Essay 2 Guidelines

Please write a 3-page paper (800-1000 words ) on one of the topics listed below. The essay is due by 5 p.m. on November 15. You may slip it under my office door or put it in my mailbox in 280 Schaeffer Hall.

Format : 12 pt. type, double-spaced, with 1" margins all around. No hand-written papers will be accepted. List the total words in your paper at the end, ex. "Word count: 899" (use the word count function of your word processor - if Microsoft Word, it's in the Tools menu).

Sources : Use the primary and secondary sources assigned, as these will be necessary to write a good paper. If you do use outside sources (something I do not encourage at this point), you must reference them completely and correctly in the body of the paper and you must also attach a bibliography. Cite passages in the following manner: for primary sources, list title and line number, and then Foster and page number. Shaw, The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt should be referred to by chapter author, chapter title, book title, editor, and then page number in your first reference (e.g., Kathryn A. Bard, "The emergence of the Egyptian state," in The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, ed. Ian Shaw, p. 61) , afterwards, chapter author, chapter title, p. X is sufficient. Ian Shaw is the editor of this book, and the chapters are actually by separate authors.

Note: avoid online materials unless they are accessible through the UI Libraries Infohawk site, course site, or History Writing Center site.

Grading : Your paper will be graded on topicality, strength of argument, appropriate and convincing use of evidence, and clarity. It is essential that you answer the questions with a structured argument that uses primary and secondary evidence to support your points. If your writing style/spelling/grammar impede any of these, your grade will be lowered. If you need advice about writing a paper for a history course, go to the University of Iowa History Writing Center site (http://www.uiowa.edu/~histwrit/). Appointments are also available at the History Writing Center; see the site for details.

Topics:

1. Imagine the world in which the The Instruction for Little Pepi on His Way to School: The Satire of the Trades was written. What sort of social structure is portrayed here? According to the text and from what you know from Shaw and lectures, can you say whether this a world with much social mobility? If not, then why are the various occupations described at such length?

2. Using The Story of Sinuhe, analyze the portrayal of the pharaoh and the royal court. What is the nature of the pharaoh’s power– as belonging to something more than human, or simply as a man of higher rank and power? You should also identify whether alternate points of view are presented in the narrative, and if they are present, relate their significance.

3. Analyze the meaning of ma’at as presented in The Prophecy of Neferty. How is this notion of justice and order adapted to support the rule of the founder of the twelfth dynasty, Amenemhat I? Given that this is a piece of royal propaganda, what is the significance of setting the prophecy during the rule of Snefru of the fourth dynasty?