Ancient Wonders Of The World

Ancient Wonders of the World

Overview

In this assignment you will put the research and writing skills you have been developing to use. In this assignment, you will write a 3 – 5 page informative essay that analyzes the development and impact of one of the Ancient Wonders of the World. Imagine yourself as a tour guide taking us to this ancient wonder. Share your exciting, the history of the location, and the significance then and now to the people from that area.

Instructions

Select one of the following ancient wonders as the topic for your paper. This list is not definitive and if you have one in mind that is not on the list, please contact your instructor for approval to do your paper on a different Ancient Wonder.

• Great Pyramid of Giza
• Great Wall of China
• Hanging Gardens of Babylon
• Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
• Statue of Zeus at Olympia
• Mausoleum of Halicarnassus
• Lighthouse of Alexandria
• Stonehenge
• The Sphinx
• Terra Cotta Warriors
• Hanging Temple
• Forbidden City
• Machu Picchu in Peru
• Tenochtitlán
• Taj-Mahal
• Temples of Bangan
• Temples of Bali
• Karnak Temple
• Chichen Itza
• Angkor Wat in Cambodia
• Roman Coliseum
• Petra
• Lalibela

Researching and Writing Your Analysis

1. Find at least 3 “best” sources. With a wealth of sources available on the Internet, it is important to be able to distinguish between good sources and poor sources. The question then is, how do you know when a source is good or not-so-good? To learn the answer, review UC Berkeley’s How to Evaluate Internet Sources and the equally excellent Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria & Tools from the Olin and Uris Libraries at Cornell University. . You should also check out CCCOnline’s Library Document on the CRAP (Currency, Reliability, Authority, Purpose/Point of View).
2. Write a 3 – 5 page double-spaced analytical essay. By definition an analytical essay is founded on an argumentative thesis, but includes informational elements. Review OWL Purdue Tips for Writing your Thesis Statement for specific examples and instructions on developing this thesis statement.  Your thesis statement should appear at the end of your introduction paragraph and act as the key to how to read your paper.
3. In the body of your paper answer ALL of the following questions based on your research. You may answer more questions if you think of them, but these are the minimum.  Use your evidence to complete this task by incorporating quotations or paraphrasing from your “best” sources.

• Where is/was the ancient wonder located in the world?
• Why was it built and did the purpose of the structure change over time?
• Do remains of the ancient wonder still exist today? What condition are they in? Can people visit the site?
• What are the significant features of the structure?
• What is it made of and how was the structure built?

• Once you have introduced the ancient wonder, analyze its significance in history and now. What did the wonder mean to the people of the past? Does the structure still have meaning today for the people from that culture?
• Include a few images of the ancient wonder from today and/or pictures depicting what it might have looked like in use. (Alternatively you may submit your images in an accompanying presentation, but all work including images must be cited in one of the approved styles (APA, MLA or Chicago Style for Humanities).
• Remember to be very descriptive. You are arguing that this ancient wonder deserves to be put on the top Seven Ancient Wonders of the World list and why, based on your research.
• Include a properly formatted bibliography in one of the approved formats. You must have at least your three “best” sources in addition to your image sources. Don’t forget all intellectual property must be credited and this includes images.

Submit your completed Rough Draft to the assignment folder by the scheduled due date.

See the Course Schedule in the Syllabus module and the course rubrics (under Tools in the upper menu) for due dates and grading criteria for this assignment.