Course Overview and Essay Standards

Vocabulary and key concepts extracted from the lecture transcript covering syllabus policies, exam structures, and historical essay writing expectations.

Document Analysis Weekly Schedule

A recurring assignment structure where the assignment opens Monday at 6:00 AM, the initial post is due Wednesday at 11:59 PM, and critiques of two colleagues' posts are due Sunday by 11:59 PM.

Historiography

The primary focus of Chapter 1 in the course curriculum.

Anthropology and Archaeology

The primary subject focus of Chapter 2 in the course curriculum, rather than pure history.

Exam Schedule

An assessment scheduled at the beginning of class from 6:00 PM to 7:25 PM, followed by a break and a standard class lecture.

Exam Essay Structure

An exam format where three essay prompts are provided in advance in the announcements, two appear on the exam, one is answered for full credit, and the second can be answered for extra credit.

Avoidance of First-Person Pronouns

The writing standard requiring students to refrain from using 'I' or 'in my opinion' in history essays, as ownership of the written thoughts is self-evident.

Required Essay Evidence Sources

Scholarly material drawn directly from class notes and the textbook to support arguments in history essays.

Comparative Terms

Words such as 'most', 'greatest', 'least', or 'worst' that require an explicit point of comparison to other subjects rather than just demonstrating a single subject's importance.

Essay Argument Grading Standard

A grading criterion evaluating how effectively a student marshals a strong argument and supports it with accurate scholarly material, regardless of instructor agreement with the position.