Early Civilizations: A Comparison Research Paper

Early Civilizations:

A Comparison Research Paper

In order to explore more fully the cultures of the worlds earliest civilizations, each of you will research two separate civilizations culminating in a paper which compares and contrasts significant aspects of each. Your paper will include at least two strong comparisons and one contrasts supported by your research. Below are general instructions and information that we will elaborate upon in class.

Instructions

1. Chose One Early Civilization to pair with your assigned civilization: Mesopotamia, Babylon, Egypt, Crete, India, China, Meso-America.

2. Chose at least two Topics or Categories to compare and/or contrast for each of your civilizations. Consider the Characteristics of Civilization or other commonalities of early civilizations that we have learned about in class.

3. Research each civilization and take notes on their similarities and differences.

4. Narrow down your list to the 2 most important similarities and one most important differences, or how their similarities differ.

5. Develop a Thesis sentence.

6. Write an introduction, body, and conclusion.

7. Peer edit a rough draft.

8. Complete the final draft.

Format

1. Paper length: 2 pages in the body of the report. Your report should be a minimum of 1 page and a maximum of 2 pages, not counting the bibliography and visual(s). The body of the report will include your introduction, the text of your report, and a conclusion.

2. Paper format: Typed, Times New Roman type face (not bold/italic), single space, 12 point type, margins of 1” on all sides. Do not use personal pronouns or contractions such as don’t or can’t; instead use do not or cannot.

3. References and Citations: Minimum of 3 references (you should use more). A minimum of two citations must be included in the body of the paper and in the bibliography using MLA reference style. (See Section 3, “Guide to References”.) Refer to the rubric for the best practices.

4. Bibliography: A Bibliography is an alphabetical list of sources you used in preparing your paper. They are a list of all of the sources you have used in the process of researching your work. The bibliography is a separate page at the end of the report and does not count toward the length of the assignment.

5. Visuals: At least one good quality visual in the body of your report (photograph, map, chart,etc.). The visual does not count toward the page requirement. Visuals should clearly relate to your report topic and help to explain it. Clearly identify and cite the source and content of each visual in the text on the page that the image appears.

IMPORTANT: As you take notes, put quote marks (“) around information you copy from the source so you will know these are the exact words of the source. This will help you avoid plagiarism.