Category: History

Directions: Write a critical review essay of Jan Gross’s book Neighbors. The essay should be 12 pt. font, double spaced and 5-6 pages long with one inch margins. You should “give credit where credit is due” using MLA style parenthetical citation. You are also required to cite your evidence. You are encouraged but not required to include outside research but no free web sources may be used in your paper. Your essay is due online by 11:59 PM on Saturday.
As you plan your essay remember that a critical review essay must evaluate the quality of someone else’s argument. Your essay should include, in paragraph, essay form, but not necessarily in this order:
A title that reflects the thrust of your argument (centered at the top of your paper). [See the student essay example below for how to do this]
A full bibliographic reference for the work under review, in proper MLA style, immediately under your title (justified left). [See the student essay example below for how to do this]
An introduction that sets the scene. What does the reader need to know to understand the main point(s) of the book? Don’t assume that your reader has already read the book.
Your essay must identify the author’s thesis. Many writers do not state a clear thesis (or if they do, they do not make good on their promise set out at the beginning); therefore, you may have to figure it out yourself and state it in your own words. Sometimes, there may be three or four main points, not just one.
Your essay must identify not only the main claim of the book but also some of the reasons and evidence the author uses to support his/her argument.
Your essay must be organized as an argument that evaluates the work. It should reflect your thinking and the thinking of the author that you are reviewing. Be careful to distinguish between the two.
Your essay should use present tense when talking about the book (e.g. Gross argues, Gross writes, Gross thinks etc.) and past tense when you are talking about past events in history (the colonel collaborated with the Soviets, her neighbor hid from the Nazis, they said all the Jews must die etc.).
Your essay should evaluate the content of the book not its style. To this end, you might think about answering some or all of the following questions before you plan your essay. Does other information from other sources contradict the sources or evidence the author is using? Is the evidence relevant to the claims that he is making? Are there implicit or unstated assumptions that you might not agree with? What don’t you understand, and is this because you lack certain assumed knowledge or vocabulary or because the writer is unclear or his reasoning unsound?
The tone of your essay should reflect the fact that you are being asked to write for a public not your class or your professor. Your paper should look like a polished piece of scholarly writing, not a rough draft that still needs to be proofread.

Using your text, lectures and course materials, you will address conditions covered in the materials for Week 2. Your essay must be a minimum of 500 words and address the following:
Address and explain at least THREE important policies under the Jackson and Van Buren Administrations. What impact did each one have and were they consistent with the values of the new Democratic Party led by Jackson?
You will need to cite your sources in the body of your essay and list your sources below the essay itself. Two sources minimum required. (Your textbook and module sources are acceptable). No title page or abstract required.

Answer 2 Questions
How did African Americans define and realize freedom during the period of reconstruction 1865-1880? What were the limits to its freedom? Can only use the references that I attached and the textbook from class called “Freedom on my mind” Volume 2 3rd edition.
The textbook is an important reference for the paper. I will pay more and give a great feedback to purchase the ebook.

Cuban anthropologist Fernando Ortiz famously described Cuban culture as an ajiaco—a stew made from diverse ingredients that, when combined and simmered together, create a vibrant and unique flavor. Ortiz used this metaphor to describe the process of transculturation, or the blending of various races, ethnicities, cultures, and ideas that have shaped Cuban society over time.
Write a two-page report that explains how this historical layering of cultures occurred in Cuba. Then, compare this process with the cultural development of the United States. Finally, consider whether the ajiaco metaphor can also be applied to the United States.
Cuban Context: Describe how different cultural elements, including African, Spanish, Indigenous, and other influences, came together over time to create Cuba’s complex cultural tapestry.
Comparison with the United States: Discuss the similarities and differences between the cultural blending processes in Cuba and the United States. Consider the historical contexts and the resulting cultural identities in both countries.
Metaphor Analysis: Reflect on whether Ortiz’s ajiaco metaphor could also apply to the United States. Support your argument with examples from both Cuban and American histories.
Structure:
Introduction: Introduce the concept of transculturation and the ajiaco metaphor.
Body Paragraphs:
Explain the historical accumulation of cultural layers in Cuba.
Compare this process with the cultural development of the United States.
Analyze the applicability of the ajiaco metaphor to the U.S.
Conclusion: Summarize your findings and provide a final reflection on the metaphor’s relevance.
Format: Length: Two pages, double-spaced. Font: Times New Roman, 12-point.
Citations: Include citations where appropriate, following the required academic style.

