Colonial America Paper

This assignment asks you to write a short paper interpreting the environmental component of transatlantic contact and the development of colonial America. This first paper is designed to provide early feedback on your writing and your understanding of environmental history. It will help prepare you for your larger papers.

Of course, by now you recognize that the field of environmental history is concerned with how the natural environment shapes human history and how human endeavors affect the environment. In addition, it is clear from our readings that the arrival of Europeans and their accoutrements in North America included important environmental factors, as well as the more typically discussed cultural, political, and economic transformations. How did “cultural” factors (e.g., technology, ideas, economies) and “natural” factors (e.g., animals, climate, habitat) interact in the pre-colonial and colonial periods to shape the contours of American history?

Specifications

A Word about Grades

I have adopted the following grade guide from Arthur McEvoy (an important environmental historian) and Andrew Isenberg (McEvoy’s former student, an important environmental historian, my former teacher, and author of one of your books); both historians include similar statements on their syllabi. It approximates my sense of grades.

A.      An "A" paper is one that is good enough to be read aloud in class. It is clearly written and well-organized. Most importantly it contains a perceptive, original, central argument supported by a well-chosen variety of specific examples. It demonstrates that the writer has grappled with the issues raised in the course, synthesized the readings, discussions, and lectures, and formulated a compelling, independent argument.

B.      A typical "B" paper is a solid work containing flashes of insight that demonstrate that the writer has wrestled with some of the issues raised in the course. Yet a typical "B" paper would not be appropriate for reading aloud in class because it mainly provides a summary or reiteration of ideas and information already covered in the readings and discussion, with no evidence of independent thought or synthesis. Other "B" papers give evidence of independent thought, but the argument is not presented clearly or convincingly.

C.      A typical "C" paper provides a less thorough or accurate summary of material presented in the course, or a less thorough defense of an argument.

D.      A paper that receives a grade less than "C" typically does not respond adequately to the assignment, is marred by frequent errors, unclear writing, poor organization, or some combination of those problems.