of this kind of question?

What are the parts of the Major Essay?

Common Questions

The table provides answers to questions that students frequently have. If there is a question not covered that you need, please ask and I will add it.

Read down the left column to find the question whose answer you want to know and then read to the right for the answer.

Type of Question	Your Question	Answer
REQUIRED content	What is the purpose of this kind of question?	The purpose of the questions is to help you learn history, to use primary sources, and to examine how history reveals personal responsibility. It requires the same Good Habits for Evidence as with the Unit essays, but it allows more options for what you examine. Although you must cite sources, you do not have to have completed all of your English courses to succeed at this.
	What are the parts of the Major Essay?	With the Major Essay, you do two parts in this paper: 1. 4Compare an issue about two periods of time (1 page maximum) - 1600s through 1763 - 1763 through the 1830s 2. Examine how those issues in history reveal how—to quote the Texas standard—“to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision making” (1 page maximum), something that all of us have to do in our lives and something that history can help us prepare for by examining others’ experiences.
	More on that 2^nd Part of What You Do	The quotation is from the new Texas standard for personal responsibility. I am not just using the standard because it's a standard (although that is an honorable reason), but because it is my experience with history. As I keep saying, history teaches how things work. If we read reliable sources and we read to figure out what the sources actually say, thenwe will know how things work. We don't have to live through every vile event in the world to learn how to try to protect our families from vile events. We can examine with care what happened to others and what others caused and see what makes (or didn't make) an ethical decision (or a vile series of events).
	What is a comparison?	A successful Major Essay is not 2 individual reports. Instead, it is a comparison of two periods of time. To compare something, you: · First, carefully examine the two things to discover three or so issues or characteristics that reveal them both. · Second, once you identify those three or so issues or characteristics, you discuss each issue one by one. This link provides tips on how to compare.
	What is the source you MUST use?	You are to use: · Your textbook for both of the two periods of time, including the readings from the textbook that show change in servitude over time in the early period (Click here for the link provided with the History Changes.) *Tip*: You are not just reading to repeat back but to understand the history. · 4At least two of the primary sources provided in the link in this folder, with at least one from the earlier period and one from the later period. (Alternative: see the Course Schedule for how you can propose other primaries.)
	What are the questions you MUST choose from?	You can choose your own question from those listed below. If you use primary sources provided for the period covered in Unit 2, then your question should be OK. (Alternative: see the Course Schedule for how you can propose other questions.) Do 1 (ONE) of these comparisons. 1. Using the required sources, compare between one and three characteristics of - the period Slavery in English Colonies in the South – Late 1600s - with servitude in the period covered in Unit 2. The link to sources provides some possibilities. 2. Using the required sources, compare between one and three characteristics of - the period Slavery in English Colonies in the South – Early 1600s - with servitude in the period covered in Unit 2. The link to sources provides some possibilities. 3. Using the required sources, compare between one and three characteristics of - the period of the period Indenture– Post-1676 in the South - with opportunities for those seeking land in the period covered in Unit 2. The link to sources provides some possibilities.
	Example of a question – and if you want me to confirm that your question is a safe one	You compare an issue about two periods of time (1 page maximum) · 1600s through 1763 -- You need to use something from the History Changes content on servitude (white and African) · 1763 through the 1830s -- You can choose something in that era that you want to think about and compare. I have a link right below the one you were using that has some of the primaries (writings of people who lived then) you can choose from. (FYI: the top part of that link also tells you about other options for primaries.) I wanted this to be as open-ended for students as I could, but this personal example might help. If I were you, I'd be interested in the purpose of the colonial laws on slavery from the 1660s and comparing that to the purpose of the protections for slavery in the Constitution (both primaries in the Major Essay folder). If any of you have something you would like to compare, you can always try the question out on me. I will say "yes" UNLESS I think there is not enough content or some other issue that would cause you to not make a good grade. I want you guys to read about what you want to read about, but I also know everyone needs a decent grade.
REQUIRED file, length, format, and what goes at the top of your paper	What is the maximum length?	For the Major Essay Assignment, 41 page maximum for the comparison and 41 page maximum for the examination of personal responsibility. Why is 1 page enough for the comparison? You are not repeating every fact in the book. Think of this as explaining the issues to your smart cousin.
