WRIT 1733 Human Rights / Humans Write Essay 2 assignment
W R I T I N G H I S T O R Y
t h e a s s i g n m e n t
History writing involves telling very particular, very specific
stories that reveal insights of broader social, political, and
cultural significance. In this essay, you will write just such a
story, drawing upon your own experience or that of someone close to
you to tell a story that reveals a deeper historical insight.
What kind of story are you looking for? Stories are driven by
conflict; so begin by thinking about experiences of conflict that
you or someone close to you has had. The conflict may have been
dramatic as in the case of, say, a parent or grandparent who took
part in a protest movement or served during wartime. Or the
conflict may have been subtler say, an argument about religion with
a relative, or the experience of a contemporary student struggling
to pay for an education. But conflict is key. So start by finding a
story of the experience of conflict that you can then connect to
the bigger historical picture.
And what kind of big picture, historical story are you looking
for? The connection between the big picture and the small is
typically most interesting when the big picture involves a change
in large-scale relations of power. So as you think about
experiences of conflict that youve had or heard about, ask
yourself: What larger, historical change in power relations can I
connect this story to?
To flesh out the connection between the big and the small will
require library research. Well do some of this in class. But each
of you will include with your essay a Works Cited list (in MLA
format) of the several sources youll draw upon to tell your
story.
a u d i e n c e
Imagine that youre writing for Heritage, a magazine published by
the History Colorado Center. Your audience, then, ranges from
professional historians, who will be principally interested in the
large-scale significance story you tell, to non-academics who are
reading your story because of a personal interest in the place and
time period in which your small picture story takes place.
d u e d a t e s , e t c .
Your first draft will be a 750-word draft of your small picture
story, due on Google Drive by the start of class on Thursday, April
9. An annotated bibliography of at least four sources is due by the
start of class on Tuesday, April 14. A complete draft is due by the
start of class on Thursday, April 16. The final draft is due by
noon on Friday, June 5.
