Western Civilization
Using the primary sources from a particular chapter or chapters of your Primary Source Reader (Sources of
the Making of the West-Volume 1) or any primary source (book, novel, or Portland Community College
(PCC) Library etc.,), what can we learn about a particular society or civilization during a particular historical
era (from ancient history to 1648)? Write a 5-8 page historical essay analyzing what the primary sources
reveal about the society and time period in which the sources were created. Your paper must contain a
central, guiding thesis stating your viewpoint or interpretation of the documents and related historical
events. Be creative, marshal your evidence (use your textbook to help you analyze your primary sources),
and defend your views. Effective historical writing contains a clearly articulated thesis, convincing evidence,
and insightful analysis. The page requirements are actual text (not including the title page and bibliography).
Your paper must stay within the geographic and chronological bounds of this course as outlined by chapters
1-15 of our texts. Use your textbook as a secondary source.Based on your reading or research, address the
following: 1) What possible conclusions can you make about the nature of the society, culture, and politics
during the time? 2) What concerns seem to be uppermost in the public mind? 3) What do your sources
reveal the existence of particular tensions and anxieties peculiar to the period? 4) What attitudes do the
writer(s) exhibit toward any of the following (depending on your topic and thesis): politics, international and
military events, economics, religion, territorial and urban growth, ideologies, agriculture and industry,
transportation and communication, reform movements, social issues, gender, race, immigration, slavery,
class, crises, imperialism, war, technology, sexuality, racism, leisure, the family, etc…?
