WRITING REQUIRMENTS
Your essay must be 1000-1200 words in length, using 12-point
WRITING REQUIRMENTS
Your essay must be 1000-1200 words in length, using 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font.
Intext citations and references MUST be in APA@Conestoga format. Download a copy of the paper templateOpens in a new tab from the Library’s website.
Reference are provided for all resources used to complete your essay.
For more information on how to properly format in APA refer to APA@ConestogaOpens in a new tab for various resources and examples to complete your essay reading the following list carefully,
ESSAY TOPIC
choose one of the topics:Medieval-themed toys. This may not include video games. Also, note that these must be modern toys that draw on the medieval for inspiration, not toys from the actual Middle Ages.
Medieval-themed restaurants or other culinary events that explore the modern idea of the “medieval feast”. Again, please note that you should be discussing modern restaurants that use medieval food/cuisine as their inspiration, not actual Middle Ages cuisine.
The medieval (or “Renaissance”) fair. As with the previous two topics, you must discuss the modern event that looks back to the Middle Ages for inspiration, not actual medieval fairs.
Medieval-themed LARPing. For this topic, you must focus on LARPing, not reenactment. You must also ensure that you are looking at medieval/neomedieval LARPing, not any form of LARPing that uses other themes.
Modern tourism at medieval historical sites (again, make sure you do not talk about tourism in the Middle Ages).
After you have chosen your topic, you must explore why people engage in that particular activity. You must select three specific examples for your topic and demonstrate what they can tell us about why people find these goods, events, or experiences appealing. For instance, if you discussed medieval-themed restaurants, you would choose three specific restaurants to analyze. If you decided tourism at medieval historical sites, you would select three specific sites, and so on. These case studies must be developed through your own research; do not use examples covered by our course lessons.
QUESTONS
Once you have chosen your topic and examples, you will explore the following:What do people who engage in this activity/experience get out of it? What sort of “medieval experience” are they looking for? Be as detailed as possible in your exploration of this question. You may want to consult sources such as reviews of historical sites, restaurants, or merchandise to get a clearer view of visitor/consumer reactions.
Does the experience give them an accurate or authentic view of the medieval world, or does it perpetuate popular stereotypes about the Middle Ages? Fully explain your opinion on this, making use of specific details from your selected examples.
Is the experience purely medievalist, or does it involve aspects of neo-medievalism? Either way, how does that shape the appeal of the experience?
Once you have answered the questions above, you must provide a paragraph detailing why you chose the medieval activity you did and why that particular activity appeals to you.
The questions are guidelines; you should use them to shape your analysis. You should not restate the text of the questions in your essay. Instead, brainstorm your answers to these questions and use your ideas as the building blocks for the main points of your essay. Your essay must be presented in essay form (full sentences and paragraphs) with no subheadings or lists. Sources Not To Use
Sources that must not be used include:Wikipedia,
general/non-academic websites about medieval history or culture,
study guides,
and encyclopedias.
In particular, non-academic websites about the Middle Ages must be strictly avoided. The best of these sites will rarely give you anything but very general information; the worst will give you inaccurate information, making it very difficult to discuss the third question provided. As a rule, unless you can identify the author of a website and verify their credentials as a scholar, you should not use the website. Also, avoid “educational” sites meant for primary or secondary students.
Submission Note
An essay presented in point form or as a list of answers to the questions will not be accepted and will receive a zero grade.
As with all assignments in this course, any use of AI tools in the preparation of this essay will result in a zero grade