1. FEEDBACK ON YOUR FIRST EXAM… 1.ATDQ: Answer the Dang Question. Many folks compared the Middle Ages to the life at the emergence of the modern world (Renaissance timeframe). Comparison’s to today’s world were vague or missing completely. 2. Break out of the “U.S. perspective” bubble! This is a WORLD HISTORY course, so be careful in the way you word your responses. Avoid using blanket statements. “Now we’re free to believe whatever religion we’d like.” “Now diseases are no longer a threat.” 3.What’s wrong with this statement? “Thanks to the Protestant Reformation many new religions formed.” 4.Thesis statements are important. Take the time to craft a solid introduction! 5. Support your essays with ample evidence and examples. WEAK: “Back then we had limited medical knowledge. Now we have lots.”

2. STUDENT EXAMPLES Thesis Statement: There is a reason people say history repeats itself. This statement proves to be true when it comes to the types of art and literature developed since the emergence of the modern world. However, societal responses to disease have evolved over time exhibiting more of a pattern of change. Body Paragraphs: Art demonstrating a pattern of continuity Literature demonstrating a pattern of continuity Societal responses to disease showing a pattern of change

3. SAMPLE BODY PARAGRAPH Since the emergence of the modern world, multiple diseases have threatened societies around the globe. During the 14 th century, the Bubonic Plague devastated much of Africa, Asia, and Europe killing up to one-third of their populations. Since then many diseases have come and gone, but societal responses have greatly evolved for the better. At the emergence of the modern world, there were no official government organizations dedicated to preventing the spread of disease. Medical knowledge was rudimentary at best, and decisions on how to deal with epidemics were left up to individual cities and towns. In today’s world, we have the World Health Organization which combats the outbreak and spread of communicable diseases at an international level. Developed countries have governmental organizations comparable to the Center for Disease Control in the U.S. Their primary focus is to research vaccines and best practices for preventing the spread of disease. As a result, we’ve become less reactive and more proactive when it comes to combating diseases. Preventative measures in place today have kept diseases like Ebola from becoming international crises. With the increase in medical knowledge and improved treatments, people around the world rely less on superstition and hysteria when it comes to understanding the causes of diseases. Instead of blaming God for pandemics, people rely on scientific research and take a more rational approach to understanding why diseases happen and how to best treat them.

4. ANOTHER SAMPLE (COMPLIMENTS OF MADI) During the Renaissance, a horrible disease “plagued” Europe. The Black Plague spread in Europe through fleas on rats that were brought by trade ships. Now, in our modern world disease spreads relatively the same way. It spreads through trade, but now that more and more people have the ability to travel, they go to different places and bring diseases back home, where they often spread rapidly. During the outbreak of the Black Plague, the doctors as well as the people were getting sick and dying. The people did not know how it spread. Currently, thank s to advances in medicine, science, and technology, we know how most diseases spread, so we know how to avoid getting certain sicknesses. During the plague outbreak, the people had no idea how to cure the disease., so the disease ran its course killing 1/3 of the population of Europe. Now, instead of letting diseases spread, we work to come up with a cure, and, if there is no cure there are usually treatments available.