I have already written everything, but please add more info based on this feedback (also combine challenges and opportunities into one summary at the end): Definition of Hard Power and Soft Power:
– You have provided clear and accurate definitions of hard power and soft power. This helps set the context for the analysis of the UK’s power profile.
– Consider providing a concise example of each type of power to further illustrate the differences between them.
Hard Power Assets:
– You have thoroughly outlined the UK’s key hard power assets, including its active military role, nuclear deterrence strategy, and use of economic sanctions. The explanations clearly demonstrate how these capabilities represent hard power.
– The details you provide, such as the UK’s airstrikes against ISIS and its nuclear submarine program, help substantiate your claims about the UK’s hard power.
– Well done in highlighting specific examples that showcase the UK’s hard power resources and how they are applied.
Soft Power Assets:
– Your discussion of the UK’s soft power assets, such as the BBC World Service, prestigious universities, and the influence of the monarchy, is insightful.
– You effectively explain how these elements of British culture, values, and global reach contribute to the UK’s ability to attract and persuade other countries, which is the essence of soft power.
– Consider providing additional details or examples to further reinforce the significance of these soft power resources for the UK.
Strengths and Weaknesses:
– You have identified several key strengths of the UK’s power profile, including its effective use of the royal family and attraction of international students to build influence.
– The weaknesses you highlight, such as negative perceptions in certain regions, the backlash from economic sanctions, and the high military spending, provide a balanced assessment of the UK’s position..
– To further strengthen this section, you could consider providing additional context or examples to support your claims about the UK’s strengths and weaknesses.
Overall Assessment:
– Your overall assessment of the UK’s power profile is well-written and insightful. You have identified the key challenges the UK faces, such as tensions with China and Russia, while also highlighting opportunities for the UK to maintain and increase its global influence.
– This section effectively summarizes the key points from your analysis and provides a thoughtful, balanced conclusion.

Read the document that is posted for this week and answer the following questions. Use specific examples from the text as evidence to support your assertions, and use complete sentences. This is NOT an essay; answer each question by numbering the questions. Please type up your answers and either submit an accepted file type or copy and paste it into the textbox. [50 points total]
SOME TIPS:
connect evidence (quotes) to assertions (explain how your evidence supports what you’re saying, don’t just list quotations);
use quotation marks for your quotes;
maximum points cannot be achieved with meeting minimums: if you want the highest points, shoot for more than the minimum required;
most times, more than one piece of evidence is better;
sometimes we can only assert what is NOT true (reasonably connected to the context & evidence), rather than what is true about the speaker or time/place, etc
you can use a quotation more than once (sometimes a quote can tell you multiple things)
Speaker: What do we know about the speaker or author of this source? What are some things you can speculate about the speaker/author from the source? (you may not know his/her name, but you can draw conclusions about him/her and his/her position). What specific examples from within the source provide evidence to support your assertion(s)? [5 pts]
Occasion: When and where was the source created (what kind of historical context can you determine)? Make a guess based on the context or clues within the source (you do not need to guess a year; you can estimate a time period or context). What specific examples from within the source provide evidence to support your assertion(s)? HINT: names, places, technologies, etc can help us place things historically [5 pts]
Audience: Whom do you think is the intended audience of this source (to whom is the source speaking)? What specific examples from within the source provide evidence to support your assertion(s)? [4 pts]
Purpose: FIRST: What kind of source is it? (i.e., a speech, inscription, religious text, legal text, law code, proclamation, letter, treaty, etc [these are NOT the only things the source can be]) What specific examples from within the source provide evidence to support your assertion(s)? [3 pts]
SECOND: Why do you think this source was created? What is its purpose? What specific examples from within the source provide evidence to support your assertion(s)? [5 pts]
[8 pts total]
Subject: IN YOUR OWN WORDS, summarize the source (what is it about?). A good summary will give an overview of the content, breadth, and organization of the source. Your reader should have a good idea of what the source is about by reading your summary. Think about a summary as spoiling the movie plot for your friend who hasn’t seen it. Spoil this source for me! You do not need to quote from the source in your summary, but you should give enough detail to give the gist of what is happening within the source. HINT: a good summary will probably need a few sentences. [8 pts]
Tone: What is the attitude or tone of the speaker and/or source? Are there any emotions that can be detected in this source? What specific examples from within the source provide evidence to support your assertion(s)? [4 pts]
Digging Deeper: What does this source tell us about the people or time in which it was created? Give at least two examples supported by specific evidence from within the source of what we can know about their culture, religion, beliefs, politics, or social structure, etc. What specific examples from within the source provide evidence to support your assertion(s)? Two examples are the minimum. More examples and evidence mean more points. [12 pts]
Making Connections: Give one specific example of how our own society is similar to this one. Give one specific example of how our own society is different from this one. [4 pts]
I am more than happy to look over what you have or meet face-to-face beforehand, but we must do it before noon on Saturday the weekend it is due. This will allow me time to give better feedback and you enough time to make adjustments, if necessary.
PreviousNext

