, you must write a persuasive historical essay that argues whether or not the Black Death fundamentally produced the modern world we live in today. In other words, after reading your essay, the reader should be convinced that the Black Death was/was not an event that shaped the modern world today. Please keep this central thesis in mind as you write the essay.
You are required to use and cite the following three sources in your paper:
You may use whatever other secondary or primary sources that you like, but you must cite your sources. For example, there are 24 videos in the series about the Black Death that you could use (you watched Episode 1). You may use any of these other videos (all on the Kanopy database) to support your position. You may also use other online sources but do not use any website that ends in .com or that is Wikipedia. For this project, these sites are too problematic and unreliable. The open-access textbook on Blackboard may be helpful (p. 465-467) be sure to cite it if you use it. (SEE BELOW FOR MORE GUIDANCE ON FINDING RELIABLE SECONDARY SOURCES)
You must include a Works Cited (a bibliography) at the end of your paper that includes all the sources you used to write your paper. It should be in MLA format (see below).
Be sure to cite and all your sources! Any indication of plagiarism will result in a failing grade for this project. If you are unclear about what constitutes plagiarism, please see the handout below titled What is Plagiarism?
Works Cited List (MLA format)
Secondary Sources (you can find all these sources through LaGuardias Library website or on Blackboard, the database used is listed in parentheses)
(Database: Kanopy) Armstrong, Dorsey. Europe on the Brink of the Black Death: Episode 1. The Great Courses: The Black Death. 2016.
(Opensource textbook on Blackboard) Berger et al. World History: Cultures, States, and Societies to 1500. Dahlonega, GA: University of North Georgia Press, Creative Commons (https://web.ung.edu/media/university-press/World%20History%20Textbook-082817.pdf?t=1510261063109).
(Database: JSTOR) Cohn, Jr., Samuel K. The Black Death: End of a Paradigm. The American Historical Review, vol. 107, no. 3, 2002, pp. 703738.
(Database: JSTOR) Davis, David E. The Scarcity of Rats and the Black Death: An Ecological History. The Journal of Interdisciplinary History, vol. 16, no. 3, 1986, pp. 455470.
(Database: JSTOR) Mengel, David C. A PLAGUE ON BOHEMIA? MAPPING THE BLACK DEATH. Past & Present, no. 211, 2011, pp. 334.
(Database: JSTOR) Theilmann, John, and Frances Cate. A Plague of Plagues: The Problem of Plague Diagnosis in Medieval England. The Journal of Interdisciplinary History, vol. 37, no. 3, 2007, pp. 371393.
Primary Sources (provided on Blackboard):
The Report of the Paris Medical Faculty. 1348.
Ibn Al-Wardi, An Essay on the Report of the Pestilence. 1348.
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