This paper counts for 15 points, 15 percent of your final grade. It should be about three pages long, double-spaced, with a standard-size font (12-point, Times New Roman) and with one-inch margins on all sides. No cover page is necessary. Your source is the textbook, especially the documents at the end of each chapter. You cannot rely on online sources.
Prompt: What relationships can you see between the political dimensions of second-wave (600 BCE-600 CE) or third-wave (600 -1450) civilizations and their cultural or religious aspects?
A clue: You should use specific historical cases we have covered in this course to illustrate your point. These cases include Athens under Pericles, the Greek Empire under Alexander the Great, the Roman Empire, China, and India. Do not dwell on generalities! You also have to address counterexamples that do not support your point. Note that you should write an analytical paper, not a descriptive one. You should organize information logically around a contested claim. For more detailed requirements and grading criteria, please refer to the Grading Rubric in the syllabus.
A reminder: Things are often complex and cannot be understood in simple black-and-white terms. You should try to give a historically informed, ideologically unbiased, and logically coherent answer. The historical context cannot be overemphasized. It is easy to dwell on generalities out of context. It is also easy to see things from one’s own ideological perspective and rush to condemn alternative ones without trying to understand them. You can always disagree but should show respect. It is more important to help contribute to a greater understanding of the question at issue. Finally, it is easier to speak coherently, but a lot more difficult to write coherently. Make sure that you move logically from sentence to sentence and consistently from paragraph to paragraph. Do not deviate from your focus. Whatever you write should be directly relevant to the prompt. There is no need for long background introduction.