Evolution in Europe

Essay Instructions

1. Essays are to be 2000 words in length (not including footnotes and bibliography). There will be a penalty assessed on essays that do not meet the minimum required length.
2. Essays must be typed and double-spaced, with a reasonable margin.
3. Strong research is essential in producing a good essay. The quality and breadth of research will be a major factor in evaluating your essay. As such, essays must be based on at least four scholarly sources. Do not use encyclopaedias, on-line encyclopaedias (such as Wikipedia), newspaper or magazine articles, television or film documentaries, the class textbook, or lecture notes as sources. Students are not permitted to use internet web sites! Students are not permitted to use Chat GPT or any other AI!
4. Equally important is the structure and syntax of your work. Essays that are disorganised or contain an excessive number of spelling and grammatical errors will be penalised accordingly. Be sure to edit and check your work carefully; do not simply rely on your computer’s spelling or grammar check.
5. Essays MUST contain proper references. Essays without references will be given a mark of ‘zero’, with no chance for resubmission. As a general rule references should be given for direct quotations, summaries or paraphrases of other people’s work or points of view, and for material that is not widely known or accepted. Undergraduate papers of 2,000 words should have a minimum of 20 references. When in doubt it is better to provide a reference. References must be in the form of footnotes or endnotes and must conform to the format of the Chicago Manual of Style. A guide to their format can be found online at: www.chicagomanualofstyle.org Toronto Metropolitan University Library also has hardcopies of past editions of the Chicago Manual of Style (which are perfectly acceptable to use).
6. Essays must be accompanied by a bibliography at the end with sources listed in alphabetical order by author’s surname. The bibliography must conform to the format of the Chicago Manual of Style.
7. Plagiarism is a form of intellectual dishonesty in which someone attempts to claim the work of others as his or her own. Work that has been researched and/or written by others, such as an essay-writing agency, internet service or family member is NOT acceptable. The submission of such work is one form of plagiarism, and it will be dealt with accordingly as an academic offence. Quoting directly or indirectly from research sources without proper attribution is also plagiarism, and it will also constitute an academic offence. To combat this problem, I reserve the right to request research notes and/or to conduct an oral examination on the topic matter of an essay in order to ensure that the work submitted is legitimate. The oral exam may form all or part of the final grade of the essay. If you have any questions or concerns about plagiarism please feel free to speak to me. You must also consult the TMU Academic Integrity Website for further information: https://www.torontomu.ca/academicintegrity/students/
8. Students must upload their essays to Turnitin.com. through the course D2L site. Failure to do so will result in a grade of ‘zero’ on the assignment. Students who do not want their work submitted to this plagiarism detection service must, by the end of the second week of term, consult with the instructor to make alternate arrangements. In accordance with TMU’s Course Management Policy, if an instructor has reason to suspect that an individual piece of work has been plagiarised, the instructor is permitted to submit that work in a non-identifying way to any plagiarism detection service
9. Students may submit an essay on a topic of their own choice only with the prior permission of the instructor. Such topics must be within the geographical and chronological parameters of the course. A paragraph outlining the proposed topic and content must be submitted to the instructor no later than two (2) weeks before the essay is due. Failure to do so will result in a mark of ‘zero’ on the assignment.
10. Students must keep all of their research notes and a copy of their essay until they have received a grade for the essay. Failure to present notes when requested to do so will result in a grade of ‘zero’ on the assignment.

Essay Topics

1. What factors led to the First Crusade? Discuss the variety of ways in which the first and subsequent crusades affected relations between the Western European Christians and the Muslim World?
2. What changes did the Norman Conquest bring to England?
3. Evaluate the career of Holy Roman Emperor Otto I. Does he deserve the title of ‘the Great’?
4. Discuss the variety of lives that women led in the High Middle Ages (ca. 1000-1400). What factors led to the diversity of their experiences?
5. Describe medieval castles. What was their purpose and how did they function?
6. Towns began a revival in Europe in the 12th century: what was their role in local commerce and in trade networks outside of their locality? How did the emergence of towns change medieval European society?
7. What led to the emergence of universities in Europe in the 12th and 13th centuries? Who went there and why?
8. Discuss the features of Gothic architecture and art. What were the factors that led to the development of the Gothic style?
9. Trace the history of the Roman Catholic Church from 1100-1300. How did it respond to threats from the growing power of monarchs and from the revival of scholarship in the 12th century?
10. Why was France in 1300 the largest, richest and best governed kingdom in Europe?