World History-Fall 26 Assignments
- Instructor
- Andrew Byrd
- Term
- Fall 2026
- Department
- Social Studies
- Description
-
Files
August 2026
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 event • | ||||||
Upcoming Assignments
Due:
Life of a Peasant Assignment
Here are some possible assignment ideas:
1. Historical fiction story
Objective: Students should immerse themselves in a specific historical period by crafting a fictional narrative from a peasant's perspective.
Assignment: Choose a specific time and place . Research the daily life, challenges, social structures (like feudalism), and cultural norms of that time period and location. Write a short story about a peasant character, incorporating accurate details about their daily struggles, family life, interactions with authorities (like the manor lord or reeve), and moments of leisure or community connection.
Potential elements to include:
Daily tasks: Agricultural work (plowing, sowing, reaping, threshing, haymaking), caring for livestock, housework (fetching water, cooking, cleaning).
Living conditions: Describe housing (small huts, dirt floors, shared space with animals), diet (pottage, bread, vegetables), lack of hygiene.
Social and political realities: Interaction with the feudal system, obligations to the lord, taxes (paid in crops or money), limited social mobility.
Moments of joy and community: Religious festivals, village gatherings, stories, songs, and shared meals.
2. Peasant's diary entries
Objective: Develop empathy and understanding of a peasant's lived experience by creating personal reflections in a diary format.
Assignment: Imagine you are a peasant (secretly) documenting your daily life, thoughts, and feelings. Write a series of diary entries (across several days or different times of the year. Focus on conveying the emotions, struggles, and small joys of peasant life.
Tips: Include details about weather, specific tasks performed, interactions with family and community, reflections on the feudal system, and hopes for the harvest.
3. Letter to a noble or town-dweller
Objective: Explore the differences in social status and living conditions during the chosen historical period.
Assignment: Write a letter from a peasant to a noble or a town-dweller. Describe the daily life on the manor, emphasizing the hardship of their existence compared to the recipients of the letter.
Key points: Highlight the peasant's duties, lack of freedoms, limited access to resources (food, healthcare), and lack of agency within the feudal system. You could also express hopes or concerns for the future of the village or a family member seeking apprenticeship in a town.
6. Extra Credit: Create a map of your village and post it to poster-board.
7. Extra Credit: Create a self portrait of you as a Peasant.
1. Historical fiction story
Objective: Students should immerse themselves in a specific historical period by crafting a fictional narrative from a peasant's perspective.
Assignment: Choose a specific time and place . Research the daily life, challenges, social structures (like feudalism), and cultural norms of that time period and location. Write a short story about a peasant character, incorporating accurate details about their daily struggles, family life, interactions with authorities (like the manor lord or reeve), and moments of leisure or community connection.
Potential elements to include:
Daily tasks: Agricultural work (plowing, sowing, reaping, threshing, haymaking), caring for livestock, housework (fetching water, cooking, cleaning).
Living conditions: Describe housing (small huts, dirt floors, shared space with animals), diet (pottage, bread, vegetables), lack of hygiene.
Social and political realities: Interaction with the feudal system, obligations to the lord, taxes (paid in crops or money), limited social mobility.
Moments of joy and community: Religious festivals, village gatherings, stories, songs, and shared meals.
2. Peasant's diary entries
Objective: Develop empathy and understanding of a peasant's lived experience by creating personal reflections in a diary format.
Assignment: Imagine you are a peasant (secretly) documenting your daily life, thoughts, and feelings. Write a series of diary entries (across several days or different times of the year. Focus on conveying the emotions, struggles, and small joys of peasant life.
Tips: Include details about weather, specific tasks performed, interactions with family and community, reflections on the feudal system, and hopes for the harvest.
3. Letter to a noble or town-dweller
Objective: Explore the differences in social status and living conditions during the chosen historical period.
Assignment: Write a letter from a peasant to a noble or a town-dweller. Describe the daily life on the manor, emphasizing the hardship of their existence compared to the recipients of the letter.
Key points: Highlight the peasant's duties, lack of freedoms, limited access to resources (food, healthcare), and lack of agency within the feudal system. You could also express hopes or concerns for the future of the village or a family member seeking apprenticeship in a town.
6. Extra Credit: Create a map of your village and post it to poster-board.
7. Extra Credit: Create a self portrait of you as a Peasant.
Due: