Major Comparison – the Instructions

What Do You Prepare and Submit to Turnitin in Blackboard?

Where Can You See the Rubric for Grading Your Comparison?

Background about the Texas Standard for Personal Responsibility and Your Assignment

What Are Your Possible Topics to Compare? (This is repeated in the Content Link.)

Where Can You Find the Exact Pages to Read and Help With the Content and Terms?

Where Can You Find the File You Download, the Instructions for Using Turnitin in Blackboard, and the Turnitin Assignment Itself?

 

 

Caution: Major Comparison – Content explains the only primaries and textbook pages you can use. It also covers how many primaries you must have.

What Do You Prepare and Submit to Turnitin in Blackboard?

You use the file provided in this folder as a template for what must be in your file from the heading area to the font.

 

You do not include the 5 Ws chart in this file. I do recommend, however, that you do the 5 Ws (Who, What, When, Where, Why, and sometimes How) chart comparing in short phrases (with the page numbers) the two things in the topic that you have chosen. Where can you see an example? In Good Habits for Evidence or in this direct link to the method provided there and to its 5Ws chart. From these charts you can determine what would be several possible comparisons. You choose the issues you want to examine. If you need help, ask.

 

You must use the file provided in this folder as a template for what must be in your file from the heading area to the font.

 

You prepare a 1 page comparison of the two things in the topic that you have chosen. You follow all of the 5 Good Habits for Evidence in your paper, including citation.

 

Reminder: The required citation method is the Chicago Manual of Style, the standard used for disciplines such as history. For how to cite using the Chicago Manual of Style, use:

·         A brief version of the Chicago Manual of Style provided in this folder

·         A simpler version to write citations provided in this course (It also shows an example from the A paper provided with the Good Habits for Evidence.)

For both of the above, see the Tips about Chicago Manual of Style, about How to Use Endnotes in Word, and About the Simple Method You May Use in THIS Course

 

If your endnotes (and nothing else) extend to a 2nd page, that is OK.

Where Can You See the Rubric for Grading Your Comparison?

You can find the rubric and how it is used for grading in the Good Habits for Evidence or in this direct link to the explanation of the rubric.

Background about the Texas Standard for Personal Responsibility and Your Assignment

You use textbook pages for content you have already examined or read about in the prior Comparisons. Examine how those issues in history reveal how—to quote the Texas standard—“to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision making.”

 

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.

 

History teaches how things work. If we read reliable sources and we read to figure out what the sources actually say, then we will know much more about how things work in the world and be better to protect ourselves, our families and our nation and to preserve those that are essential to the general welfare of all of us.

 

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 Are Your Possible Topics to Compare? (This is repeated in the Content Link.)

What Are Your Possible Topics to Compare? (This is repeated in the Instructions link.)

Requirements for any Major Comparison:

·         You may only use the possible primaries listed below. They are placed immediately below this link. The section on primaries tells you how to cite the primaries with the simple method provided in this course.

·         You may only use exact pages of the textbook that were listed for prior Comparisons.
All of those pages are listed below.
Caution:  If you used an incorrect page with a prior Comparison, you cannot use it now. Double-check your pages.

·         You need at least one primary source from each of these time periods.
- 1860s through 1900
- 1900 to the 1940s

·         You may only use the definitions provided for the prior Comparisons. All of those are provided in this folder.
If you use a brief portion of a definition, you cite by writing the word Definition and then the word.
For example, if you decide to use a brief part of the definition of the word segregation, you would place this as the text for the endnote:
Definition: segregation

·         You compare an event or action from 1860s through 1900 to those equivalent events or actions from 1900 to the 1940.

·         You must focus—to quote the Texas standard—“to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision making.”  Note: you will find background on the Texas standard in the Instructions link.
Tip: This may seem difficult unless you ask yourself what made history change from those two broad time periods and how much did individuals’ actions have to do with those changes. Sometimes things work well and sometimes they don’t and frequently human action or inaction makes that difference.

 

In each these 4 choices, you must meet all of the listed requirements above:

 

1.     Compare an issue with government from 1860s through 1900 with an equivalent issue from 1900 to the 1940s “to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision making.”

2.     Compare an issue with individuals using the resources they had to try to solve a problem they faced from 1860s through 1900 with individuals’ equivalent issues from 1900 to the 1940s. What do those actions reveal about “consequences to ethical decision making.”

3.     Compare the North and South on an issue from 1860s through 1900 with an equivalent issue from 1900 to the 1940s. What do those actions reveal about “consequences to ethical decision making.”

4.     Compare a form of racism in the period from 1860s through 1900 with equivalent issues from 1900 to the 1940s. What do those forms of racism reveal about “consequences to ethical decision making.”
For example: you could examine racism toward African Americans in the period from 1860s through 1900 and racism toward another group from 1900 to the 1940s.

Alternative comparison topics, textbook pages, and primaries:

If you would like to suggest something else to compare that is equivalent work and uses equivalent numbers of textbook pages and the same primaries, send me an email proposing the comparison topic. You must propose both the comparison topic and the specific pages you will use from our textbook. You may also propose other primaries if you send a link 10 days before the assignment is due. Unless I fear there is not enough content for you to succeed, I will try to approve it. Caution: do not begin working on it until I approve.

Where Can You Find the Exact Pages to Read and Help With the Content and Terms?

You will find Content information immediately below the Comparison and Citation information: and below the pre-formatted file (something you should examine at the beginning so you know more about what you are to do).

·         The first thing to use—the Content link for this Comparison

·         An online and Sorted Constitution  plus a folder of other primaries to choose from

·         If you need more on terms or a map on the Missouri Compromise, the definitions and maps provided

 

Where Can You Find the File You Download, the Instructions for Using Turnitin in Blackboard, and the Turnitin Assignment Itself?

You will find these things as the last three items in this folder:

·         The file you download so you know such things as the margins, font, and heading for your paper.

·         The instructions for using Turnitin in Blackboard

·         The Turnitin Assignment itself

 

 

 

Copyright C. J. Bibus, Ed.D. 2003-2014

 

WCJC Department:

History – Dr. Bibus

Contact Information:

281.239.1577 or bibusc@wcjc.edu

Last Updated:

2014

WCJC Home:

http://www.wcjc.edu/