204: Paper #1

History 204: Paper #1, the Rise of Rome

Write a 750- to 1,000-word essay on the following prompt:

Support a generalization about Rome's rise to greatness

Your generalization should be interesting and insightful, not obvious and dull. It should be arguable. Could someone disagree with you? If not, it's too obvious and dull. If you can't think of a plausible counter argument, then you probably haven't come up with a very interesting generalization.

Think about what was surprising about the way Rome rose to greatness or identify an underappreciated factor. It may not be the most important factor, but its contribution is usually overlooked or underestimated. Explode a myth about Rome. Make sure the generalization is broad enough to sustain an extended discussion.

Doing history is asking questions. You will come up with a better generalization if it is an answer to an interesting open-ended question. An open-ended question is one that requires explanation and discussion, not a one-word answer. Make sure that the question can be answered plausibly in more than one way. Here are a few of the student-generated questions from a previous class.

• • What was the relevant importance of hard power (military might) and soft power (cultural values, diplomacy, etc.) in Rome's rise?

  • Did Rome's geography play a role in its success?

  • How important was Rome's culture in its rise to greatness?

  • To what extent did the types of government of Rome and Carthage affect the outcomes of the Punic Wars?

  • Was the victory of Rome against Hannibal typical of how Rome had triumphed against enemies up to that point?

  • Why was Rome able to defeat Carthage in the Punic Wars?

Some nuts and bolts:

• • Heading: Name and word count

  • Include a title

  • Number your pages

  • Consult the Paper-Writing Guide for help with writing papers.

  • Make sure your paper has a heading with your name and a word count.

  • Write a brief title that suggests the thesis or argument or point of the paper.

  • Cite the sources of your information using the Chicago/Turabian shortened formatting. EG, Stillman, 4; Gwynn, 21. See my Citations page for more on this.

  • Do not commit plagiarism. Read the History Department's statement on plagiarism, and see links to more information on writing history on the Writing History page.