Essays for 1st years

Term will be starting soon and a new intake of first years will be wondering what is wanted from an essay. I’ve updated my file, but I may re-write it again before term starts.

Panic. Photo by ckirkman.

I remember panicking at the thought of writing 2000 words when I did my first Ancient History essay, so if you’re still worried with a fortnight to go before the deadline, here’s how I’d tackle a first year essay.

Rule One. This is important. Tattoo it to friend’s head so you don’t forget.

READ THE QUESTION For example question one is not “Talk about Sparta”. It’s “How reliable is our evidence for the development of Spartan institutions and power to 431 BC?”.

Straight away you know that evidence is important. So any claims you make you have to back by pointing at the evidence and “Look I’m right, you can see it there”. And then you say why you think it is or isn’t reliable.

Next – where to start? You have been recommended Sparkes’s book Greek Civilisation. Whichever topic you choose you should find at least one chapter in there relevant to your essay. Not only that, but it also suggests further reading, so you’re not stuck with one book.

Next step be realistic in writing your essay. What do we want? I’m willing to bet that the lecturers know plenty about the rise of Macedon or about Athenian democracy in the fifth and fourth centuries. I doubt they need 2000 words of facts. Looking at question 6 “Why did Athens lose the Peloponnesian War?” what they’re looking for is an opinion. We already know they lost.

If you know where you’re headed then it becomes easier to plot a path there. How many steps do you take? It’s your call. You can cover a lot in very little depth or a little in a lot of depth. Either way remember that the limit is 2000 words. Just because you could write a book on a subject doesn’t mean that you have to.

How do you show that you have your own opinion when you’ve only been thinking about this for a couple of weeks and there’s millions of words on your subject in the library? If I’m stuck then I find it helpful to ask “What if?” so in question 7 “In what ways, and to what effect, did Persia influence Greek affairs from 412-378 BC?” you could ask “What if the Persians hadn’t conquered the Greek cities of Asia Minor? How different would life be?” Now I could speculate wildly, but this is where your reading comes in handy. If you argue that the conquest didn’t matter, because influence would have been spread with trade, then you should cite the source that either tells you, or at least gives the hint that trade was a big help in spreading ideas. If you think the Persians only influence the Greeks because they thrust themselves up the Greek cities then some examples of Greeks ignoring other cultures would be a good idea. Going back to the ancient sources for this information beats a modern source hands down. This is ANCIENT history.

In terms of citation I’d cite anything that wasn’t my idea. So if the democratic reforms of the sixth century were by Solon, then I’d cite the book that I found that out from. Then, and this isn’t cheating, when I write the bibliography, I’d look at the format that is written in your handbook and copy it. That’s the way the bibliography is wanted, so that’s the way you should do it.

Another way of showing an opinion is by presenting two sides of the argument and then selecting one, or the other, or a synthesis of the two, and say why. It worked for Herodotus and it can work for you. You could also say why a historian is wrong. I wouldn’t say “Smith is wrong because he’s a moron”, that never goes down well. But you could say “Smith’s argument is powerful, but overlooks the economic factors A, B and C.” Then you have an opinion.

Finally it’s the last week where do you find the books? Let me flip that round, why find books? You’ll have to scan through the index, or else read the whole thing. Here’s a secret that hardly any undergraduate knows about. In the library, in the reference section, you will find a shelf of thick books called L’Annee Philologique. It’s a catalogue of almost every book or article on ancient history. It’s in French, but if the article is in English, then the title will also be listed in English. It’ll tell you which journal, which year and which edition to find it in. The articles are classified by type, so all you need to do is find a friend who can translate French words like Histoire or Epigraphie from the French.

Articles are great. Articles are your friends. Articles are never out because they’re in journals where undergraduates don’t look. In addition they are tightly focused on their topic and, my favourite, they are short.

So there you are. Keep the essays tight and taut, and don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you have to have X references to do well. You only need as many RELEVANT references as you need to back up your argument.

Enjoy. —–