The essay should be 3-5 pages (about 1000 words) long excluding footnotes. You should
double space your paper. You should include a title and page numbers. Your paper should have
one-inch margins and be in Times New Roman Font. Please insert the word count at the end of
the paper. Your essay should have an introductory section with a clear argument/thesis
statement. Each paragraph in the body of the paper should have a topic sentence. The essay
should also have a concluding section addressing the main arguments made. Before you start
to write and use assigned primary and secondary material, read the prompt carefully. Thus, you
will be sure that your thesis statement directly addresses the question(s) being asked of you.
You are welcome to discuss the prompt with me, but I will not read or comment on drafts.
Please use Microsoft word only.
Cited Materials: Each claim you make should be backed up with evidence. You are to use
ONLY assigned texts and PowerPoints for these essays. Do not cite any other text or source.
Your quotations should be just from the primary material. You MUST paraphrase secondary
literature and cite it. Any paper containing material from other sources will be penalized.
However, any reference or quote used in this essay MUST be cited in footnotes. Papers lacking
footnotes will have a substantial deduction in grade. You are to use Chicago Style citations.
https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.htmlLinks to an
external site.
A Note on Style and Substance: Do NOT use broad generalizations or assumptions about the
subject(s) under discussion or about the audience reading your paper. For instance, do NOT
say something along the lines of “Everyone today thinks [X]…”, “All ancient peoples believed
[Y]…”, or “Peoples of the Western world do [Z]…” Also, do NOT use the term “Western world.”
To address in your paper:
Between 1271 and 1295CE the Venetian merchant and explorer, Marco Polo, traveled along the
silk road to Kinsai (China), where he spent seventeen years employed by Kublai Khan, ruler of
the Mongol Empire. Upon his return to Venice in 1295CE, Polo was imprisoned by the rival
Republic of Genoa in Italy. While in captivity, Polo relayed his account to his cellmate,
Rustichiello of Pisa, who transcribed the narrative. Although some scholars have cast doubt
upon whether Polo actually reached East Asia, his recollections are, nevertheless, one of the
earliest European accounts of China.
Your task is to write an essay using the primary sources and secondary literature assigned for
this course. You are to use the provided excerpt of Marco Polo’s travels:
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/polo-kinsay.asp
Wolf’s “Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta”: file:///Users/kristinholmes/Downloads/Wolf%20-
%20Vol1%20-%20Ch10%20-%20Marco%20Polo%20and%20Ibn%20Battuta%20-%20p113-
27.pdf
Chapter 12 of John Keay’s China: A History: file:///Users/kristinholmes/Downloads/Keay-
%20China%20-%20A%20History%20-%20CH12.pdf
Any other relevant secondary material from this course to address the following questions are
acceptable:
1. How does Polo describe China? (What in particular catches his attention?) Why does he find
China so interesting?
What does this account reveal concerning the technological, economic, social, and cultural
development of China? Furthermore, how does China compare to Europe ca. 1300CE?
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/polo-kinsay.asp
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/polo-kinsay.asp