In what ways did the aftermath of World War I contribute to the rise of totalitarian regimes in Europe, and how did these regimes seek to redefine national identity and citizenship?

Read the document that is posted for this week and answer the following questions. Use specific examples from the text as evidence to support your assertions, and use complete sentences. This is NOT an essay; answer each question by numbering the questions. Please type up your answers and either submit an accepted file type or copy and paste it into the textbox. [50 points total]
SOME TIPS:
connect evidence (quotes) to assertions (explain how your evidence supports what you’re saying, don’t just list quotations);
use quotation marks for your quotes;
maximum points cannot be achieved with meeting minimums: if you want the highest points, shoot for more than the minimum required;
most times, more than one piece of evidence is better;
sometimes we can only assert what is NOT true (reasonably connected to the context & evidence), rather than what is true about the speaker or time/place, etc
you can use a quotation more than once (sometimes a quote can tell you multiple things)
Speaker: What do we know about the speaker or author of this source? What are some things you can speculate about the speaker/author from the source? (you may not know his/her name, but you can draw conclusions about him/her and his/her position). What specific examples from within the source provide evidence to support your assertion(s)? [5 pts]
Occasion: When and where was the source created (what kind of historical context can you determine)? Make a guess based on the context or clues within the source (you do not need to guess a year; you can estimate a time period or context). What specific examples from within the source provide evidence to support your assertion(s)? HINT: names, places, technologies, etc can help us place things historically [5 pts]
Audience: Whom do you think is the intended audience of this source (to whom is the source speaking)? What specific examples from within the source provide evidence to support your assertion(s)? [4 pts]
Purpose: FIRST: What kind of source is it? (i.e., a speech, inscription, religious text, legal text, law code, proclamation, letter, treaty, etc [these are NOT the only things the source can be]) What specific examples from within the source provide evidence to support your assertion(s)? [3 pts]
SECOND: Why do you think this source was created? What is its purpose? What specific examples from within the source provide evidence to support your assertion(s)? [5 pts]
[8 pts total]
Subject: IN YOUR OWN WORDS, summarize the source (what is it about?). A good summary will give an overview of the content, breadth, and organization of the source. Your reader should have a good idea of what the source is about by reading your summary. Think about a summary as spoiling the movie plot for your friend who hasn’t seen it. Spoil this source for me! You do not need to quote from the source in your summary, but you should give enough detail to give the gist of what is happening within the source. HINT: a good summary will probably need a few sentences. [8 pts]
Tone: What is the attitude or tone of the speaker and/or source? Are there any emotions that can be detected in this source? What specific examples from within the source provide evidence to support your assertion(s)? [4 pts]
Digging Deeper: What does this source tell us about the people or time in which it was created? Give at least two examples supported by specific evidence from within the source of what we can know about their culture, religion, beliefs, politics, or social structure, etc. What specific examples from within the source provide evidence to support your assertion(s)? Two examples are the minimum. More examples and evidence mean more points. [12 pts]
Making Connections: Give one specific example of how our own society is similar to this one. Give one specific example of how our own society is different from this one. [4 pts]
I am more than happy to look over what you have or meet face-to-face beforehand, but we must do it before noon on Saturday the weekend it is due. This will allow me time to give better feedback and you enough time to make adjustments, if necessary.
PreviousNext

