In 1-2 pages, please write an original paper on the concept of historical objectivity. In writing
your paper, please respond to following questions:
1. Please define and describe the word, “objective”, the adjective objective, as referring to being unbiassed.
2. From the story of the woman walking with her dog, what qualities are needed to be objective?
3. Why is it important for historians to have a “probationary period” before they accept new information/ideas?
4. What is Edward Hallet Carr referring to that “the facts of history never come to us pure, since they do not and cannot exist in pure form: they are always refracted through the mind of the recorder.” In other words, why does historical information and evidence bend and change when it enters our minds?
5. In referring to our class discussion of John Tosh’s requirements for historical objectivity,
what type of attitude does one need to have in ordmer to be willing “to amass as many
pieces of evidence as possible from a wide range of sources?”
6. In referring to our class discussion of Peter Novick’s requirements for historical
objectivity, what does it mean that “facts are prior and independent of interpretation?”
7. Also, what type of attitude must we have in order to be willing “to abandon our
understanding of a situation when new and valid evidence is introduced that contradicts our original evaluation?”
StyleFor this assignment, you may choose which writing style you want to use i.e. MLA, Turabian,
etc. However, whichever writing style you use, please be consistent.
Mechanics
Please use Times New Roman, 12 pt. font. Double-space.
Citations
Please cite the outside material you use in writing this paper. If you happen to use information from lecture, that is fine. However, please cite that it came from lecture.
Bibliography Requirement
There is a three-source minimum requirement for this paper. You can use Edward Hallet Carr, John Tosh, Peter Novick as sources. You can get other sources from an article, book, website, etc. If you use an online source, make sure that the source is reputable. Make sure that you have
at least 3 intext citations in your paper, along with a bibliography page at the end of your paper.
Your bibliography page is in addition to your 1-2 page requirement.
Submission Date
Papers will will only be accepted through
Turnitin.com in your Canvas. Please avoid any last-minute issues with submitting your paper.
You cannot submit your paper as an email attachment.
Late Papers
Late paper will not be accepted to due the fast-paced nature of this summer class.
Need Help Writing?
Clovis Community College has a tutorial center which helps students with their writing skills.
Essay Rubric
The following is an essay rubric. It is the standard by which papers will be graded.
A
Commandingly clear and convincing argument; excellently
structured; excellent relationship between ideas; few if any
grammatical errors; provides solid evidence to
support assertions; offers substantial amount of content
to address the essay prompt; excellent usage of language;
sophisticated flow to the paper.
B
Clear and convincing argument yet is not as clear
and substantial as an A paper; well- structured; good relationship
between ideas; grammatical errors, but, not enough to take away
from the overall argument of the paper; provides above-average
amount of content to address the essay prompt; provides above-
average amount of evidence to support essay prompt; above average
usage of language; good flow to the paper.
C
An argument is made but lacks clarity and sophistication;
the structure of ideas lacks organization and clarity; presence of
more than a few grammatical errors; provides minimum content
and evidence to support prompt; usage of language makes the
essay somewhat unclear; lacks flow to paper.
D
Substantially lacks clarity and sophistication in argument;
substantially lacks structure; many grammatical errors;
weakly addresses the essay prompt and provides very
minimal evidence; weak usage of language; very minimal
flow to paper.
F
No evidence of clarity and sophistication;
no structure; copious amount of grammatical
errors; does not address the prompt;
does not offer any evidence to support the prompt;
extreme weakness in language usage; no flow to paper.
