The Compare/Contrast (C&C) Essay

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

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

• A variety of historical thinking skills (argumentation, causation, synthesis) are evaluated

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

About the C&C

C&C Prompts

Find the Phrase!

Highlight the KEY PHRASE in each prompt

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

2002 C&C

• 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 C&C

• 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 C&C

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

• China• Middle East• Russia

2005 C&C

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

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

2006 C&C

• 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 C&C

• 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 C&C

• 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 C&C

• 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 C&C

• 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 C&C

• 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 C&C

• 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 C&C

Rubric&

Class Expectations

The Thesis

• Because the central task in the question is comparative and asks for both similarities and differences, acceptable thesis statements also need to be comparative, stating 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• Address Prompt• Place/Time• 3 Categories• 1:2 Ratio (1 or 2 Similarities/ 1 or 2 Differences)• Do not restate 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

How to Write the Thesis, cont.

2007: 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: a) The Ottoman Empire; b) The Russian Empire

The Spanish and Ottoman Empires were similar in that they were both involved in the process of empire building during the period of 1450 to 1800 and both were heavily involved in global trade, yet differed in their underlying strategies for the empire building process, and in the religious makeup of the empires.

How to Write the Thesis, cont.

2009: 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.

The racial ideologies of N.Am and LA/C from 1500-1830 were different in the degree to which the races became culturally fused, yet were similar in that they created a racial hierarchy and an increase in violence and conflicts.

The Order

• Introduction – Thesis and categories

• Paragraph 1 – Group 1 (similarity/difference)

• Paragraph 2 – Group 2 (similarity/difference)

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

• If desired, conclusion with restatement of thesis.

Structure for Body Paragraphs• Discuss one region first and provide

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

evidence (ex: Spanish Empire)• Analysis why this similarity/difference

occurred• Direct Comparison Statement as

Concluding Statement for Paragraph– Spanish vs. Ottoman

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.

What Good Responses Should Include

• Need at least 9 pieces of evidence (3 paragraphs = 3+ pieces of evidence per paragraph)

• Include dates to demonstrate the ability to describe with some precision when continuity and change happen

• Describe an extra-regional connection or global context to explain continuity or change

• Students must make connections clear.

Direct Comparison

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

• Example: Thus, both China through Mao Zedong and Russia through Vladimir Lenin utilized Marxist philosophies regarding communism to promote a communist revolution among the peasants.

• Example: Unlike Han China, which used a centralized system of government which was bolstered by a large bureaucracy, Gupta India utilized a decentralized system of government that divided the land via naturally-created regional divisions.

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 included directly before the Direct Comparison in each paragraph.

• Example: Both Lenin and Mao Zedong are learned in Marxist philosophy and see it as the means by which their respective societies can industrialize and move into a new era.

• Example: The Han Dynasty utilized 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 government system from scratch. Thus, the Guptas felt a system relying on the naturally-created regional divisions in India would work best for that population.

2011 C&C

Prompt

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 (n/a for this essay)

2011 C&C

Marking it up

Write an essay that:

• Has a relevant thesis and supports that thesis with appropriate historical evidence.

• Addresses all parts of the question.• Makes direct, relevant comparisons.• Analyzes relevant reasons for similarities and

differences.

2011 C&C

Marking 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.

2011 C&C due Weds 11/13 (Rough Draft), Fri. 11/15 (Final Draft)

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

1) Thesis – bold2) Categories– underline3) 9 Pieces of Evidence – italicize4) Direct Comparison - different font5) Analysis - different size or color