HIS 200 Project 2 Guidelines and Rubric

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Project 2 Guidelines and Rubric

HIS 200 Project 2 Guidelines and Rubric

Overview  History is for human self-knowledge . . . the only clue to what man can do is what man has done. The value of history, then, is that it teaches us

what man has done and thus what man is. 

—R. G. Collingwood 

Historical awareness informs various aspects of our lives. We live in a time of rapid change, and we often think more about the future than the

past. However, studying history can help us better understand our own lives in the context of the places we live and society in general. In

America, specifically, the government is informed by its citizens. If the ideals of society shift, that shift will eventually move throughout the

different levels of government, effecting widespread change. 

For the projects in this course, you will select a historical event that has impacted American society in some way. You may select an event that

was discussed in the course, or you may select your own event, with instructor approval. You may consider using the event you chose to work

on in your Perspectives in History class, if that event is something you wish to investigate further through this assessment.  

In Project 1, you will develop a plan for an essay on this historical event. The plan will include a brief description of the selected historical event

and the resources you will use in your research. In addition, you will identify an audience for your essay and decide how to communicate your

information to this audience. In Project 2, you will write an essay analyzing the historical event you selected, examining its impact on society as

well as its impact on you personally. 

Project 2 addresses the following course outcomes: 

Illustrate the impact of historical thinking on personal and professional experiences 

Select appropriate and relevant primary and secondary sources in investigating foundational historic events 

Communicate effectively to specific audiences in examining fundamental aspects of human history 

Utilize historical evidence in drawing conclusions about the impact of historic events on American society 

Apply key approaches to studying history in addressing critical questions related to historical narratives and perspectives 

Prompt  Your historical analysis essay should answer the following promptYour historical analysis essay should answer the following prompt: Analyze the historical event you selected, using your writing plan as

the basis for your analysis. The following critical elements will be assessed in a 4- to 6-page word processing document. 

I. IntroductionIntroduction: In this section of your essay, you will introduce your readers to the historical event you selected. Specifically, you should:  

A. Provide a brief overview overview of your historical event. For instance, what background information or context does the reader of your essay

need? 

B. Based on your research question, develop a thesis statementthesis statement that states your claim about the historical event you selected. Your

thesis statement should be clear, specific, and arguable, as it will give direction to the rest of your essay. 

II. BodyBody: You will use this section of your essay to provide further detail about your historical event while supporting the claim you made in

your thesis statement. Make sure to cite your sources. Specifically, you should: 

A. Describe the causes causes of the historical event. In other words, what were the underlying factors that led to the historical event? Were

there any immediate causes that precipitated the event? 

B. Illustrate the course course of your historical event. In other words, tell the story or narrative of your event. Who were the important

participants? What did they do? Why? How do the perspectives of the key participants differ? 

C. Describe the immediate and long-term consequences consequences of the historical event for American society. In other words, how did the event

impact American society? 

D. Discuss the historical evidence evidence that supports your conclusions about the impact of the event on American society. Support your

response with specific examples from your sources.  

III. ConclusionConclusion: In this section of your essay, you will discuss the impact of historical thinking. Specifically, you should: 

A. Explain why this historical event is important to you personallypersonally. In other words, why did you select this event to research? 

B. Illustrate how your research research of the historical event impacted the way you thought about the event. In other words, how did thinking

like a historian change the lens through which you viewed the event? Support your response with specific examples. 

C. Explain how a historian historian would pursue further study of your thesis statement. In other words, if a historian were to continue

researching your thesis statement, what would be the future directions or next steps? 

IV. Provide a reference listreference list that includes all of the primary and secondary sources you used to investigate your historical event and support

your thesis statement. Ensure that your list is formatted according to current APA guidelines (or another format, with instructor

permission). 

V. Communicate your message message in a way that is tailored to your specific audience. For instance, you could consider your vocabulary, your

audience’s potential current knowledge of historical events, or lack thereof, and what is specifically important to the audience. 

What to Submit Your historical analysis essay should adhere to the following formatting requirements: 4–6 pages, double-spaced, using 12-point Times New

Roman font and one-inch margins. You should use current APA-style guidelines (or another format approved by your instructor) for your

citations and reference list.

Project 2 Rubric

CriteriaCriteria ExemplaryExemplary Proficient Proficient  NeedsNeeds

Improvement Improvement  Not Evident  Not Evident   ValueValue

Introduction:Introduction:

Overview Overview 

Meets “Proficient”

criteria, and

response expertly

balances necessary

detail with brevity

(100%) 

Provides brief

overview of

historical event

(85%) 

Provides brief

overview of

historical event, but

with gaps in detail or

clarity (55%) 

Does not provide

brief overview of

historical event (0%) 

8.6

Introduction:Introduction:

ThesisThesis

Statement Statement 

Meets “Proficient”

criteria, and

response

demonstrates keen

insight into

historical event

(100%) 

