You are to write a 2-3 paper on The Epic of Gilgamesh. You should answer the question: what did the epic mean to Mesopotamians? What was its purpose? Use the lectures, external sources, and your readings to support your answers. Be sure to cite your outside sources.
Considering the mythology surrounding Gilgamesh, your essay requires three parts. First, what do you think Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and Shamhat symbolize? Second, what does this epic tell you about how Mesopotamians regarded their kings, gods, and women? Think about the previous lectures and readings about Mesopotamian religion and laws. Third, is the epic more of a heroic adventure story to celebrate great deeds or was it more of a cautionary tale, and why? In order to do this, youll need to cite evidence from the book
An A paper makes connections between the textbook, external sources, the lectures, and the book. It is also organized, with an opening paragraph describing your thesis and outlining your papers main points. Each of those main points should be tackled in order. Finally, the conclusion should quickly explain how each of those points supports your thesis. It does not have any significant grammatical errors or misspellings.
A B paper connects between the lectures, the textbook, and Utopia. It is organized enough so that each point in the introduction is addressed, but not necessarily in order. Its conclusion is more like a retread of the introduction. It has few significant grammatical errors.
A C paper makes some connections between the lectures or the textbook and Utopia. It has some organization but does not address all the points made, or it does not explore many points. It might not have a conclusion. It has some significant grammatical errors but can still be understood.
A D paper makes few connections, has significant organization issues and does not have a thesis or conclusion. It has so many errors that it is difficult to read or understand.
An F paper is like a D paper, except worse.
Rubric
Makes a cohesive introduction and thesis statement outlining what you will write about – 5 points
Main body of the paper tackles each point in order and reinforces thesis statement – 5 points
Uses the book, lecture material, and more than one external source with proper citations – 5 points
Concludes by recapping the main points – 2 points
Uses appropriate grammar, formatting, and spelling – 3 points
Tips
Avoid contractions (couldnt, couldve, etc.). Just write the full two words. Contractions make your paper look sloppy.
Use Chicago/Turabian formatting. https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-2.html
Avoid first-person (us, you, etc.). Again, it just looks unprofessional.
Do not use slang except in a quotation. History papers need to have formal language.
Try not to use long quotations in your paper. I want to know what YOU think in your own words because I know you will have good ideas.
Cite any specific information and especially quotations with the authors name and page number (eg. (Name, 9)) at the end of the relevant sentence. Outside sources need to be in a bibliography.
Wikipedia is not a valid source
You must use complete sentences.
Before submitting your paper, read it out loud. By doing so, you can detect errors in your writing.
Make sure to use a grammar checker.
