Due: Friday, Sept. 29 by 4pm in the History Office, 145 Eggers Hall
Please write a 4-6 page (typed, doublespaced) essay on the following topic.
Read the following selection from Edward Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. In the 200 years since Gibbon wrote, historians have continued to debate the question of Rome’s "fall." Based upon the knowledge you have acquired from your readings of more recent scholarship (i.e. the essays in Little and Rosenwein), ancient texts and class lectures, how would you explain what happened to the Roman empire in the fifth century? Are Gibbon’s arguments still persuasive? Is "decline" even an appropriate characterization for the transformations that overtook the Roman world? Why or why not?
This is a very broad question, and there are any number of ways you could answer it. That is to say, I am not looking for any particular "right" answer. The important thing is that you pick out factors that you think are significant, make a clear argument, and support it by referring to evidence.
Advice:
Below are some helpful web resources. I particularly encourage you to consult these if you have not done a college-level history paper before, or are worried about your grade. (All are courtesy of Paul Halsall, University of North Florida.) Of course, please feel free to consult either with me or with your TA, Keith Kendall, if you have any questions.
Getting Started: This link gives advice on brainstorming, researching, outlining. For this essay, there is no expectation that you use sources above and beyond the readings assigned to the class. If you choose to use outside materials, please cite them properly! If you use something from the Internet, please give me a full URL.
Style, Grammar, Footnoting etc.: some guidelines on basic mechanics of college history papers.
Confused about Grading? Another good online resource, a discussion of what distinguishes an "A" paper from a "B" or "C."