PURPOSE:
..1) To understand why particular societies rise to prominence
...2) To understand why particular societies decline in prominence
...3) To appreciate the theses advanced by Theordore H. Von Laue and Arnold Toynbee regarding
........ the rise and fall of societies in World History
...4) To improve our research and writing skills
...5)
To improve our public speaking skills
METHOD:
...1) Each researcher selects a particular society as it existed at a particular time in World History.
...2) After a specific society and time period has been selected, each researcher begins to find
........answers to the following questions:
..........a. What geographical conditions existed at the "birth" of the society being studied?
...............Was the geographical setting a favorable or unfavorable one? If favorable, how
...............did the society take advantage? If unfavorable, how did the society attempt to
...............overcome this obstacle?
...........b. What are the reasons for the rise to prominence of the society?
...........c. What political, economic, social and/or cultural challenges did the society have
................to face?
................Discuss at least two of these challenges, making sure to indicate the nature and
................scope of each challenge.
.............d. Did the society respond to these challenges successfully? If it did, why was it
.................able to do so? If not, why not?
.............e. To whose thesis, Von Laue's or Toynbee's, does the history of your society lend
.................support? Is there another explanation other than the two suggested, that explains
.................your society's rise to prominence? If so, advance it.
.3) Guidelines for the written component of your research paper ( 80% of the project grade):
............The text of your paper should be a minimum and a maximum of 6 typed double-spaced
............pages in length. You are expected to gather information to answer the questions above
............from a wide variety of source categories. The categories from which these sources can
............be accessed are as follows: ( the number within the parentheses indicates the minimum
........... number of sources required from each source category)
..................a. reference works (2)
..................b. books (4)
..................c. articles from newspapers, magazines and/or scholarly journals (2)
..................d. correspondence received from an expert on your society (1)
..................e. interview with an expert on your society (1)
..................f. TV programs, movies etc. (optional)
4) In addition to the text of your report, the following is required:
................a. Endnote and Bibliographic sections (correct Endnote and Bibliographic citation
.....................formats will be provided)
................ b. A 5 - section Appendix consisting of:
................... .... Appendix A- appropriate maps of the society in various stages of its development
.........................Appendix B- a time line (chronology) depicting key events in the society during the
.................................................time period being studied
.........................Appendix C- picture (xerox) of a representative artifact used by the society to meet
..................................................a challenge
.........................Appendix D- transcript of an intereview conducted with an expert on your society
.........................Appendix E- a list of all the people, institutions and websites contacted in the course of
.................................................your research (including S-mail and/or E-mail addresses)
5) In addition to the written component of your project, a 3-dimensional component is required.
....(10% of the project grade)
........................Select an object used by people in your society during the time period being studied
........................that you feel helps explain how that society successfully or unsuccessfully met a
........................specific geographical, political, economic, social, or cultural challenge. Make a model
........................of this object.
6) In addition to the written component and 3-dimensional component of your project, a sharing
.....component
is required. ( 10% of the project grade)
.......................Students will share the results of their research with their peers in fora that will
........................feature the presentation of each researcher's
3-dimensional object and research
........................findings.