WRIT 1633 Human Rights / Humans Write Essay 2 assignment

WRITING INTO HISTORY

the assignment
History writing involves telling very particular, very specific stories that reveal insights of broader
social, political, and cultural significance. In this essay, you will write just such a story, drawing
upon your own experience or that of someone close to you to tell a story that reveals a
deeper historical insight.
What kind of story are you looking for? Stories are driven by conflict; so begin by thinking about
personal experiences of conflict that you or someone close to you has had. The conflict may have been
dramatic as in the case of, say, a grandparent who took part in a protest movement or ran for office. Or
the conflict may have been subtler say, an argument about religion with a relative, or the experience of a
student struggling to pay for an education. But conflict is key. So start by finding a compelling story of the
personal experience of conflict.
The next step will be to connect that small experience to the bigger historical picture. The
connection between the big picture and the small is typically most interesting when the big picture
involves a change in large-scale relations of power. So after youve drafted your small picture story, youll
ask: What larger, historical change in power relations can I connect this small picture story to?
To flesh out the connection between the big and the small will require library research. Well do
some of this in class. But each of you will include with your essay a Works Cited list (in MLA format) of the
several sources youll draw upon to tell your story.

audience
Imagine that youre writing for Heritage, a magazine published by the History Colorado Center.
Your audience, then, ranges from professional historians, who will be principally interested in the large-
scale significance story you tell, to non-academics who are reading your story because of a personal
interest in the place and time period in which your small picture story takes place.

due dates, etc.

Your first draft will be a 750-word draft of your small picture story, due on Google Drive by the
start of class on Thursday, April 13. (Name the doc WRIT 1633 your name - Essay 2.) An annotated
bibliography of at least four sources is due by the start of class on Tuesday, April 18. A complete draft is
due by the start of class on Thursday, April 20. The final revised draft is due by noon on Friday, June 9.