Support or refute the argument that warfare in Napolenoic era is fundamentally similar to warfare practiced today.
There are two (2) writing submissions required. A description of the assignments is provided below. These assignments will assess your critical and creative thinking skills, written communication skills, and most importantly, your ability to demonstrate mastery of the material covered.
(A) Sentence Outline
Your outline will be no less than one (1) page and no more than two (2) pages in length (double-spaced, using 12-point Times New Roman Font, and one-inch margins). You will write an outline of the question you plan to answer in your argumentative essay. Your outline will include an attention step, the thesis, major points of evidence, supporting points of evidence, and a conclusion. Your outline will provide clear detail about what you plan to write in your argumentative essay. Do not include a title page with your outline. You do not have to include a bibliography or citations UNLESS you are using outside sources. While the outline does not require citations, the argumentative essay does require full citations in the form of either footnotes or endnotes. If you include a numbered reference on your outline, then you must include the full citation either as a footnote or as an endnote. The same numbered reference must also appear on your essay.
Paragraph C lists the topics for the outline and essay.
The outline is graded as pass/fail, and is due at the end of lesson. See Annex E: Creating a Sentence Outline for specific instructions on creating a sentence outline. Annex E also contains an example outline for your reference.
(B) Argumentative Essay
Your essay will be no less than three (3) pages and no more than five (5) pages in length (double-spaced, using 12-point Times New Roman Font, and one-inch margins). The page total does not include the title page, footnotes (endnotes), or the bibliography. You will answer ONE of the questions listed below in Paragraph C.
The argumentative essay will conform to the writing standards found in:
• Annex A: Concise DMH Style Guide
• Annex B: Documentation Guide
• Annex C: Tips for Writing History Essays
• Annex D: The Argumentative Essay
• Annex E: Creating a Sentence Outline
Your essay must include a title page, documentation (endnotes or footnotes), and a bibliography.
Always cite your sources. If something is not your original thought, you need to cite your source using either footnotes or endnotes IAW the Turabian style of documentation; do not use parenthetical citations. This includes direct quotations, paraphrases, and summaries of the assigned readings, doctrinal references, or outside sources (see Annex A). You may use the H100 online lessons, readings, and references to help you prepare your assignment.
ALL work must be your own. You may NOT discuss the assignments with any other person. Another person may proofread your paper for correctness and clarity only. You must list this person as a reference in your footnotes or endnotes.
You must include the question you are answering on your title page. Keep in mind that while you may discuss the implications of your answer for today’s military, THIS IS A HISTORY PAPER.
You must include the graded outline with your instructor’s comments as part of your submission.
(C) Choose ONE of the following two (2) topics:
1. Support or refute the argument that warfare in the Napoleonic era is fundamentally similar to warfare practiced today.
2. Support or refute the argument that the prolonged and bloody stalemate of World War I stemmed from a slavish adherence to the theories proposed by Clausewitz. Use evidence from On War to substantiate your argument.
(D) Final considerations
To do well on the argumentative essay, you must do the following:
1. Receive a “pass” on your outline prior to beginning work on the essay.
2. Use the faculty feedback for the outline to make your essay a better product.
3. Use evidence (specific examples) from the lessons to substantiate your argument. The essay is worth 60% of the block grade, and providing evidence in your writing is a REQUIREMENT.
4. Make sure you are answering the question being asked. Read the question thoroughly.
5. Do not provide a simple summation to the question. You must write an argumentative essay, and hence argue your point of view supported by specific examples and/or theory from the block of lessons.
6. Demonstrate your ability to use history as a tool for informing military judgment.
7. Use the Turabian style of documentation to cite your sources. Use either footnotes or endnotes; do NOT use parenthetical citations.
8. You may use outside sources.
9. Do not use Wikipedia or other uncontrolled internet sources as they are not subject to the same level of scholarly review or fact checking. Wikipedia is NOT reliable for academic research.
