Essay 3

Length: Five to six pages
Due Dates:

1) THESIS STATEMENTS AND OUTLINES MUST BE E-MAILED TO PROF. UMBACH BY MIDNIGHT, APRIL 27th
2) May 14th, Rough Draft (keep one copy for yourself, turn one in)
3) Meet with a writing tutor before May 20th with your rough draft, get form (not yet posted) signed by tutor
4) Final Draft Due delivered to TSP secretary, Friday, May 23rd by 1:00 pm. The secretary or another faculty member must sign and date your paper. No late paper will be accepted.

The topic of this essay is up to you, but it must:

A) Draw primarily from Antera Duke's diary or some combination of Duke's Diary and the Database

B) Make an analytic argument ("Women had extensive influence over political events in Old Calabar"), rather than merely summarize events ("Antera Duke sacrificed slaves at funerals").

C) Build upon, rather than repeat, what we have learned so far in the course. DO NOT USE DUKE'S DIARY TO DEMONSTRATE SOME THEME ALREADY ESTABLISHED IN CLASS.

D ) Be organized around a thesis that answers the "how and why" questions. Be sure to underline your thesis.

E ) Use warrants to connect your evidence to your thesis. Be sure to identify your claim/evidence/warrant structures

Some possible topics (but not thesis statements -- remember the difference):

A) The role of gender or women in Old Calabar.
B) Notions of justice in Old Calabar.
C) Perceptions of slaves in Old Calabar.
D) Significance of the relationships between European and African traders in Old Calabar.