- 14 Mar, 2021
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African history
What kinds of essays will earn maximum points? As I have always highlighted, a good History essay
is one that has a clearly well-argued thesis, which is supported by substantial and accurate historical
evidence. Your essays MUST have the following components:
(i) An arguable thesis: You must develop a clear and unambiguous argument in your
introduction to an essay. This thesis must be arguable, meaning that you just cannot
make an outrageous claim that does not pass the test of historical objectivity. You must
develop this thesis by offering sets of subordinate arguments in subsequent paragraphs,
without contradicting your major thesis.
(ii) Evidence: A history essay is incomplete without SPECIFIC, ACCURATE (check your
spellings too!) and COMPELLING evidence that supports a thesis/argument. In order to
construct a convincing answer, you must marshal all relevant historical evidence at your
disposal in order to support your claims. The evidence that you cite must not contradict
your thesis, otherwise your answer will be unconvincing. (When you respond to your two
chosen questions, be sure to refer to and analyze specific historical examples. The very
best answers will use evidence from lectures, readings, discussion sessions, and other
course materials such as films.)
(iii) Conclusion: At the end of your argument, you must restate your thesis, without repeating
it verbatim of course. You must leave no doubt as to the major argument that you sought
to articulate in the essay.
Topic:
● what does “Early African history” mean? Given what you now know about early African
history, do notions/claims of Africa as a continent without “history” hold up? To think about
this theme, you will need to ask yourself this question: in ways did your reading/learning of
various African histories alter/reshape/reconfigure/correct the way we understand Africa &
Africans’ pasts? how is it that African historians thus far have attempted to reconstruct
Africa’s past? What are the promises and challenges of these methods (you will need to make
reference to your encounters with these methods in class & your readings)? Why do these
historical sources matter, even though historians recognize some of the embedded flaws and
problems of these sources?