	What is the required format of the paper?	Your file must be formatted in these ways: · Double spaced for the body of the text · 12-point font · 1.25 margins on each side · 1 inch at the top and bottom If you have questions about this or anything else, just ask.
	What is the required format of the file?	Turnitin accepts: · A Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx) · An Adobe file (.pdf) · An Open Office document (.odt) · A Rich Text format available with Word (.rtf) If you need to use another file format, check with me. Turnitin also requires that the file: · Must be less than 20 MB · Must have at least 20 words of text · Must be less than 400 pages
	What must be at the top of your paper?	4Provide this information as shown in the file: 1. Name 2. Textbook edition (2nd or 3^rd or 4th) - If you do not see an edition on the textbook or if you see the word Volume on its cover, ask me what to do. 3. Book version (paperback or hardback) 4. Exact text of the question *Why the textbook information?* The facts are pretty much the same in all the textbooks, but the page numbers are different. Because of that, before I begin to grade, I sort all the papers according to the textbook used (such as all the 3^rd edition paperbacks). If I find a statement in your paper that just does not seem factually accurate, I can quickly go look at the page where you said you were.
REQUIRED citation to reveal your evidence	What information is necessary to show exactly where you found each fact that you use from the textbook, whether that fact is a quotation or in your own words?	Citation can be in many formats (covered below), but what matters about citation is not the format. Instead, citation is a tool: · For your being able to think well · For letting others be able to confirm quickly for themselves whether you are right To reveal your thinking and your evidence in this course, you: 1. 4Provide the exact page number, not a range of pages and not a set of pages. 2. 4Cite both: · 4Facts in your own words, · 4Facts in the author’s exact words (a quotation) FYI: Regardless of the format, citation goes immediately after a fact. If you have several facts together from the same page, you only need to cite one time, and that is after the last fact from that page. *Caution:* You do not cite the completed table I provide. Instead, you need to go to the specific page in the textbook, read it carefully, and cite that.
	What information do you provide if you want to use the dictionary terms provided in the course?	I provide a list of key terms useful for this content, including terms such as slavery or indenture. *Caution:* You may not use any other dictionary. If you want to use some fact from those terms, write this immediately after the fact this citation: (Dictionary link)
REQUIRED citation format	What is the format for the citations for each fact?	Whatever format you use, you must meet the citation requirements to reveal your evidence (listed above). You have two choices for format of your citation. *1. If you already very comfortable with any of the formats for citation covered by The Bedford Handbook, you may use that.* The Bedford Handbook covers these formats: · Chicago Manual of Style (frequently referred to as Chicago) · Modern Language Association (frequently referred to as MLA) · American Psychological Association (frequently referred to as APA) – 4In this course, if you use APA, you must provide citations for facts, not just quotations. 2. If you have not already learned one of these standards, do not try to learn that now. Instead, you may use this very simple format: · If you are citing the textbook, write the fact 4and follow it by the page number from the textbook in parentheses (p. #) Example if you were using a fact from page 90 of the textbook: Sentence with the fact (p. 90). · If you are citing one of the primary sources provided in the link, write the fact and follow it by its 4brief name for the link and 4the specific page number. Example: If you were using a fact from page 10 of the Constitution. Sentence with the fact (Constitution, p. 10) Tip: you can determine a reasonable page number of an online source by using print preview.
	What about a List of Works Cited or something like that?	Some formats include things requiring additional pages: · If you are using MLA and want to include a List of Works Cited, it is not required but you are welcome to do what makes you feel comfortable. · If you use Chicago and want to use endnotes, you may. In those cases only, you may submit 3 pages, with the third being the List of Works Cited or the endnotes.
Examples	Are there examples of student papers available?	This is the first time to do this assignment so the examples will develop beginning with this class.
REQUIREMENTS for submission and due date	When is it due and how is it submitted?	On the date listed in the Course Schedule using the Turnitin Assignment Tool in this folder.
Grading	What are the requirements that determine the grade?	Although the appearance of the rubric will be slightly different because it is within Turnitin, the grading is the same as the Unit essays. The only difference is the value of the Major Essay is 100 points, not 20.

WCJC Department:	History – Dr. Bibus
Contact Information:	281.239.1577 or bibusc@wcjc.edu
Last Updated:	2014
WCJC Home:	http://www.wcjc.edu/