To what extent did the societies we’ve studied follow similar patterns of development and to what extent do these developments bolster Diamond’s argument that agriculture had catastrophic consequences?

Patterns of development

To what extent did the societies we’ve studied follow similar patterns of development and to what extent do these developments bolster Diamond’s argument that agriculture had catastrophic consequences? So far, we’ve looked at the histories of five major civilizations: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus Valley / India, China and Greece. We can trace the existence of these civilizations to the development of agriculture and despite the geographic distances between them, you probably noticed that they had some things in common.

Patterns of development

We also read an article in week 2 entitled “The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race.” In it, scholar Jared Diamond argues that agriculture was not really a positive development for humans. Instead, he points to some rather catastrophic consequences such as: 1. Deep class divisions; an elite that became better off while everyone else was worse off 2. Gender inequality 3. Warfare and tyranny 4. An increased spread of infectious disease.

Patterns of development

With these four consequences as your framework, use the lectures, discussions, and readings from Week 1 through our survey of Greece to write a 5-page comparative analysis that answers this question: → To what extent did the societies we’ve studied follow similar patterns of development and to what extent do these developments bolster Diamond’s argument that agriculture had catastrophic consequences? 1. Your essay must be based on the materials we’ve covered in this class so far: lectures, documentaries, discussions, and articles.

Patterns of development

You will need to cite these in the essay, so keep that in mind as you take notes! 2. How to organize your essay • Do not list the civilizations one by one! • Since this is a comparative analysis, you must establish categories of analysis and then use them to compare the civilizations we’ve studied. In other words, you are building a comparative framework. Here is how you do this: a.) Write a short introduction paragraph that introduces the essay and concludes with a thesis statement that directly answers the question the main essay question.

Patterns of development

b.) Organize the body of your essay into four sections, each covering one of the “consequences” c.) Write a short conclusion that sums up your conclusions and addresses the importance of your findings. ➔ See powerpoint organization guide for even more help and tips on organization 3. Other things to consider • Where does Gobekli Tepe fit in? • Was all the “bad stuff” inevitable once farming began?! • Are we missing any key pieces of evidence? 4. Tips! • Do note list the civilizations. You must use categories of analysis to frame your comparative analysis. 

Patterns of development

Do not summarize the Jared Diamond article in your essay. Assume your reader knows this article well already and focus on responding to the prompt using the materials from the course. • Related to the previous point: use lots of specific examples from our materials! The more the better. • Use the primary sources from the discussions—and see what your classmates wrote. Someone probably pointed out an example or made a point that you can use for your essay. https://youtu.be/1gmNnJG7eCo

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