Independent Project

Chapter 16, the Political Development of Imperial China

Pretend that you are an artist hired by a Ming emperor to design a mural for the wall of his palace. He wants to celebrate the history of China by honoring the dynasty - Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan, or Ming - that has made the most important historical contributions. In order to convince the emperor of your choice, you must prepare a presentation that answers this question: Which Chinese dynasty has made the most significant impact on history?

Your presentation may be a poster or a powerpoint slide show. The text must be at least 200-300 words and include the following elements:

A.	An imaginative title for the mural that will impress viewers.
B.	A five-paragraph persuasive essay that outlines your choice for the mural. Your essay must include:
	•	an introduction that clearly describes which dynasty you think the mural should feature.
	•	two body paragraphs that explain and give supporting evidence for your choice.
	•	a third body paragraph that explains why other dynasties were not selected. As supporting evidence, pick one of the other dynasties and explain why it did not make as significant an impact.
	•	a conclusion that restates your position and reminds the emperor of your main points.
C.	A visual of at least one scene you would like to include in the mural, with a one- to two-sentence caption explaining what the scene is and how it shows how your chosen dynasty made a significant impact on history.
D.	A bibliography of your sources.

THE FINE PRINT: To qualify for this independent project, you must score 90% or higher on the pretest. This assignment will substitute for the history notebook pages assigned for this chapter. You agree to work independently and not disturb the class. The assignment is due to be presented Friday, the day of the test. You may choose to take the test or keep your score from the pretest. Your grade for the project will take the place of the grade for the history notebook.