Guidelines For Writing Your Short Paper

Nuts and Bolts:

This paper should be 4-5 double-spaced pages in 12 point Times or similar font plus a list of works cited ( I recommend http://www.noodletools.com/noodlebib/ for constructing your bibliography). Keep the margins reasonable, 1 inch or less please. All citations must be in MLA format. Please give your paper an original and interesting title.

Subject Material:

You may write on one of the works we have covered (or will cover) prior to February 3. This includes Modern Times,  Frankenstein, Patchwork Girl, the short stories and the poetry in the reader. You are encouraged to use secondary sources to support your argument.

Topic/Thesis Statement:

You may select one of the topics on our handout or, with my approval, select your own topic. You must have an argument (thesis statement) around which to structure your paper. Keep in mind that you will be writing 4-5 pages on your topic, so make it something you are interested in, as well as something you can sustain over a period of time without repetition. Your thesis statement must not be self evident, it must be an arguable statement. "In Frankenstein, Victor overreaches." is not an arguable statement. "In Frankenstein, Victor's drive to be a hero works against the values of the text and make him a monster instead" is arguable; if you are going to argue for it, someone should be able to argue against it. Make sure to tell me the what and the why.

Evidence:

As you are trying to prove a point in your paper, you need evidence. This evidence should be in the form of quotations from the text (properly cited) and, perhaps, related information. Don't simply recap the plot to me (I've read/seen it too), bring specific attention to those parts of the text which help build your argument. Don't make statements you can't prove!

Structure:

I subscribe to the road map theory of paper writing. Give your paper a title that helps me understand where we will be headed (The Open Ending in ....). Your argument/purpose/direction should appear somewhere in the first paragraph along with a quick synopsis of the stops we will be making in your evidence paragraphs on our way to get there (Love is shown as X through "paragraph one," "two",....") Your evidence paragraphs should identify themselves with a topic sentence, and remind the reader why this stop is made and its relation to the eventual destination. By the conclusion your argument should be well supported and established. Here you can remind the reader why the argument is important or make suggestions for complications.

Plagiarism:

Plagiarism is defined as representing the words or ideas of others as your own. It is punishable by failure of the course, and, in some cases, expulsion from the university. If you are worried about inadvertent plagiarism see me or CLAS about how to credit your sources. Last quarter I caught two students plagiarizing their work (mostly downloaded from online sources). Both failed the class and were expelled from the university for a year.

CLAS:

A great resource for paper writing. Campus Learning Assistant Services has numerous handouts on how to write a paper, MLA format, and many other topics. In addition, the tutors at CLAS, available though appointment or on a drop-in basis, can help with any step in the writing process.

Office Hours:

As always, you can come speak with me about any questions or problems you have with the paper writing process or to help you with rough drafts. You may also make an appointment to speak with me during office hours. You can also make an appointment to see me, or contact me by e-mail.

Proposal

On February 3 you are responsible for bringing in 4 copies of your paper proposal. Your proposal should include your topic, some supporting evidence, and a preliminary stab at a thesis.

Due Friday February 11 by 4:15 in my mailbox South Hall 2623 
Ð No Late Papers Accepted Ð