A research paper will be due at the beginning of class on Monday, March 29, 2004. In order to write a paper based on the study of primary sources, all students must find and present their selected primary source for approval by the instructor. Below you will find a list of possible paper topics. Each student will have the opportunity to choose which topic/question they would decide to write about. If you choose to do so, feel free to create your own topic. This is a very open and very limited assignment. Topics should be selected according to personal interests, but it must meet the following conditions: (i) each paper must be based upon research of primary documents; (ii) research of primary documents must be supplemented by at least two scholarly books and/or articles on the subject; Internet sources may be used. Get creative and write upon your interests, but remember paper topics must be approved by the instructor before they can be pursued. Also, remember you must submit two preliminary reports: (i) a statement of the proposed topic (one page), supported by a photocopy of the primary document being used—THIS IS DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS ON Wednesday, February 4, 2004; (ii) a working bibliography to be used in preparing the paper—THIS IS DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS ON Wednesday, February 18, 2004.

List of Possible Topics/Questions

Describe the transition from civic religion to religion promising an extended afterlife with a moral sanction. Does this change arise from political change, such as the end of the self-sufficient city-state? Why should this be so? Do you agree that there is a small number of higher religions toward which complex civilizations tend to move?

Compare and contrast the status of women in ancient Egypt, ancient Israel, and ancient Mesopotamia.

Explore the differences in law and moral/religious outlook between two of the following societies; Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Hebrew, Greek, and Roman.

Compare and contrast the establishment of Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilization. What similar geographical features allowed for the formation of these two societies? How did the societies develop in response to these features? Can the differences in the two cultures be attributed to differences in geography?

Do you agree that even though the Hebrews contributed little to technology and art, their religion and ethical concepts revolutionized the West? Why or why not? What Jewish religious beliefs and practices were unique? What cultural traits?

Compare and contrast the city-states of Athens and Sparta. How were these two states both exemplary of Greek society? How did they differ in their organization? In their treatment of women? In their approach to government?

Describe the major characteristics of Greek religion and identify and give the areas of specialization of at least six Greek gods or goddesses.

Discuss the important works of Herodotus and Thucydides and explain their contributions to historiography.

Write on the nature of slavery in the early Roman Empire, including where slaves typically came from, their duties, their treatment, their overall quality of life, and their chances for manumission.

Does the rise of Christianity illustrate weaknesses of the pagan cults as public religions and as moral guides in individual lives?

First, describe the life and teachings of Jesus. Second, discuss how and why Christianity became so popular in the three centuries after his death. Finally, describe the organization and administration of Christianity from the period shortly after Jesus' death through the end of the fifth century.

Initially, the early Christian Church appeared to be merely another Jewish sect and was treated as such by the Roman Empire. With the work of Paul of Tarsus, however, the church took on an identity of its own. What was this identity? How was the church organized? Who belonged to it? Why? How did the organization of the church contribute to its stability and successful spread? Why was this important during the decline of the Roman government?

With the fall of the Roman Empire, the Roman Catholic Church became the single unifying factor of the medieval world, but was its position religious, or political, or both? In this essay, discuss the medieval church and its role in the medieval world. Was the role consistent or did it change over time? How did the church interact with the fragmented political structure? How did this effect the Christian religion?

The eastern and western churches definitively split from each other in 1054, but differences in administration and theology started to separate the two much earlier. In this essay, compare and contrast the two Christian churches. In what way were they both successors to one Christian church? In what ways were they different? How did politics and society affect these two churches?

First describe the origin and principle beliefs of Islam. Then discuss and assess its expansion through the Middle East, North Africa, and Spain.

Write an essay in which you first explain the emergence and development of feudalism, and then describe the nature of feudalism and how it affected political authority.

Numerous medieval people flocked to the city anxious to gain a share of the new-found wealth, but what did this life offer? Were jobs available? If so, what types of jobs? Could all participate freely in the medieval economy? What limitations did the city place on individuals of different classes?

Describe the types of transportation used in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, and assess their relative efficiencies and costs.

During the High Middle Ages, rural society became polarized between the peasantry and the nobility. The nobility, a new class, began to define itself from the earlier warrior class, and the peasantry was increasingly entrenched in village life. In this essay, compare and contrast these two social groups. Where did the different groups live? What did they eat? What were their occupations? Why was social movement between them so difficult? What attempts were made to break this barrier?

The English Reformation differs in that it started "from the top." What does this mean and how did the English Reformation differ from the from the other reform movements of the same time period? In your answer, be sure to discuss the role of Henry VIII.

How did the Catholic Church combat the rise of Protestantism, both externally and internally?

Compare and contrast the nature of Portuguese and Spanish colonial rule.

Discuss the military policy of Elizabeth I, and explain why Mary, Queen of Scots, was a casualty of it.

Write an essay on the English Civil War that first describes the various causes of the war, then moves to a discussion of the prosecution of the war and execution of Charles I, followed by an examination of the rule of Cromwell and the restoration of the monarchy.

As a young child, Louis XIV inherited a throne manipulated by the aristocracy and confronted by internal strife. As he aged, he learned to quell these problems through a carefully controlled political system, the absolute monarchy. What is an absolute monarchy? How was Louis able to consolidate his power and control his population? Was it effective? What problems remained when Louis died?

Why was Louis XIV a model for many European rulers?

Compare and contrast germ theory and miasma theory and explain why belief in the former rather than the latter would have saved many lives in the Old Regime.

First describe and analyze the tenets of mercantilism. Then discuss the critique of mercantilism presented by the Physiocrats and their proposed solutions.

Use specific examples in an essay that examines both the triangular trade that involved slaves, and the nature and consequences of slavery itself.