Develops clear,

specific, and

arguable thesis

statement that

states claim about

historical event

based on research

question (85%) 

Develops thesis

statement that

states claim about

historical event, but

thesis statement is

not based on

research question or

lacks clarity or

specificity or is not

arguable (55%) 

Does not develop

thesis statement

that states claim

about historical

event (0%) 

8.6

Body: Causes Body: Causes  Meets “Proficient”

criteria, and

response

demonstrates

insight into key

approaches to

studying history

(100%) 

Describes the

causes of historical

event, citing

source(s) (85%) 

Describes the

causes of historical

event, but with gaps

in detail, accuracy,

clarity, or citation

(55%) 

Does not describe

the causes of

historical event (0%) 

8.6

Body: Course Body: Course  Meets “Proficient”

criteria, and

response

demonstrates

insight into key

approaches to

studying history

(100%) 

Illustrates course of

historical event,

citing source(s)

(85%) 

Illustrates course of

historical event, but

with gaps in detail,

accuracy, clarity, or

citation (55%) 

Does not illustrate

course of historical

event (0%) 

8.6

Body:Body:

Consequences Consequences 

Meets “Proficient”

criteria, and

response

demonstrates

insight into

relationship

between historical

event and American

society (100%) 

Describes

immediate and long-

term consequences

of historical event

for American

society, citing

source(s) (85%) 

Describes

immediate and long-

term consequences

of historical event

for American

society, but with

gaps in detail,

accuracy, clarity, or

citation (55%) 

Does not describe

immediate and long-

term consequences

of historical event

for American society

(0%) 

8.6

Body: Evidence Body: Evidence  Meets “Proficient”

criteria, and

response

demonstrates strong

understanding of

how to use historical

evidence in drawing

conclusions about

the impact of

historic events on

American society

(100%) 

Discusses historical

evidence that

supports

conclusions about

impact of event on

American society,

citing source(s) and

providing specific

examples (85%) 

Discusses historical

evidence that

supports

conclusions about

impact of event on

American society,

but with gaps in

detail, support, or

citation (55%) 

Does not discuss

historical evidence

that supports

conclusions about

impact of event on

American society

(0%) 

8.6

Conclusion:Conclusion:

Personally Personally 

Meets “Proficient”

criteria, and

explanation

demonstrates keen

insight into impact

of history on

personal

experiences (100%) 

Explains why

historical event is

important

personally (85%) 

Explains why

historical event is

important

personally, but with

gaps in clarity or

detail (55%) 

Does not explain

why historical event

is important

personally (0%) 

8.6

Conclusion:Conclusion:

Research Research 

Meets “Proficient”

criteria, and

response

demonstrates

insight into

relationship

between event and

historical thinking

(100%) 

Illustrates how

research of

historical event

impacted thinking

about event,

supporting response

with specific

examples (85%) 

Illustrates how

research of

historical event

impacted thinking

about event, but

response has gaps in

clarity, detail, or

support (55%) 

Does not illustrate

how research of

historical event

impacted thinking

about event (0%) 

8.6

Conclusion:Conclusion:

Historian Historian 

Meets “Proficient”

criteria, and

response

demonstrates

understanding of

historical thinking

(100%) 

Explains how a

historian would

pursue further study

of thesis statement

(85%) 

Explains how a

historian would

pursue further study

of thesis statement

but with gaps in

clarity, detail, or

logic (55%) 

Does not explain

how a historian

would pursue

further study of

thesis statement

(0%) 

8.6

Reference List Reference List  N/A Provides reference

list that includes all

primary and

secondary sources

used to investigate

historical event and

support thesis

statement,

formatting list

according to current

APA guidelines

(100%) 

Provides reference

list that includes all

primary and

secondary sources

used to investigate

historical event and

support thesis

statement, but list

has gaps in

adherence to

current APA

formatting

guidelines (55%) 

Does not provide

reference list that

includes all primary

and secondary

sources used to

investigate historical

event and support

thesis statement

(0%) 

8.6

Message Message  Meets “Proficient”

criteria, and

presentation

demonstrates

understanding of

effectively

communicating with

specific audiences

(100%) 

Communicates

message effectively

in a way that is

tailored to specific

audience (85%) 

Communicates

message to

audience, but

communication is

not effective or is

not tailored to

specific audience

(55%) 

Does not

communicate

message to audience

(0%) 

8.6

Articulation ofArticulation of

Response Response 

Submission is free of

errors related to

citations, grammar,

spelling, syntax, and

organization and is

presented in a

professional and

easy-to-read format

(100%) 

Submission has no

major errors related

to citations,

grammar, spelling,

syntax, or

organization (85%) 

Submission has

major errors related

to citations,

grammar, spelling,

syntax, or

organization that

negatively impact

readability and

articulation of main

ideas (55%) 

Submission has

critical errors

related to citations,

grammar, spelling,

syntax, or

organization that

prevent

understanding of

ideas (0%) 

5.4

Total:Total: 100%

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