Theme Paper: From the list of readings in the "Reading Assignments"-page, choose a group of primary sources (i.e., original Egyptian documents) deriving from the same time period. Prepare an historical analysis of these documents, discussing the events of the period in question, comparing and contrasting them in order to show what they reveal about their particular era, and evaluating how accurate they are (or to what extent they seem to be inaccurate) in revealing conditions of the period.

You may choose any group of documents from any week in the semester. If you wish, you may augment these with any other related documents published in Lichtheim's anthologies or elsewhere (e.g., the anthologies listed in the Course Bibliography). Those readings marked "Optional" would be good examples of additional documents with which to augment your discussion. This paper is not a book report or literary analysis. It is an exercise in the critical use of primary sources to understand historical processes. Be critical and interpretive; be analytical. Keep the paper to 3-5 pages in length (which will not be easy, given the amount of material available).

Format: Double-spaced type-written pages, up to 5 pages total; theme paper should otherwise conform to the same format as the term paper below)

Paper Topic: Choose any topic on Egyptian social history from the list of readings in the "Reading Assignments"-page (or another topic with instructor's consent), and write a paper analyzing that aspect of Egyptian society, especially to determine the extent to which that aspect of Egyptian society has left its mark or legacy anywhere in western society (past or present). You may use the list of readings below to begin your research, but you must add at least five (5) additional primary and secondary sources to them (total of 10) as part of your research. Be critical and evaluative in your use of both types of sources. Develop a particular theme or hypothesis as you collect your sources, and strive to prove that hypothesis in your paper. Any topic you choose should be approved in advance by the course instructor.

In this paper, your approach and writing style should be analytical; do not simply write a narrative, but ask questions; then organize and present evidence to answer those questions. If you have any questions or uncertainties, come see me, and let's talk.

Paper Format: All papers should be 8-10 pages in length, type-written, with 1-inch margins on both sides, top, and bottom. The text should be double spaced and in 12-point type. The term paper must include: cover page (do not repeat title and course info on page 1), citations (i.e., footnotes, endnotes, or in-line parenthetical references), and a separate Bibliography-page. The cover page and the bibliography do not count toward the required number of pages.

N.B., endnotes should not be confused with parenthetical references. Endnotes function like footnotes, except that they are all grouped together in a single list at the end of the paper (ahead of the Bibliography). Parenthetical references are abbreviated citations written in a standardized style in parentheses within or at the end of the sentences in the body of the paper. VERY IMPORTANT: Be aware that while footnotes and endnotes take a "Bibliography", parenthetical references can only(!) take a "Reference List".

IMPORTANT: Title your bibliographical page "Bibliography" not "Works Cited" (despite Turabian). However, if you employ parenthetical references, then you must title the page "Reference List", and you must use the standard "Reference List (RL)"-format, as specified by Turabian, instead of the traditional "Bibliography (B)"-format. There are differences between the two formats; check them out!!

Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers is the official style-manual of the History Department of the College of Charleston. This style is recognized throughout the world for academic writing in the Humanities and Social Sciences. If you are not familiar with this format, open the manual and learn it! Do not try to "wing" it or fudge the format, especially if you opt to use parenthetical references. Any papers that do not conform to Turabian will be down-graded accordingly. Four copies of Turabian are located in the College of Charleston Library: two in the Reference Section, two on Permanent Reserve. Copies are also available for purchase in the College Bookstore (if not on the General Trade shelves, then look under Hist 103.005 & 015). The Writing Lab can advise any student personally in Turabian's format, and it also provides a marginally useful Turabian style sheet.

As a rule of thumb, you should not quote class-lecture notes specifically in any term paper or essay. You may treat information from class notes as general knowledge not requiring footnoting, as long as you use it to build inferences, i.e., to help prove another point or hypothesis. However, if the lecture information happens to be the point you are making, then you must quote the original published source from which the material derived. If you cannot find that source among the readings, see the instructor for help. You may consult the instructor at any time for his friendly and charming advice on preparing the papers.

