• Tutorial Participation
• Essay #1
  • Readings
• Essay #2
  • Readings
• Take-Home Exam
• Resources

ASSESSMENT: 70% Coursework; 30% exam

Note: You can only pass a unit of study if you complete all the assessment tasks.  If you do not, regardless of your mark, you fail.

TUTORIAL PARTICIPATION

The assignment of a grade for tutorial participation reflects the central place of tutorials in this unit of study. Tutorial participation begins, obviously, with attendance, but it requires more than attendance. You need to come to tutorials prepared to exchange ideas about the documents or texts assigned for that meeting and the topics they raise, to raise questions and to speculate. You grade for this part of the unit of study does not depend on providing the ‘right answers’ in tutorials; it will reflect what you contribute to our discussions. That does not mean that you can get a good grade solely by having something to say in class, regardless of what you say. You will earn a good grade for this part of the unit of study by making thoughtful contributions that reflect careful reading and consideration of the questions raised by what you have read.

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ESSAY # 1: IT HAPPENED IN NEW YORK

Question: What does a particular event from the period before 1900 reveal about the character of New York City, its relationship to the nation, or its place in the American imagination?
(Answer whichever of the questions seems relevant to your topic)

Suggested Topics (click for readings)

• Leisler’s Rebellion (1689)
• The Great Negro Plot (1741)
• The Battle for New York (1776)
• The African Company Performs (1821)
• The Murder of Helen Jewett (1836)
• The Death of Mary Rogers (1841)
• The Astor Place Riots (1849)
• The Civil War Draft Riots (1863)
• The NYPD under investigation (1894)

You may also choose an alternative event from the period prior to 1900 (but you must have the approval of the course coordinator to write on a topic not listed here).

Your essay should be referenced using the History Department Presentation Guide

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ESSAY #2: A PLACE IN NEW YORK

Question: What does one of the following places reveal about New York City?

As part of your answer, you need to include a map locating the place and at least one image, and analyze them.

Topics (click for readings)

• Barnum’s Museum
• The Brooklyn Bridge
• Harlem
• Wall Street
• Chinatown
• Times Square
• Public Housing Projects

Your essay should be referenced using the History Department Presentation Guide

TAKE-HOME EXAM: NEW YORK CITY ACROSS TIME

You will be required to write one 1500 word essay exploring an aspect of the character of New York City from its founding to the present.  The questions will be drawn from the themes and topics of the lectures and tutorials.  A list of possible questions will be distributed in the final lecture.

Resources for Essay Writing

• History Department Style Guide
• The Write Site - Online Support for Developing Writing Skills

• Kenneth Jackson (ed), Encyclopedia of New York
• Kenneth Jackson and David Dunbar (eds), Empire City: New York Through the Centuries
• Philip Lopate (ed), Writing New York: A Literary Anthology
• ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times (1851-2002) – searchable full text, available online through the University of Sydney Library
• Brooklyn Daily Eagle 1841-1902 Online
• New York Daily News Photo Archive
• New York Public Library Digital Gallery (415,000 images)
• Library of Congress, American notes: Travels in America, 1750-1920
• Frances Clarke’s Guide to Finding American History Sources in Australia

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