Choose one of the seminar topics ( not week 1) and address the final question for the topic in no more than 1000 words. Make sure that you refer to relevant ancient evidence in your answer. Address at least two of the works of modern scholarship listed for that topic.

You must include a bibliography of works cited.

This seminar paper is not meant to be a research essay and is designed to guide your reading of the evidence for the topic, introduce the research questions posed by that evidence and ask you to apply the historiographical issues of that topic to texts relevant to your own field of interest.

The topic chosen may not be the same as that addressed in your essay.

Your paper should be based firmly upon the ancient evidence, and should show an appreciation of differences in interpretation offered by modern scholarship.

Obviously, there is only so much you can say in 1000 words. You should consider this an exercise in expressing yourself succinctly. When citing the ancient evidence upon which you are basing any observation, you may choose to cite it in parentheses (brackets) or you may choose to use footnotes. Any material in footnotes is not considered to be part of your word-length.

How to submit your assessment? – upload your first paper to Turnitin as Assessment 1. 

Choose one of the seminar topics ( not week 1) and address the final question for the topic in no more than 1000 words. Make sure that you refer to relevant ancient evidence in your answer. Address at least two of the works of modern scholarship listed for that topic.

You must include a bibliography of works cited.

This seminar paper is not meant to be a research essay and is designed to guide your reading of the evidence for the topic, introduce the research questions posed by that evidence and ask you to apply the historiographical issues of that topic to texts relevant to your own field of interest.

The topic chosen may not be the same as that addressed in your essay.

Your paper should be based firmly upon the ancient evidence, and should show an appreciation of differences in interpretation offered by modern scholarship.

Obviously, there is only so much you can say in 1000 words. You should consider this an exercise in expressing yourself succinctly. When citing the ancient evidence upon which you are basing any observation, you may choose to cite it in parentheses (brackets) or you may choose to use footnotes. Any material in footnotes is not considered to be part of your word-length.

How to submit your assessment? –  Submit your second paper as Assessment 2 in Turnitin.

Choose a topic introduced in the seminars and formulate an appropriate question. You should choose this question in consultation with the unit convenor. You may not write your essay on the same topic you choose for your seminar papers. You must include a bibliography of works cited. Your essay should be 3000 words in length (no more), based firmly upon the ancient evidence, and should show an understanding of historiography: the critical analysis of historical writing.

In your essay you should draw upon the approaches to Herodotus and Thucydides discussed in the unit, and offer critical response to those approaches. The ancient evidence you discuss may be sources other than Herodotus and Thucydides.

The Major Essay should be formatted as carefully as possible, as though it were to be submitted to a journal for consideration. Producing well proofed, grammatical, and error free copy is an essential skill for postgraduate work, academic publication, and valued in the workplace. 10% of the total available marks for the essay will be devoted to the style, grammar, referencing, structure, and presentation of the bibliography. At this level of study, work should be sufficiently polished that it could be submitted to a journal in the field.

An Essay Rubric with a breakdown of the essay marks is available under assessment resources. Please familiarise yourself with the rubric and the supplementary materials given there on theoretical engagement, the analysis of evidence, and the difference between narrative description and argument.

Each week you should work through the relevant passages from Herodotus or Thucydides and discuss them in class and online. You may discuss other texts that illustrate similar issues. Your discussion should focus on how the material addresses the questions in the study notes for that topic. You may discuss the modern readings too. You may choose to address one or more of the modern readings, looking at what their perspective brings to the topics we are addressing. I do not expect you to address all of the modern scholarship listed for a topic each week but you should frame your understanding of the ancient source by reference to the modern scholarship. You should respond to  postings by other students each week too. The time limit for postings each week must be observed. We will be moving on each week to a new topic and postings in previous weeks will not be read. The marks for this component of your grade will be given for the quality of your weekly contribution, postings, your responses to other postings and your overall contribution.