The primary source should be Vico. The New Science. (Penguin Classics, 2000) (ISBN: 0-140-43569-7).

Short Papers: Each Student will prepare a computer-typed (double-spaced, 1” margins, 12-point font size), three-page paper on each of the three historical texts that are assigned reading for this semester. Your papers must be turned in through the “SafeAssign” module on Blackboard. Your papers must address the following points:

1. What subject is the author writing about, and what is the scope of the study?

2. What sources does the historian use for his work? What criteria does he use to evaluate his sources?

3. What bias does the historian bring to his work?

4. What is the historian’s view of history? What processes or forces drive human behavior and human history?

5. What contribution does this work make to the profession?

In answering questions 1-4, you should rely primarily on your own analysis of historian’s work through your careful reading of the text. For question 5 it is appropriate to consult other sources.