1. Thesis Writing Essay Basics

2. In just about every essay, the prompt will ask you to draw a comparison between two or three things. Your job is to: – Figure out what the question is asking – Figure out the similarities and differences – Write a thesis statement that answers the question and states the similarities and differences

3. Similarities and Differences What is a compare and contrast prompt asking you to do? – State what is similar and what is different What is a Change and Continuity over time prompt asking? – What stayed the same (similar) and what changed What is a cause and effect question asking you to explain? – What happened (cause) and what changed (effect)

4. The thesis statements should stand separately from the body of the essay and should summarize what the essay is going to be about. In a compare/contrast thesis, you should have a 3-prong approach: similar, similar, different or similar, different, different

5. Prompt Template (region/topic 1) and (region/topic 2) were different in (category 1) and (category 2), but were similar in (category 3) during (time/place). (region/topic 1) and (region/topic 2) were different in (category 1), but were similar in (category 2) and (category 3) during (time/place).

6. Prompt Template During (time/place), (region/topic 1) and (region/topic 2) were different in (category 1) and (category 2), but were similar in (category 3). During (time/place), (region/topic 1) and (region/topic 2) were different in (category 1), but were similar in (category 2) and (category 3).

7. Use the S.P.I.C.E. Themes to help you determine what was similar and what was different. S ocial - Development and transformation of social structures – Gender roles and relations – Family and kinship – Racial and ethnic constructions – Social and economic classes Caste system, Social hierarchy, Guilds, etc.

8. Use the S.P.I.C.E. Themes to help you determine what was similar and what was different. P olitical – State-building, expansion, and conflict – Political structures and forms of governance – Empires – Nations and nationalism – Revolts and revolutions – Regional, trans-regional, and global structures and organizations

9. Use the S.P.I.C.E. Themes to help you determine what was similar and what was different. I nteraction between humans and the environment – Demography and disease – Migration – Patterns of settlement – Technology

10. Use the S.P.I.C.E. Themes to help you determine what was similar and what was different. C ultural – Development and interaction of cultures – Religions – Belief systems, philosophies, and ideologies – Science and technology – The arts and architecture

11. Use the S.P.I.C.E. Themes to help you determine what was similar and what was different. E conomic – Creation, expansion, and interaction of economic systems – Agricultural and pastoral production – Trade and commerce – Labor systems – Industrialization – Capitalism and socialism

12. Thesis Musts 1.AP – Answer the Prompt 2.Place/Time – Make sure you say when and where in specific terms – Timing needs to be stated exactly as stated in the prompt 3.Three clear and specific categories of analysis

13. Essay Essentials

14. 1.Write what college board calls an “acceptable thesis.” – This is a 1-2 sentence statement. You don’t need more. – Get right to the point of answering the prompt.

15. Essay Essentials 2.Write a separate paragraph for each of the points in your thesis. – You should have 3 points, therefore 3 body paragraphs. – Start each paragraph with a topic sentence that is a summary of the point – Fill in specific, concrete details.

16. Essay Essentials 3.Complete your essay with a conclusion paragraph. – This only needs to be 1 – 2 sentences. – Restate your thesis, but do it in a different way than in your opening paragraph.

17. Essay Essentials 1.Write what college board calls an “acceptable thesis.” 2.Write a separate paragraph for each of the points in your thesis. 3.Complete your essay with a conclusion paragraph.

19. Prompt: Compare and contrast the political conquests and government systems of the Mongols with that of the Roman Empire or the Song Dynasty. The political conquests and government systems of the Mongols and Rome empire differed in that Rome’s government was heavily integrated in religion, and the Mongols failed to properly govern many of their conquered lands, but were similar in terms of military organization.

20. Prompt: Compare and contrast the political conquests and government systems of the Mongols with that of the Roman Empire or the Song Dynasty. The Mongols and the Roman Empire were very different in terms of government system but shared some things when it came to conquest.

21. Prompt: Compare and contrast the political conquests and government systems of the Mongols with that of the Roman Empire or the Song Dynasty. The Mongols and the Roman Empire are similar in military leaders, goals of expansion, but differed in the form of their governments.

22. Prompt: Compare and contrast the political conquests and government systems of the Mongols with that of the Roman Empire or the Song Dynasty. The government systems and political conquests of the Mongols, who ruled for most of the 13 th century, and that of the Roman Empire have many similarities and differences.

23. Prompt: Compare and contrast the political conquests and government systems of the Mongols with that of the Roman Empire or the Song Dynasty. Although the Mongols and Roman Empire were similar in that they possessed insanely powerful militaries, their political conquests were the result of differing strengths and the governing systems of both states were nearly as opposite as they could get.

24. Prompt: Compare and contrast the political conquests and government systems of the Mongols with that of the Roman Empire or the Song Dynasty. The Mongols were similar to the Romans politically in that they were both very skilled conquerors and had powerful military forces; however they differed in that the Mongols were not very good administrators.

25. Prompt: Compare and contrast the political conquests and government systems of the Mongols with that of the Roman Empire or the Song Dynasty. The Roman empire of the classical era, and the Mongols of the post-classical era were similar in that they were both mighty conquerors, but they were different in the ways they organized their government, and how centralized their governments were.

26. Prompt: Compare and contrast the political conquests and government systems of the Mongols with that of the Roman Empire or the Song Dynasty. The political conquests and government of the Mongols and of the Roman Empire were similar in the fact they were imperialistic but contrasted by who they used as officials, and that one’s bureaucracy was based on merit.

27. Compare/Contrast Prompt Compare demographic and environmental effects of the Columbian Exchange on the Americas with the Columbian Exchange’s demographic and environmental effects on ONE of the following regions between 1492 and 1750. AfricaAsiaEurope

28. The Columbian Exchange had its positive and negative effects on regions such as the Americas and Africa. Demographical and environmental changes emerged with the Columbian exchange. Being large continents, Africa and the Americas faced the effects of the Columbian exchange.

29. The Americas and Africa were similar and different after the Columbian exchange. With environmental changes there was demographic changes and some of the changes in one region affected the other. Yet geographically far in distance, Africa and the Americas shared effects of the Columbian exchange which made them similar, and of course along with certain similarities, the two regions were also affected differently by the Columbian exchange.

30. Between 1492 and 1750, Africa and America experienced similarities in introduction of new crops, movement of natives, and disease, while having differences in shift of gender population, amount of death, ethnicity change and environment.

31. Between 1750 and 1914, trace the changes and continuities in economic structures and labor systems in any one of these regions: (a) East Asia; (b) Eastern Europe; and (c) Sub-Saharan Africa. While many states of Eastern Europe such as Bohemia, parts of Germany and southern Russia industrialized between 1750 and 1914 and developed important middle and laboring classes, other parts of the same region such as the Balkans, Poland, and Eastern Russia remained largely agricultural and dependent on rural labor including tenant farming.

32. Describe and analyze the cultural, economic, and political impact of Islam on ONE of the following regions between 1000 C.E. and 1750 C.E. Be sure to discuss continuities as well as change. – West Africa – South Asia – Europe Between 1000 and 1750 C.E. Islam entered West Africa and increased its trade and centralized its politics but many aspects of African religion and gender roles remained unchanged.

33. Your Assignment With a partner, write an acceptable thesis statement for the following prompts: Compare and contrast the economic and political developments of Egypt and Mesopotamia between 3000 – 1000 B.C.E. Compare and contrast two of the Chinese cultural belief systems from 550 B.C.E – 1900 C.E.