As stated on the syllabus, you will be required to complete two critical essays this
semester. In order to start these assignments on the proper footing, review the
“Academic Dishonesty” and “Critical Essays” sections on the syllabus in regards to
items such as citation requirements (plagiarism) and the procedures that must be adhered
to when handing in each assignment. Additionally, please carefully read the “Writing
Guidelines” document for the rules and particulars that must be followed in completing
these exercises. Failure to do so will result in a lower grade for the assignment(s).
Electronic copies of all of these documents can be found on Sakai.
It is imperative that you remember that each critical essay is to be handed in by 1pm on
the due date specified on the syllabus. A late essay will be penalized by half a letter
grade for each day late. An uncompleted essay will automatically receive a grade of zero
(0). Please note that if you plagiarize in any fashion in your essays, you will be given a
zero (0). Your essays may either be handed in via e-mail or as a hard copy at the start of
class. If you e-mail me your assignment, please make sure you receive a confirmation email
from me.
You will be writing about The Prince and Imperialism. The actual topic for your
essays will be chosen from the questions/prompts listed below.
For these papers you must use the textbook for this course, Pavlac’s A Concise Survey of
Western Civilization Volume 2: 1500 to the Present, along with your documents reader
edited by Rogers, Aspects of Western Civilization: Problems and Sources in History.
Additionally, you are required to incorporate and integrate information and ideas taken
from both Machiavelli’s The Prince and Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. Failure to utilize
these two texts will result in a zero for the assignment(s). Only using a quote or two from
these last two books is not sufficient and is akin to not using them at all. All of these
sources will provide the historical context and background for your essays. Furthermore,
class lecture notes, outlines, and other materials from the course can and should be used
as well in exploring your chosen topic. You will need to utilize all of these items in order
to construct, corroborate, and prove your thesis.
In answering the question/prompt selected for each essay, you must use evidence and
context from at least three primary documents (from Aspects…) in your written analysis.
You may include more documents in your essay as you see fit. Also, keep in mind you
are not restricted to only using those documents assigned as required reading on the
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syllabus. Analyzing these documents means more than simply a mere passing reference
or inclusion of a small quote. Do not summarize the primary documents. These
documents serve as evidence and support for your argument. Using quotes or
information drawn from the short introductory setup before each document set and/or
actual document does not count towards the inclusion total.

Make sure the views and perspectives in your essays are well thought out and sufficiently
supported. This means providing a balance of evidence and analysis along with including
necessary historical context that proves and explains your argument. You must bring in
historical background, events, explanation, concepts, context, etc., for each essay in order
to fully complete the assignments and back up your specific thesis. Do not be general or
vague. Do not assume knowledge on the part of the reader. Remember to explain,
explain, and explain your examples, evidence, and interpretation. Keep in mind these are
not book reviews or informal journal entries.

Each essay must be at least 5 pages in length (the title page does not count towards this
total). There is no penalty for going over the page requirement, but failing to reach the
minimum page length will result in a lower grade for that exercise. You must pay
attention to grammar, syntax, and style. These essays are formal writing assignments.
This means you should have an introductory paragraph with a thesis statement. You need
to choose a perspective and formulate an argument/thesis in each exercise. The body of
your paper should provide support for your argument. At the end of the essay, you do
need to have a proper conclusion. Since these assignments are not journal entries or
casual writing responses, do not use “I,” “me,” “we,” etc. Make sure your essays have
proper structure and flow. Additionally, it is recommended that your papers be written in
the past or present tense only.
You are not permitted to bring in additional texts or sources (including online
sources) to support your essays beyond those already assigned for class. However,
citations are a requirement. It is completely suitable to use parenthetical notations
(example- Pavlac, 239) in your essays for all class sources. Footnotes or endnotes are
also acceptable.
Students are welcome to make arrangements to meet with me in my office to discuss
drafts, outlines, questions, etc., regarding their essays. Please see the syllabus for office
hours information. Drafts (whether partial or full) will not be reviewed over e-mail,
only in person. I will not rewrite your draft for you. I will provide suggestions and
feedback to aid you in the writing and analyzing process. If at any time you have
questions about the two assignments, please e-mail me or make arrangements to meet
with me.
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There is a Writing Center available to students on campus. For contact information,
hours of operation, scheduling process, etc., please visit https://www.luc.edu/writing/
home/.

Machiavelli and The Prince Questions/Prompts
**Essay is due Tuesday, February 28 at 1pm.
**You will need to review Pavlac ch. 9-10 (up to Scientific Revolution on p. 228),
Rogers ch. 1-3, and Machiavelli’s The Prince.
**You will be focusing on the Renaissance, Reformation, Age of Discovery, Age of
Crisis, Absolutism, Constitutionalism, and Scientific Revolution lectures and readings
in your essay…not all of the above must or need to be in there but this is where your
history, support, and examples will be taken from to complete this exercise.
1) Argue for or against: Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince helped break the
Great Chain of Being.
2) Argue for or against: Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince promoted, defended,
and legitimized absolutism.
3) Argue for or against: Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince was a much needed
treatise/reflection/tract on power for monarchs and emperors living in the
late 1400s to early 1700s. Modern Europe would not have come about
without this text and Machiavelli’s ruminations.