Topic: Topic #1. In Revolutionizing the Sciences, Peter Dear argues that the goals of natural philosophy (or science—as an observer’s category) in the ancient and medieval worlds differed in significant ways from the goals of science by the end of the Scientific

Order Description

In Revolutionizing the Sciences, Peter Dear argues that the goals of natural philosophy (or science—as an observer’s category) in the ancient and medieval worlds differed in significant ways from the goals of science by the end of the Scientific Revolution. What are the most important differences that Dear identifies? Based on your readings from Lindberg, Lloyd, Long, and the primary sources on Moodle and by Galileo, do you agree with Dear’s characterization of the changes that occurred during the Scientific Revolution? Why or why not?

Regardless of the topic you choose, your paper should have a clear thesis and make
arguments in support of the thesis. Your arguments, in turn, should be based on evidence
from the text. The paper topics above have a number of questions that are intended to
help stimulate your thoughts and organize your ideas. However, you should not simply
try to answer all the questions in order. The result of that would be a disconnected paper
without a unifying thesis.
Your paper should be based on course readings and lectures; this is not a research
paper. However, if you would like recommendations for optional background reading,
please see me in office hours.
Before you begin work on your paper, I highly recommend that you read Patrick
Rael’s website on “Reading, Writing, and Researching for History,” linked from the
course Moodle page.
Turning in the paper: You will turn in an electronic copy of the paper on Moodle.
The date and time you uploaded the paper will be used to determine whether your paper
is on time. Late papers will be marked down one-third of a letter grade for each working
day they are late (for example, a B paper turned in 2 days late would get a C+).
Papers will be run through Turnitin.com, which will check the paper against a
database of articles, web pages, and student papers to assess the originality of your work.
History 180 – Formal paper assignment – p. 3
If you have any questions about what constitutes proper use and attribution of someone
else’s words and ideas, please see me or Mr. Werner with a draft of your paper before you
turn it in online. In particular, make sure you understand that direct quotations must be
enclosed in quotation marks, and the source cited in a footnote. Paraphrases must be
cited in a footnote.
Grading criteria: We expect that a B paper will show an adequate command of
historical thinking and writing: that is, it will (1) use appropriate evidence in support of (2)
a clear, coherent argument that (3) demonstrates a focused thesis. It will do so in (4)
correct standard English, with correct spelling and punctuation. Papers that do not meet
these expectations will receive a grade below B. Papers that exceed them will receive an
A, A-, or B+. You may rewrite your paper if you are dissatisfied with the grade; rewrites
will be due at the final examination.
MECHANICS
Formatting: Your paper must be typed, double-spaced, with at least 1″ margins on
all sides. The pages must be numbered. You do not need a separate title page; your name
and the date you finished the paper should be typed on the upper left corner of the first
page, followed by a blank line, the title of the paper, another blank line, and the
beginning of the paper.
Sources and citation: You should follow the rules in the History Department Style
Sheet, available online (see the URL below), for your bibliography and either footnotes
(preferred) or endnotes. Your paper should use at least five quotations from the
sources. Quote no more than three lines for each quotation. It should also use at least
five citations without quotations (in other words, paraphrase). You should use
footnotes to cite sources, including lecture notes. Do not put notes in footers. Put them in
footnotes. If you don’t understand the difference, ask one of us.1 You may use MLA
documentation style if you prefer.
Reflections: At the end of your paper (after the bibliography), you should write a
short paragraph reflecting on the paper. What do you think is good about it—what are
you proud of? What did you have trouble with? Writing this paragraph will help you
reflect on how you are learning; it will also help us give you useful feedback.
Resources and help
History style sheet:
<https://www.umass.edu/history/sites/default/files/assets/stylesheetforpapersinhistory.pdf>
Mr. Werner and I are available to talk about your paper—take advantage of our
office hours! If any of these rules and guidelines is unclear, please talk to us before you
finish your paper.
1 This is a footnote. By the way, five quotations and five cited paraphrases are artificial
minima, chosen to ensure that you use at least a minimal amount of historical evidence.
However, you may use more if you need to. Lloyd’s article (from way back in
September!), and Newman and Principe’s article (an optional reading) are the best
examples from our readings of how and why historians use footnotes.
History 180 – Formal paper assignment – p. 4
There are other resources available on campus and online. The course website has
links to writing resources and general reference works, including the style sheet.
The University Writing Center, located in the Learning Commons of DuBois
Library, offers tutoring from trained peer editors for up to five hours per semester per
student. For hours and more information, visit its website
(https://www.umass.edu/writingcenter/).
Be sure to keep a copy of your paper, and to make a backup of your computer file while
you are working. Another secure option is to keep your work on UDrive or
Apps@UMass, though even there, having a local copy isn’t a bad idea.
And, just to repeat this, because it’s important: you really should read Patrick Rael’s
website on “Reading, Writing, and Researching for History” before you start work on this
paper.