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HIST 1123: History of the Late Medieval World (Christie)

Assignments 3 and 4: Overview

Overview
Assignment 3 and 4 together require you to create an extract from a fake medieval chronicle and then analyze it. Your eventual chronicle should be written about an event (real or imagined) from the perspective of a named person who really existed during this period, but did not write a surviving medieval chronicle or biography. The chronicler should be someone who was active sometime between the years 1000 and 1500 CE.

Assignment 3
Once you have chosen an author and event to write about, prepare a proposal that includes:

  1. A short (maximum 300 words) description of your proposed extracts, including the author and the event that the author will be describing. 
  2. A draft bibliography. Conduct some background research on the historical context of your author and the event that they will be describing. This is your opportunity to demonstrate that you have made good progress with your research.

Assignment 4
Your final assignment should take the following form:

  1. Introduction to the author, including a brief biography (maximum 400 words).
  2. The chronicle extract that you have created (maximum 500 words).
  3. Analysis of the extract, including discussion of what techniques the author has used to manipulate their readers and promote the agenda of their work.

In total, your final assignment should be between 1,400-1,600 words long. Note that the chronicle is a creative writing exercise in that you are asked to imagine a historical event from the author's perspective based on the research you have conducted. 

Your bibliography should include at least five sources. At least two should be academic books (print or e-books), and the other three should be academic books or journal articles. Cite your sources in Chicago style (footnotes, bibliography).

Note: Your textbook, lectures, websites, encyclopedias, and primary sources provided by the instructor do not count towards your five sources, but you should still include them in your bibliography if they have been helpful in your work. 

Subjects: History