the compare/contrast (c&c) essay

The Compare/Contrast (C&C) Essay

• The C&C focuses on developments across at least two regions or societies

• Always relates to one of the 5 SPICE themes

• Essays must ANALYZE the reasons for the similarities and/or differences

About the C&C

• A variety of historical thinking skills (argumentation, causation, synthesis) are evaluated

• Time allotted for this essay is 40 minutes (5-10 of which should be spent planning/outlining).

About the CCOT

C&C Prompts

• Analyze and compare the differing responses of China and Japan to western penetration in the 19th century

2002 C&C

• Compare and contrast the roles of women in TWO of the following regions during the period from 1750 – 1914.

• East Asia• Latin America• Sub-Saharan Africa• Western Europe

2003 C&C

• Compare and contrast how the First World War and its outcomes affected TWO of the following regions in the period from the war through the 1930s.

• East Asia• Middle East• South Asia

2004 C&C

• Compare and contrast the political economic effects of Mongol rule on TWO of the following regions:

• China• Middle East• Russia

2005 C&C

• Compare and contrast the goals and outcomes of the revolutionary process in TWO of the following regions:

• Mexico, 1910• China, 1911• Russia, 1917

2006 C&C

• Within the period from 1450 to 1800, compare the processes (e.g., political, social, economic) of empire building in the Spanish Empire with the empire-building processes in ONE of the following

• The Ottoman Empire• The Russian Empire

2007 C&C

• Compare the emergence of nation-states in nineteenth-century Latin America with the emergence of nation-states in ONE of the following regions in the twentieth century.

• Sub-Saharan Africa• The Middle East

2008 C&C

• For the period from 1500-1830, compare North American racial ideologies and their effects on society with Latin American/Caribbean racial ideologies and their effects on society.

2009 C&C

• Analyze similarities and differences in methods of political control in TWO of the following empires in the Classical period.

• Han China (206 BCE – 220 CE)• Mauryan/Gupta India (320 BCE – 550 CE)• Imperial Rome (31 BCE – 476 CE)

2010 C&C

• Analyze similarities and differences in the rise of TWO of the following empires:

• A West African Sudanic empire (Mali OR Ghana OR Songhay)

• The Aztec Empire• The Mongol Empire

2011 C&C

• Compare demographic and environmental effects of the Columbian Exchange on the Americas with the Columbian Exchange’s demographic and environmental effects on ONE of the following regions between 1492 and 1750.

• Africa• Asia• Europe

2012 C&C

Rubric

Basic Core (0-7 Points) Expanded Core (0-2 Points)

1) Has Acceptable Thesis (1 Point) Analyzes all parts of the question thoroughly (comparisons, chronology, causation, connections, themes)

2) Addresses all parts of the question, though not necessarily evenly or thoroughly (2 Points if both Sim and Dif, 1 Point if either Sim or Dif)

Has a clear, analytical and comprehensive thesis

3) Substantiates thesis with appropriate historical evidence (2 Points, or 1 Point)

Provides ample and accurate historical evidence

4) Makes at least one relevant, direct comparison between societies (1 Point)

Relates to larger global context

5) Analyzes at least one reason for a similarity or difference identified in a direct comparison (1 Point)

Makes several comparisons

The Thesis

• Because the central task in the question is comparative and asks for both similarities and differences, acceptable thesis statements also need to be comparative, stating at least one similarity and one difference.

• Thesis statements also need to be explicit, not simply restatements of the question or vague statements, such as “there were more similarities than differences.”

Thesis

• Thesis Musts• Address Prompt• Place/Time• 3 Categories• 1:2 Ratio (1 or 2 Similarities/ 1 or 2 Differences)

Thesis, cont.

• “X and Y are similar in 1, but different in 2 and 3.”

• “X and Y are different in 1, but similar in 2 and 3.”

Thesis, cont.

Thesis

2007: Within the period from 1450 to 1800, compare the processes (e.g., political, social, economic) of empire building in

the Spanish Empire with the empire-building processes in ONE of the following: a) The Ottoman Empire; b) The Russian Empire

The Spanish and Ottoman Empires were similar in that they were both involved in the process of empire building during the period of 1450 to 1800 and both were heavily involved in global trade, yet differed in their underlying strategies for the empire building process, and in the religious makeup of the empires.

Thesis

2009: For the period from 1500-1830, compare North American racial ideologies and their effects on society with Latin

American/Caribbean racial ideologies and their effects on society.

The racial ideologies of N.Am and LA/C from 1500-1830 were different in the degree to which the races became culturally fused, yet were similar in that they created a racial hierarchy and an increase in violence and conflicts.

The Order

• Introduction – Thesis and Definitions (categories)

• Section 1 – Category 1 (similarity/difference)

• Section 2 – Category 2 (similarity/difference)

• Section 3 – Category 3 (whichever you picked in Section 2)

• Conclusion with restatement

• Body Paragraphs• Discuss one region first (Ottoman

Empire)• Discuss second region (Spanish

Empire)• Direct Comparison – Spanish vs.

Ottoman

What Order?

Similarity DifferenceDifference SimilarityDifference Similarity

Difference SimilarityDifference SimilaritySimilarity Difference

In case time is not to your advantage, always organize your essay according to the top row.

What Good Responses Should Include

• Need 9 pieces of evidence (3 paragraphs = 3 pieces of evidence per paragraph)

• Students can use lists of things to provide evidence (potatoes, maize, squash, tomatoes)

What Good Responses Should Include, cont.

• Include dates to demonstrate the ability to describe with some precision when continuity and change happen

• Describe an extra-regional connection or a global process to explain continuity or change

• Students must make connections clear.

2010 C&C

Marking it up

Monday/Tuesday– 2010 C&C due

Write it at home and annotate the following parts.

1) Thesis – bold2) Categories– underline3) 9 Pieces of Evidence - italicize