Evaluative Essay: Ancient Societies Assignment Instructions

Overview

The student will evaluate an historical theme using assigned sources for support and compose a properly formatted, scholarly paper. Please note, there will be two essay assignments that are separate assignments with different due dates.

Students will submit a thesis statement for Evaluative Essay: Ancient Societies Assignment to the instructor for review. This pre-submission of the thesis statement will not be required for Evaluative Essay: Medieval Cultures Assignment. 

Instructions

The student will write two Evaluative Essays each discussing a chosen topic. The student will choose one of the given essay prompts to write on. The length of each paper should be 750 – 1100 words – not counting footnotes. The paper will use double spaced text, Times New Roman, 12 pt. font, standard margins, and indentation. The paper must use Turabian formatting.

The paper will include both a title page and a bibliography page. The student will use citations of the sources given in the prompts. The essay should use Basic Organization (except literature topic, given in literature document): The paper will consist of an introduction, body, and conclusion.

The introduction should be one paragraph and should introduce the main argument, ending with a strong thesis statement. The thesis statement is the one-sentence argument. 

The body of the paper is a few paragraphs (3-4) that develop and support the argument while comparing the assigned documents. The body will also provide further analysis and Biblical evaluation. The body of the paper should provide specific examples and details from the assigned sources. 

The conclusion is the final paragraph, restating the argument and summarizing the main points of the paper, drawing conclusions for the reader. The conclusion should not provide new information. 

Evaluative Essay: Ancient Societies Prompts

Economy and Labor	3000 BC- AD 476   Slavery was a common part of ancient culture, often the result of warfare and conquest. In the following documents are laws and practices in both the Hebrew community and the Greek civilization for slavery. As you read, consider the similarities and differences between these two cultures, and how slaves were a part of each economy.   Your thesis statement should answer the following question, using the three sources here, as well as New Testament Scripture, for support.   How do these practices line up with Christ’s teachings about how we are to treat others? See the Resources section of the Assignment Page for the below sources: Hebrew SlaveryGreek SlaveryContext for Greek slavery New Testament Scripture – Biblegateway.com May also consult Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance or other Bible Concordance.
Law	3000 BC – AD 476 In these documents are listed various laws and guidelines for society. The first, considered the oldest law code, was penned by Hammurabi around 1780 BC, and the second, the famous Law of the Twelve Tables, was penned by the ancient Romans around 450 BC.   While both civilizations were pagan, and their laws occasionally refer to “the gods,” or children of the gods, their civilizations provided some interesting standards for Western Civilization in terms of written laws for the people to see and abide by.   The following excerpts cover laws related to trial and debt. Consider the similarities and differences in these two codes and their legacies for Western Civilization. Your paper should answer the following two questions, and the thesis statement should provide a clear argument that includes both aspects of analysis.   How did these two codes contribute to the laws of Western Civilization? What does Scripture say about law and justice, and how do these examples either evidence that, or fall short of the Biblical standard? See the Resources section of the Assignment Page for the below sources: Code of Hammurabi – On trial: 1-3, 5, 12, 15; On debt: 38-40, 48-52 Roman Law of the Twelve Tables – Tables 1- 3 only Old and New Testament Scripture – Biblegateway.com May also consult Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance or other Bible Concordance.
Literature	For this topic, write a literary analysis.   This paper, unlike the others, has a specific format and organization. It will be made up of 5 paragraphs, and should follow the organization outlined below.   Introduction: (Paragraph 1) Introduce the topic and state the argument of the paper. The thesis (argument) should be ONE SENTENCE.   Body:  Paragraph 2- provide a narrative summary of the poem, in prose form, writing out the main gist of the poem. Be brief, as the focus of the paper should be analysis.   Paragraph 3 – Look at the document from an historical viewpoint. What can it tell us about the culture, society, or civilization of that time?   Paragraph 4 –  consider what the Christian can learn from reading this work of literature. Does it contain anything good, or true? Anything worth contemplating? (Phil. 4:8)   Conclusion: (Paragraph 5) Restate the thesis and summarize the main points.   See the Resources section of the Assignment Page for the below sources: Ovid’s Metamorphoses “The Creation of the World”Old and New Testament Scripture – Biblegateway.com May also consult Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance or other Bible Concordance.
Religion and Philosophy	3000 BC – AD 476 For this first paper, you will consider some ancient teachings on virtue. In the first excerpt, you will find details describing a virtuous man, and philosophical aspects of what it meant, for Stoics, to live and rule virtuously. In the second and third excerpts, you will find teachings of Christ and practices of early Christians.   **Your paper should consider the following issues, and then analyze them in light of Biblical teaching.   What do these men say and show about virtue? Where does virtue come from? When ranked in importance for life, where does it fall?   Your thesis statement needs to provide consideration for how these teachings differ, as well as why that difference is important.   See the Resources section of the Assignment Page for the below sources: Marcus Aurelius on Teachings of ZenoTeachings of Christ: Matthew 5Early Church: Excerpts describing the early church and Christians of the Third CenturyActs 4:32-36; 5:17-41
Science/ Medicine /Technology	3000 BC – AD 476 The following excerpts describe educational practices in ancient Greece and Rome. As you read them, take note of differences. Your thesis should answer the following question/theme.   Evaluate the educational standards of the two civilizations in light of Scripture. What did they do well? What did they leave out, or how did they fall short of the Biblical standard?   For additional information on education, and to provide better background for the primary sources, two reference articles have been included. Please remember to draw the majority of your support from the primary sources, but use the secondary as needed. See the Resources section of the Assignment Page for the below sources: Primary Sources: Sparta Primary Sources: Athens Primary Sources: Rome Education in the Ancient World  Roman education  Old and New Testament Scripture – Biblegateway.com May also consult Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance or other Bible Concordance.