Nipissing University
HISTORY 2155
Early Modern Europe (2005-6)
This paper will be due on October 21. It is worth 25% of your course grade.
The paper should be 8-10 pages in length (assuming double-spaced printing). It must be properly footnoted and have a bibliography. For other requirements, see the handout Policies Regarding Essays.
This first assignment requires you to read challenging texts, think deeply, formulate a clear analysis, and write well. Now is the time to start reading the two required books.
Your assignment is to compare and contrast Crosby’s book and Kennedy’s book with this question in mind: according to each author, what is the significance of the Early Modern period of European history? what were the most important historical development of that period and why? Once you have found answers to these questions, you will answer the further questions, which author’s analysis is more useful, and why? The thesis of your paper will be your answer to the last set of questions.
There will certainly be more than one productive way of approaching this question. Whatever position you take, however, you will have to have an accurate and thoughtful understanding of what the books actually say, an ability to convey it to your own reader, and a clear argument for the thesis you put forward. One challenge is that each book includes a considerable amount of material about areas outside Europe, and periods outside of the period 1400-1800. It will be up to you to decide how much attention to pay to Crosby’s discussion of New Zealand, or Kennedy’s of the Cold War, but I strongly suggest that you don’t ignore those parts of their presentation.
You are certainly free and encouraged to read other books, and reviews of the two texts may prove useful. However, don’t rely on other people’s summaries, and be sure you cite all quotations and borrowed insights properly.