Early World History Fall 2008 Paper 3b

Like the last paper, this paper too is built around the reality that, unlike your first writing assignment, most historians confront multiple sources and have to make sense of them. In this essay it will be your task to understand what the role of Buddhism was in the heyday of the Silk Road (c. 600-900 C.E.). As you know, there were many views on the role of Buddhism, with some rulers promoting it, some choosing to make use of it for their own purposes. Some monks like Xuanzang chose to make their own way and seek their own approach to Buddhism, while others focused on a particular vision given to them at a single monastery. Then too, believers also had different views, with some being more active than others. Imagine that you are a monk, a believer, or a ruler living in a Silk Road city-state c. 600-900 C.E. Write a paper in which you use any relevant material (i.e. primary or secondary sources on Buddhism) in Worlds of History, When Asia was the World, or The Human Web to:

1. State your position on what you think the role of Buddhism in your society/culture should be (25% of the mark for the paper).

2. A one-half page presentation of the evidence for your position/analysis of the situation (25% of the mark for the paper).

3. A one-half page section in which you challenge any counter-arguments you think others might present against your analysis (25% of the mark for the paper).

4. A one-half page summation of your position with a conclusion in which you state what the role of Buddhism should be in your society/culture and what improvements in society that will bring. (25% of the mark for the paper).

PLEASE NOTE: YOU MUST USE A SUFFICIENT NUMBER SOURCES IN ORDER TO EXECUTE THE PAPER APPROPRIATELY

General Standards: First, you must type your paper using standard margins (1 inch all around), Times New Roman font and a 12-point type size. Next, you must properly document your use of other people's work in this essay. In plan terms, whenever you comment on or quote from the web-source linked below, I expect a proper footnote indicating what material in that book you are referencing (a 25% reduction on your paper will occur if you fail to document your work properly). For examples of how to footnote, click on the General Guidelines hypertext in the Formal Writings section of the web syllabus. You will also find hints on how to write well and on general guidelines as to what I look for in written work. Finally, your essay must be two full pages in length, double-spaced.

There are three ways that you can choose to format the main entry footnote for each of your sources in this paper that come from Worlds of History. Please note that for all examples I will be assuming that it is page 87 in Worlds of History that you are meaning to cite, albeit this page is from a source you will not use for this paper (so you should see the examples as templates to be adapted to the sources you do cite).

Please note that using this format, you only need to produce one main entry, but note that it is fairly general as to the actual source you are using. Also please note that if you use another source (The Human Web) and interrupt your citation of Worlds of History you will need to use the short form, (e.g. Worlds of History, 33.) and not Ibid. as Ibid. is only for consecutive citation.

Example 2) Aristotle, "The Athenian Constitution: Territorial Sovereignty," in Worlds of History: A Comparative Reader, edited by Kevin Reilly, 3rd ed., vol. 2, Since 1400 (New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007), 87.

Please note that in the case of this format you will need to produce one main entry for each individual source that you use. The benefit to you here is that you can give your reader more specificity upfront as to what source you are using. Also, once you have mentioned Worlds of History once you will be able to abbreviate references to it for other main entry footnotes for other sources to: Worlds of History, followed by the page number you are citing. Finally, once you have mentioned this source once you would be able to use a short form for it as well, such as Aristotle, "the Athenian Constitution," followed by the page number you are citing in cases where you are not citing consecutively (in which case Ibid. is preferred).

Example 3) Aristotle, "The Athenian Constitution," in Aristotle, Politics, and the Athenian Constitution, trans. John Warrington (London: David Campbell Publishers, 1959) as quoted in Worlds of History: A Comparative Reader, edited by Kevin Reilly, 3rd ed., vol. 1, to 1550 (New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007), 87.

Please note that in the case of this format you will need to produce one main entry for each individual source that you use. The benefit to you have here is that you can give your reader more specificity upfront as to what source you are using. Also, once you have mentioned Worlds of History once you will be able to abbreviate references to it for other main entry footnotes for other sources to: Worlds of History, followed by the page number you are citing. Finally, once you have mentioned this source once you would be able to use a short form for it as well, such as Aristotle, "the Athenian Constitution," followed by the page number you are citing in cases where you are not citing consecutively (in which case Ibid. is preferred).

After this first note all other quotations should use Ibid. and indicate the page number cited. You will not need to cite from any book other than this book to write the paper.