Instructions:
Skill Exercise #4 €“ Intro and Thesis for Final Analysis Paper

For this exercise, you will submit ahead of time your thesis and introductory paragraph for the Final Analysis Paper. This will give me the opportunity to check your argument for your paper, and to help you avoid pitfalls as you start constructing the paper. The quality of a history paper hinges on the quality of your thesis argument, so it is important that you have a solid answer to the prompt so that you end up with a solid paper (and a solid grade!). Please follow the instructions below to complete this assignment.

1. Start a Word document by stating which question/prompt you will be answering for the Midterm Analysis Paper assignment €“ put the text of that question at the top of your assignment, in bold lettering.

2. Below your stated question/prompt, construct your thesis argument and introduction for the paper. Your thesis should also be placed in bold lettering. Always remember that your thesis argument needs to provide an answer to the paper prompt you have chosen €“ merely repeating the prompt is not a thesis. The introduction should be constructed in a way that helps to set up and introduce your thesis; you should avoid writing about things in the introduction that does not accomplish this.

Here is the question to refer to and answer in your thesis: 2. After the collapse of the great empires of Rome in the West, and the Han Dynasty in the East, new political, economic, and cultural entities emerged to fill the vacuum left behind. In your essay, please address the following question: Historians of the early medieval period often refer to China and the Byzantine and Abbasid (Islamic) empires as the political and economic anchors of the post-classical world. Would you agree or disagree, and why?

3. Below your introduction and thesis, identify the primary sources that you will be using in your paper (by title), along with a brief statement for each source which highlights how the source supports your thesis argument. In other words, how do the primary sources provide evidence for your thesis argument? You do not need to go into much detail here (a short paragraph will suffice) €“ but you need to demonstrate to me the connections you see between the primary source material and your particular historical argument. The assignment requires a minimum of four primary sources, but students aiming for a higher grade (A or B) should consider going beyond the assignment minimums.

4. Please single space the assignment, with a couple of spaces between each section. Assignments are to be in 12 pt. font, with 1€³ margins