Form and spelling will be factors in grading the final term paper, the theme paper less so. If you are uncertain of your spelling, use a dictionary. If you employ a word processor, use a spell-check program. Admittedly, that will not be of help in spelling foreign and Egyptological names. So, you will need to be conscious of spelling throughout.

Why the emphasis on form? A term paper is a means of communication. The purpose of any paper is to convey an argument as logically as possible according to standards of form that facilitate its communicative function. Form is not merely format and correct spelling but also includes the logical arrangement of an argument and the rational ordering of historical and textual data to support a particular point of view. Poor form can impede the communication of a valid point of view. When a paper cannot communicate due to a lapse of form, it has failed in its purpose.

Conventions in Transcribing Egyptian Names. Between the instructor's lectures and the course readings, you will find different conventions in the English spellings of Egyptian names. Whichever convention you use, be consistent, e.g., do not write "Tuthmosis" one time and "Thutmose" later, or "Ammenemes" and "Amenemhat". Choose one convention and stick to it! Egyptologists have established a Multi-lingual Egyptological Thesaurus to foster a certain standardization in names and terminology. It is accessible on the Internet, and, if you desire, you may consult it at: https://www.ccer.ggl.ruu.nl/thes/thesaur.html.

Students should confine the bulk of their research to printed publications. They may use the World Wide Web selectively to help research the paper topic. For that purpose, a page entitled, Web Links, pertaining to ancient Egypt exists on the course's Web page. However, there is a great deal of trash on the Web that does not conform to modern academic standards. The World Wide Web contains four types of materials pertaining to ancient Egypt:

1. primary sources, i.e. translations of original Egyptian inscriptions by reputable Egyptologists;

2. original archaeological reports and data by archaeologists and Egyptologists;

3. synthetical reports and essays prepared by Egyptologists (often as Web versions of reputable printed publications);

4. materials, idiosyncratic essays, and polemical tracts of uneven and inconsistent quality, prepared by non-professionals, dilettantes, radical afro-centrists, and self-proclaimed prophets of the New Age revelation (yikes!).

Sadly, this latter Egyptotrash [no. 4] constitutes the bulk of Egyptological materials on the Web.

As of now, there are no peer-reviewed professional Egyptological journals published on the Web. For the purposes of this course, students are permitted to quote from primary sources [no. 1], only if these inscriptions are not available elsewhere in print. Because Egyptological secondary sources on the Web are rarely peer-reviewed, students may quote from [nos. 2 & 3] but only after consulting with the course instructor on each source. Web pages for [nos. 1 - 3] are usually identifiable by the domain-marker ".edu" in their Web addresses (or ".ac" for British addresses). Students may freely use these Web pages in their research to identify printed sources of information or research direction. However, under no circumstances may students quote from the unprofessional Egypto-crypto-trash [no. 4] (usually identifiable by the domain-marker ".com" in their Web addresses). If in doubt about the appropriateness of any research source--either on the Web or in print--please feel free to consult the instructor. He will be very happy to discuss individual Web sites.

As you prepare the theme papers and term paper for this course, be careful not plagiarize any of your sources. Any plagiarism, whether intentional or unintentional, whether blatant or merely inappropriate paraphrasing, cannot be tolerated. If you have any questions as you prepare your assignments, please feel free to ask the advice of the instructor. If in doubt about anything, quote it--even indirect quotations! The Honor Code of the College of Charleston strictly prohibits plagiarism, cheating, and attempted cheating. A student committing these offenses will be reported to the Honor Board and will flunk the course. Additional penalties may include suspension or expulsion from the college at the discretion of the Honor Board. See the College of Charleston Student Handbook for definitions of these offenses.

Students are reminded that eating, drinking, and smoking are prohibited in the classrooms of the College of Charleston. Students may not make or receive cellular telephone calls or accept electronic pages during the class period. Please turn off any cell phones, pagers, etc. at the start of class. The classroom is an inappropriate venue for personal grooming, such as combing hair, applying makeup, etc., or even for sleeping .