Berkeley City College Imperialism Paper

1885 Political Cartoon in response to the Berlin Conference

Assignment: Write a thoughtful and well-written 1-2 pages (about 250-500 words) historical analysis and please try to submit the assignment by the end of Week 7 (Sunday, October 11th) if possible (you can still submit it after that).

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Expectations: 1-2 pages (about 250-500 words) of clear and strong quality writing, definitely proofread!, using any appropriately cited evidence to support your interpretation.

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Topic: “Imperialism”

This week we focus our attention to look at an era that has come to be defined by the term “imperialism.” We examine the concept and experience of “imperialism” and try to better understand how and why it connects to “colonialism,” which we’ve studied previously, and to better understand its short- and long-term impacts.

Your suggested question to respond to this week is: To what extent is modern world history shaped by imperialism and what do you think are the legacies/impacts of imperialism today?

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NOTE:

• An informal citation using a webpage/artifact can appear in parentheses following your discussion of the source and looks like this: (Name the creator of the source if known, skip otherwise, first, “Name of the site/object,” and if it is from a website use <url here>, finish with the date you accessed the page)
• Example: “History 3B’s Assignment 5 webpage contained a generic definition of nationalism” (Blake Johnson, “Week 7 Assignment Generic definition,” HIST-3B-43873-F20 Accessed [put date here])

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Tips: You can (but don’t have to!) consider any of the following:

• What role does colonialism and imperialism play in shaping the major world powers of the late 1800s? What kind of impact does this have on the world’s powers (which states are empires, for example)?
• What is the difference to you between “colonialism” and “imperialism?” Or are they not different?

• Was imperialism an inevitable outcome of the history of Europe since 1492? Why or why not?
• What kind of legacy has imperialism had on world history today? (Be sure to link to historical events of imperialism!)

*NOTE: There are no right or wrong arguments; I just want you to practice making connections to produce a historical argument.

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Feedback: Your feedback, which will become part of your overall evaluation in this course, will be based on 5 criteria of emphasis–

1. POINT: This will be your specific response to the question (“_____ suggests that modern world history is/isn’t shaped by imperialism”). Usually 1 sentence; this is the thesis or topical sentence.

2. EVIDENCE: Cite strong evidence to support your POINT. Remember, evidence should directly relate to your point and support it and you need to identify and cite it as necessary.

3. EVALUATION: Having explained your EVIDENCE you then need to tie your argument together by explaining how and why the EVIDENCE supports your POINT. This evaluation, or analysis, connects your argument together to form a strong circle: POINT-EVIDENCE-EVALUATION-POINT.

ARGUMENT: How well you are combining your point, evidence, and evaluation together to form an overall ARGUMENT. The clearer and more specific your connections between your POINT, EVIDENCE, and EVALUATION are the stronger your overall ARGUMENT will be to your audience.

WRITING: The quality of your WRITING doesn’t have to be perfect, but any argument is stronger when it is well-written so be sure to proofread for spelling, grammar, and word-choice.

POINTS: CANVAS LOVES USING POINTS EVEN IF I DON’T WANT TO. PLEASE NOTE:

• THE RUBRIC “POINTS” ARE NOT COUNTED AND THE RUBRIC TOTAL WILL NOT FACTOR INTO YOUR FINAL GRADE! IT’S JUST A WAY TO GET A SENSE OF AREAS OF STRENGTH AND AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT.
• THE ASSIGNMENT POINT (1 POINT) IS BASED ON WHETHER YOU HAVE SUBMITTED THE ASSIGNMENT AND I PROVIDED YOU FEEDBACK–IT IS OTHERWISE MEANINGLESS!

Rubric

Writing Assignment Rubric