Welcome to the Honors World History A Independent Research Portfolio (IRP). In this project you will compare and contrast two of the societies you have studied. You will analyze the similarities and differences between the two societies in terms of one of the following categories: Social, Political, Religious, Intellectual, Technological, or Economic history. (These categories are easy to remember with the acronym SPRITE.)
For example, if you choose Ancient Greece and Rome, you might compare the Political systems of the two societies. Or perhaps you would compare the ways they each engaged in trade, which would mean you were studying Economic history. To help you decide which category to choose, you will complete a SPRITE sheet for each society …show more content…
On the third page of this document you will find some ideas for topics, though you are free to choose your own topic. Read both pages carefully and then move on to the student worksheet to begin your project. Analytical Writing
Writing is a crucial part of historical study. Professional historians write carefully crafted articles and books to present new research and share new theories about the past. Students of history at the high school and college level use the written word to show understanding of historical material. At the middle school level students are usually required simply to produce factual “reports” about history. In high school and college the goal of historical writing is different. Your job as a young historian is to make an argument about history.
What does it mean to make a historical argument? The simplest way to put it is that in addition to answering the questions of who, what, when, and where, you also need to address the question of how, and—most …show more content…
In addition to researching all of this information, you must formulate an argument, or, in other words, you must explain how Hitler came to power and why he was able to carry out genocide. Notice that the how and why questions are more flexible than the others. You might choose to write about how Hitler defeated Poland, or why he chose the Jews as a target, or how he persuaded people to elect him to power, or why he broke his treaty with the Soviet Union. The facts—when he was elected, where he grew up, what he and his followers did—will never change, but you can interpret them, explore them, and use them in support of an argument in many different ways.
Your high school history papers, therefore, will discuss historical cause and effect. Each paper will have a thesis statement laying out your central argument, for example:
Adolf Hitler was able to persuade the people of Germany to elect his extremist Nazi Party to power because Germany was in the midst of a terrible economic depression, and with unemployment and poverty came a desire to find a scapegoat—namely the Jews.
Note the presence of the word “because” in this example. In your first efforts to write a thesis statement, it is a good idea to include this word to be sure that you are answering the question of
For example, if you choose Ancient Greece and Rome, you might compare the Political systems of the two societies. Or perhaps you would compare the ways they each engaged in trade, which would mean you were studying Economic history. To help you decide which category to choose, you will complete a SPRITE sheet for each society …show more content…
On the third page of this document you will find some ideas for topics, though you are free to choose your own topic. Read both pages carefully and then move on to the student worksheet to begin your project. Analytical Writing
Writing is a crucial part of historical study. Professional historians write carefully crafted articles and books to present new research and share new theories about the past. Students of history at the high school and college level use the written word to show understanding of historical material. At the middle school level students are usually required simply to produce factual “reports” about history. In high school and college the goal of historical writing is different. Your job as a young historian is to make an argument about history.
What does it mean to make a historical argument? The simplest way to put it is that in addition to answering the questions of who, what, when, and where, you also need to address the question of how, and—most …show more content…
In addition to researching all of this information, you must formulate an argument, or, in other words, you must explain how Hitler came to power and why he was able to carry out genocide. Notice that the how and why questions are more flexible than the others. You might choose to write about how Hitler defeated Poland, or why he chose the Jews as a target, or how he persuaded people to elect him to power, or why he broke his treaty with the Soviet Union. The facts—when he was elected, where he grew up, what he and his followers did—will never change, but you can interpret them, explore them, and use them in support of an argument in many different ways.
Your high school history papers, therefore, will discuss historical cause and effect. Each paper will have a thesis statement laying out your central argument, for example:
Adolf Hitler was able to persuade the people of Germany to elect his extremist Nazi Party to power because Germany was in the midst of a terrible economic depression, and with unemployment and poverty came a desire to find a scapegoat—namely the Jews.
Note the presence of the word “because” in this example. In your first efforts to write a thesis statement, it is a good idea to include this word to be sure that you are answering the question of