The Compare/Contrast (CC) Essay

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

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

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

About the CC

CC Prompts

Find the Phrase

(You will use the phrase in your topic sentences, but NOT in your thesis)

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

2002 CC

• 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 CC

• 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 CC

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

• China• Middle East• Russia

2005 CC

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

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

2006 CC

• 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 CC

• 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 CC

• 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 CC

• 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 CC

• 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 CC

• 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 CC

• Analyze similarities and differences between the role of the state in Japan’s economic development and the role of the state in the economic development of ONE of the following during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

• China• Ottoman Empire• Russia

2013 CC

• Analyze similarities and differences in how TWO of the following empires used religion to govern before 1450.

• Byzantine Empire• Islamic Caliphate• Mauryan/Gupta Empire

2014 CC

Rubric&

Class Expectations

• Acceptable thesis statements must state 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 Musts• One sentence• Address Prompt• Place/Time• 3 Categories (1 S and 2 D / 1 D and 2 S)• Do not use phrase in thesis

Thesis

• “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.”

• Example:• “The Chinese and Russian revolutions are

different in that China’s revolution was rural while Russia’s was urban, but are similar in that both countries’ plans for economic development failed and both revolutions were driven by Communist theories.”

How to Write The Thesis

The Order• Introduction – Thesis and categories• Paragraph 1 – Group 1 (similarity/difference)

• Topic Sentence with Phrase / Direct Comparison• Present Evidence• Analysis

• Paragraph 2 – Group 2 (similarity/difference)• Topic Sentence with Phrase / Direct Comparison• Present Evidence• Analysis

• Paragraph 3 – Group 3 (whichever you picked in Paragraph 2)

• Topic Sentence with Phrase / Direct Comparison• Present Evidence• Analysis

• Conclusion (if time)

Structure for Body Paragraphs

• Topic Sentence with Phrase / Direct Comparison

• Discuss one region first and provide evidence (ex: Han China)

• Discuss second region and provide evidence (ex: Roman Empire)

• Analysis why this similarity/difference occurred

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.

Direct Comparison

• Direct comparisons should be placed at the beginning of your paragraphs, and are concise evaluations of the differences or likenesses of the two things in question.

• Must include the phrase

• Example: A difference between Han China’s and Gupta India’s methods of political control was that Han China used a centralized system of government with a large bureaucracy, while Gupta India utilized a decentralized system of government.

• This begins your paragraph. You will then provide evidence about the political systems in both Han China and Gupta India.

Analysis

• Analysis must explain WHY a similarity occurred (why both regions developed similarly/used a similar thing), or WHY a difference occurred (why did one region utilize A, while the other utilized B).

• Analysis should be the last thing in each paragraph.

• Example: The Han Dynasty inherited the centralized system of the Qin Dynasty and made minor modifications, mostly to the process of applications to the bureaucracy. The Guptas, on the other hand, did not inherit a system of centralized politics; rather, the Guptas came to power after the Kushan collapse and had to create a new government system. The Guptas felt to rely on the naturally-created regional divisions in India would work best, and created a decentralized system to govern.

2010 CCMarking it up

Write an essay that:

• Has a relevant thesis (1) and supports that thesis with appropriate historical evidence (2).

• Addresses all parts (2) of the question.• Makes direct, relevant comparisons (1).• Analyzes (1) relevant reasons for similarities

and differences.

2010 CCPrompt

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)• Gupta India (320 BCE – 550 CE)• Imperial Rome (31 BCE – 476 CE)

Monday, September 15th/Tuesday, September 16th 2010 C&C due

Write it at home, double space it, and annotate the following parts:

1) Thesis: bold2) Categories: underline3) 10 Pieces of Evidence: italicize

(MOST of your paper will be italicized – this is a HISTORY paper!)

4) Direct Comparison - different font5) Analysis - different size