Overview
This is a non-traditional final assignment designed to give students the opportunity to show off what they’ve learned in this course. Please follow directions carefully, and ask if you have questions.
Step 1:
Pick ONE of the following two prompts and use an Open AI program, such as ChatGPT, to generate an answer. (Yes, that’s correct! Have AI write the essay!!)
- In 1893, Frederick Jackson Turner delivered his paper “The Significance of the Frontier in American History.” He argued that the existence of a frontier shaped America in fundamental ways and that the frontier had closed. Evaluate Turner’s thesis. Had the frontier closed? When?
(Hint: Did the essay consider empire broadly? Do you agree that it should?)
- Did violence tend to promote or limit major changes in American life over the period from the 1820s to the 1920s?
Step 2:
Paste the AI essay in a document. Address the following using content from lectures, reading, and discussion section. (Note: You must include references to course reading – don’t forget that part.) You should use the track change function and add specific answers in your own text – just make sure we can tell the difference between your words and the AI’s content.
- Does the essay have an argument? If so, do you agree with that argument? Explain why or why not. If the essay does not seem to have one argument, what would YOU argue based on what you’ve learned in the course?
- Given the content of the course, what evidence would you add to the essay? In other words, what did you learn that the software left out? Remember to think about groups of people, such as farmers, women, Native Americans, immigrants, African Americans, organized labor, capitalists, politicians, etc. as well as regions of the country.
- Can you identify any areas of the essay that you disagree with or that you think are misinterpreted? If so, explain 1-2 instances you would write differently. If not, provide 1-2 examples and explain how the essay did a good job of analyzing the evidence.
This essay assignment has been designed to let you practice the craft of history. Historians use primary sources as evidence for an argument about the past. What do they reveal to us? But we also consider the sources as imperfect records. What don’t they tell us? How did the context or circumstances in which they were created affect them? You will have to ask yourselves these questions…
I am giving the assignment on the first day of class because they cannot be completed without some time and preparation. You will not be able to write these papers the night before they’re due, and AI software will not be able to do the assignment as it is designed. Please plan accordingly.
Rubric & Formatting Requirements for Papers:
Papers will be evaluated on four main criteria:
- Strength of Argument
- Quality of Analysis
- Articulation of Larger Stakes / Situating in Context (Why is your argument important?)
- Quality of Prose (Did you proofread and revise?)
Essays should be:
- The proper length
- Written in 12-point font
- Double spaced
- Have 1-inch margins
- Written in Times New Roman or similar font
- Use Chicago style footnote citations