In what ways did the aftermath of World War I contribute to the rise of totalitarian regimes in Europe, and how did these regimes seek to redefine national identity and citizenship?

Read the document that is posted for this week and answer the following questions. Use specific examples from the text as evidence to support your assertions, and use complete sentences. This is NOT an essay; answer each question by numbering the questions. Please type up your answers and either submit an accepted file type or copy and paste it into the textbox. [50 points total]
SOME TIPS:
connect evidence (quotes) to assertions (explain how your evidence supports what you’re saying, don’t just list quotations);
use quotation marks for your quotes;
maximum points cannot be achieved with meeting minimums: if you want the highest points, shoot for more than the minimum required;
most times, more than one piece of evidence is better;
sometimes we can only assert what is NOT true (reasonably connected to the context & evidence), rather than what is true about the speaker or time/place, etc
you can use a quotation more than once (sometimes a quote can tell you multiple things)
Speaker: What do we know about the speaker or author of this source? What are some things you can speculate about the speaker/author from the source? (you may not know his/her name, but you can draw conclusions about him/her and his/her position). What specific examples from within the source provide evidence to support your assertion(s)? [5 pts]
Occasion: When and where was the source created (what kind of historical context can you determine)? Make a guess based on the context or clues within the source (you do not need to guess a year; you can estimate a time period or context). What specific examples from within the source provide evidence to support your assertion(s)? HINT: names, places, technologies, etc can help us place things historically [5 pts]
Audience: Whom do you think is the intended audience of this source (to whom is the source speaking)? What specific examples from within the source provide evidence to support your assertion(s)? [4 pts]
Purpose: FIRST: What kind of source is it? (i.e., a speech, inscription, religious text, legal text, law code, proclamation, letter, treaty, etc [these are NOT the only things the source can be]) What specific examples from within the source provide evidence to support your assertion(s)? [3 pts]
SECOND: Why do you think this source was created? What is its purpose? What specific examples from within the source provide evidence to support your assertion(s)? [5 pts]
[8 pts total]
Subject: IN YOUR OWN WORDS, summarize the source (what is it about?). A good summary will give an overview of the content, breadth, and organization of the source. Your reader should have a good idea of what the source is about by reading your summary. Think about a summary as spoiling the movie plot for your friend who hasn’t seen it. Spoil this source for me! You do not need to quote from the source in your summary, but you should give enough detail to give the gist of what is happening within the source. HINT: a good summary will probably need a few sentences. [8 pts]
Tone: What is the attitude or tone of the speaker and/or source? Are there any emotions that can be detected in this source? What specific examples from within the source provide evidence to support your assertion(s)? [4 pts]
Digging Deeper: What does this source tell us about the people or time in which it was created? Give at least two examples supported by specific evidence from within the source of what we can know about their culture, religion, beliefs, politics, or social structure, etc. What specific examples from within the source provide evidence to support your assertion(s)? Two examples are the minimum. More examples and evidence mean more points. [12 pts]
Making Connections: Give one specific example of how our own society is similar to this one. Give one specific example of how our own society is different from this one. [4 pts]
I am more than happy to look over what you have or meet face-to-face beforehand, but we must do it before noon on Saturday the weekend it is due. This will allow me time to give better feedback and you enough time to make adjustments, if necessary.
PreviousNext