HIS 101 PROFESSOR WERTHEIMER
Paper Assignment:
Please carefully read the attached excerpt from Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War and
write a paper 500-700 word paper that…
1) Explains how he tried to research and write his history (that is how he gathered and analyzed
information)
2) Explains why he thought his work was better than the work of other authors, and
3) Critically analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of his work (necessary only for students who
are trying to earn a B or an A).
A “C” PAPER WILL DEMONSTRATE:
• Comprehension of the text
• Ability to coherently distill out and briefly explain the most important components of the text
• Ability to show how your conclusions have been derived from the primary source evidence
• Clear articulation of your arguments
• Attention to mechanical detail
A “B” PAPER WILL DEMONSTRATE:
• More nuanced comprehension of the text than what is required of C papers, including the ability
to make critical assessment of Thucydides’ methodological approaches
• Ability to coherently distill out and briefly explain the most important components of the text
• Ability to show how your conclusions have been derived from the primary source evidence
• Clear articulation of your arguments
• Attention to mechanical detail
AN “A” PAPER WILL DEMONSTRATE:
• More nuanced comprehension of the text than what is required of C papers, including the ability
to make critical assessment of Thucydides’ methodological approaches
• More in-depth analysis than what is required of B papers
• Ability to coherently distill out and briefly explain the most important components of the text
• More effective explanation of how your conclusions have been derived from the primary source
• Strong writing skills
• Attention to mechanical detail
Important instructions: Please be sure to refer to the length requirements below. Please put both the
total word count and the word count excluding quotations at the end of your paper
WORD COUNT AND QUOTATION REQUIREMENTS
* To receive an A, a paper should be at least 700 words long and should include at least 7 direct
quotations from the assigned excerpt of Thucydides.
* To receive a B, a paper should be at least 600 words long and should include at least 5 direct
quotations from the assigned source.
* To receive a C, a paper should be at least 500 words long and should include at least 3 direct
quotations from the assigned source.
