PART ONE: WRITING (DON'T FORGET PART TWO: DISCUSSION)

Essay #1: Write a 1000 word (about 4 pages, double-spaced) analytical essay on ONE of the following questions:

• How did women's participation in the violence of 20th century war and revolution challenge gender norms?
• How did gender norms and Communist government combine to define women's experiences in Eastern and Central Europe?

Essay #2: Write a 1000 word (about 4 pages, double-spaced) analytical essay on the following question:

• One of the goals of the Women and Culture cluster is to enhance your understanding of changes in gender norms.  Identify two or three of the most important of these changes and show how novelists have used their work to influence or comment on these changes.

IMPORTANT: Remember that you must cite your sources, even when you do not quote them.  See "Documentation" below.

NOTE: neither essay may be longer than 1200 words.  Figuring out what the most important points are is part of the assignment.  Revising and re-revising so that you can make your points with clarity and succinctly is part of the assignment.

Submitting your paper to turnitin.com: Submit your paper by clicking on the assignment "Final." PLEASE:

• Save both essays in ONE file.  Turnitin will not permit you upload a second essay.
• Save it as a .doc file, not docx.
• Name that file with your last name. Don't name it midterm.doc.  Don't name it HST 353 midterm.doc.  Don't name it with a name that anyone else might use, because then it will get overwritten when I download it.  Let me repeat this.  It doesn’t matter what you title your paper on Turnitin.com.  Rather, you must name the file on your computer Smith.doc or Smith HST353.doc or Smith 353 Final.doc or anything else that begins with your surname before you upload the file!  Thank you for your help with this.

1. Content:  Part of your agenda in this exam is to demonstrate to me your mastery of the lecture material AND the required reading in this class.  Look for opportunities to show me how well you are able to use them.  For example, do not just write that gender norms for women valued submissiveness in a particular period; show me that your proposition is correct by giving an example from one or two readings in which women are admired for their submissiveness.
2. Organization/Analysis/Structure:  Devise a solid, analytical thesis statement for each question in your study time.  Do NOT just parrot back the question. (“There are many ways that ideas about women’s role in marriage and the family changed.”)  Frequently, what follows such a thesis is a list of items, without any explanation of how these items are related to one another or why they are more important than other items which were not on the list.  For top grades, compose a thesis which states that you will explain HOW these ideas changed.

             Organize your essay in a way that supports your thesis.  Make sure that each paragraph develops logically from the previous one.  Be sure that the body of your paper remains focused on the thesis; don’t let your writing wander away from it.  Be sure that each paragraph develops just one idea, stated in a topic sentence that explains the point which you are trying to make at any one time.  Don't let yourself get distracted by several different points at once.  Don't become bogged down in explaining a minor point.
3. Writing:  Historians are writers.  In fact, until the mid-19th century, history was considered a branch of literature.  Therefore you should consider this assignment an opportunity to practice the writing skills which help you make your way in a rewarding career after graduating.

It does you no good to write a masterful thesis and make extensive use of the readings and lectures if your reader cannot understand what on earth you are trying to communicate.  This, by the way, is why I am asking you to do so much reading for this class; the best way to become a good writer is to read, Read, READ!  But to communicate your ideas, you have to use standard formal English, you have to use correct grammar, and you have to demonstrate that you know the correct meanings of the words you use. Your writing must be clear and precise and very thorough.  Use a formal tone in these essays and use the past tense when writing about the past.
           All college students should know how to compose essays in standard formal English at the level defined in the diagnostic test given in September.  Proofread your work!  If the essay has more than three of these usage errors, I will deduct one letter grade for the essay.  If it contains more than six, the essay will not receive a passing grade.

Part Two, Discussion:
We will meet as a group on December 17th at 10:10 am to discuss our individual assessments of change in European gender norms.  This meeting is required by regulations enacted by UD's Academic Senate, a body which includes student representatives.  To see these regulations yourself, see:

Grading Options:  The overall grade for this final will be reckoned according to your choice from either of these two weighting schemes.  Indicate which choice you prefer at the top of the first page of your essay: 70%  Essay + 30% Discussion OR 90%  Essay + 10% Discussion