Homework: Personal Historical Narrative
OVERVIEW
In this creative writing homework, you must travel back in time and imagine what life was like for an individual in the past. This process helps develop an understanding of the impact of time and space on personal perspective. It also provides practice composing narratives in order to describe (a) how peoples, cultures and institutions change over time, and (b) how personal identities related to culture, gender, race or religion affect historical perspective.
INSTRUCTIONS
A. Select one of the identities listed below for your first person narrative. You can be any gender or race that would be appropriate for the character, but this is a fictional narrative, so no actual historical figures!
1. An Islamic man or woman living in Mecca in the 7th century
2. A Roman monk
3. A resident of one of the African kingdoms
4. An African convert to Islam
5. A resident of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade
B. Research what everyday life was like for your character during the period covered in this module. While you research, keep in mind that references such as historic dates, actual places and events add credibility and interest to your writing.
C. Compose a fictional, first person narrative either in Journal format or a two page, double-spaced paper as outlined below.
D. Be as accurate as possible. For example, your character will not be able to use cell phones or a computer; in fact walking may be their only form of transportation!
Format your homework according to the give formatting requirements:
1. The answer must be double spaced, typed, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the homework, the course title, the student's name, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also include a reference page. The references and Citations should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.