Instructions for your Semester Paper

Transcription

1 Instructions for your Semester Paper I. Due Date: Turn this in 2 ways. Both: 1: Hardcopy to me by Mon, 03 Dec Thur, 06 Dec by 5:00 pm (in class or to SCHAR 4112), and 2) electronic copy to turnit-in.com. The turn-in time is based on when I have both the hardcopy and electronic copy. II. Overview: In this 150 point graded assignment you will turn your research into a paper. III. Paper Topics Ideally, your topic has not changed much since you turned in the paper proposal. If so, this means most of the work from your paper proposal can directly apply to your final paper. If your paper topic has changed, however, that is fine. I grade the paper as a separate project from your paper proposal. As long as your paper topic meets the criteria below, all is well. It deals with history. i.e. While it is fine to spend some time tying your topic to current events, the heart and soul of your paper must be on the past. Your topic deals with economics. i.e. Your paper must deal with production, or material living standards, or political/economic systems, or how people make decisions when facing scarcity, etc. It must meet the all the criteria below: a. directly involves the U.S. (although comparisons between the U.S. and other nations are great) b. focuses on a time period after about 1812 and before the 1970 s. If your paper investigates money, banking, and finance, you can go back farther than c. does NOT focus on slavery (that s for U.S. Economic History I) d. does NOT focus on Prohibition (unless you get permission from John) e. goes beyond what we cover in class (if your topic is covered in class) IV. Required Structure of your Paper # of sources The quality of your sources is usually more important than quantity. That being said, I expect at least 6 quality academic sources. Page 1, Cover Page The title of the paper, your name, the course, and the date should be towards the top of this page. An abstract should be toward the bottom. 1

2 Pages 2 X: The Main Body of your Paper Note: Although I do not specify a minimum length, I would recommend shooting for about 5,000 words in your main body. 1. Title and author (that s you) 2. Abstract (again): a short ( 200 word) summary of your paper (or your latest guess at what your paper will be). Your abstract should clearly state the question(s) your paper will be attempting to answer if you plan to use the journal/thesis format. Usually the abstract is in slightly smaller font, italicized, and has larger left and right margins. 3. The Main Body of Your paper: Amaze your reading audience with what you have learned and how you have analyzed the subject. You don t have to, but it s a good idea to break your paper down into sections with each section title in bold font. Your last section should be the Conclusion section. Don t forget to use in-text citations using the APA citation style when you: 1) quote, 2) refer to, or 3) discuss ideas from a source. Failure to do so constitutes academic dishonesty. Such academic dishonesty typically results in a 0 on the assignment (assuming it is your first offense) and a letter with the Dean and Campus Life detailing the incident. If you have a prior recorded incident of academic dishonesty, the sanctions can be much, much higher. Bibliography Use the APA (Social Sciences) citation style. V. # III Didn t tell me much. How should I write the paper? All papers and all writers are different. Write your paper using whatever style and organization you wish as long as it both: a) meets the criteria specified in III (above), and b) allows you to clearly explain your research and analysis to the reader. That being said, here are some suggestions. 1. Peruse academic journals, especially those to which you refer, to find sample formats. 2. Try to have a specific thesis question (or a few questions) your paper addresses. 3. In the introduction to your paper (the introduction, not the abstract), tell the reader why the topic is of interest. Also, give the reader some hints about where the paper is going. How much you tell the reader in the introduction is up to you. You can summarize how you will address/analyze the topic, what the key points of contention 2

3 (if any) are, and what you will conclude. You can also leave the reader in suspense as to what the paper will conclude and why. I m fine with either way. 4. In your introduction, or in a separate section following the introduction, you can give the reader an overview of the general subject area. 5. Break the main body of your paper into sections with each section title in bold font. An example is below. Sample (and fictional) APA style citations are highlighted. Again, a lit review is not necessary. Introduction George Washington is usually described as one of the Great Men of American History, but was he really a man? This paper will investigate the question of whether George Washington was human, or a space alien from the planet Tochkov. Since the commonly accepted view is that Washington was human, only a brief review of the humanity evidence is given. The majority of this paper will focus on evidence suggesting Washington was indeed an alien, and what his purpose on earth was.... Yaddi yaddi yah. Blah, blah, blah, blah. Yaddi yaddi. Literature Review Why the Aliens Invaded Earth In what is perhaps the most famous paper in this area, Fike stated; Yaddi yah. Blah, blah (1998, pp 22-23). The 1 st Invasion Many have argued that the first invasion was instigated by a rogue element in the aliens command structure (Elliott, Hawley, 2013). The 2 nd Invasion The Government Institutions the Aliens Left Us With Conclusion George s Washington s legacy is a sacred cornerstone of American History. Does convential history, however, teach us his true legacy? The evidence presented in this paper would argue No. Blah, blah, blah, blah. Yaddi yaddi yah. Blah, blah, blah, blah. Yaddi yaddi yah. Blah, blah, blah, blah. Bibliography Doe, Jane (2011). The Real George Washington. New York: Watsamatta U Press. 6. Consider having a Literature Review section. If you include a literature review section, it should be immediately after the introduction section. One way or another you will have to tell the reader what others have written about the subject. If you are conducting a new analysis of the topic, using new data, etc., a literature review section is a good idea. 3

4 If, instead, you are synthesizing what others have written and explaining the general topic to the reader, a literature review section is not necessary. Your references to the existing literature will be spread relatively evenly throughout your paper rather than being concentrated in one section. 7. Take time to proofread and tweak your paper. Try to have a completed paper a day or two before the due date. Then read the paper out loud a few times to catch errors and ponder different ways of saying things. You might also have someone else read your paper and offer suggestions. VI. How I grade the statements of interest and the final paper. o Rough Grade: I first read each proposal and assign a rough grade based on a rubric. This rubric is broken down into the following categories. 1. Citation: This will count for about 5% of the rough grade. That being said, if it appears your statement (or paper) contains many instances in which you fail to properly cite a source, I might take more than 5% off. If your paper contains examples of plagiarism, I will assign a zero (if you have no prior instances of reported academic dishonesty) for the assignment and file an academic dishonesty report. If you have prior instances of reported academic dishonesty, I will consult the dean regarding appropriate penalties. 2. Sources: The weight will be about 25% of the rough grade. I want you to have the minimum number of sources (6 and hopefully more). I also try to ascertain the quality of your sources. Are they professional, academic sources that are directly relevant to your topic area? Do you have the seminal sources in your topic area? 3. Focus: This is about 25% by the final paper. I prefer papers that focus on one (or a few) theses or questions. For example, a paper on Why was Britain the first to industrialize? is definitely too broad for a semester paper. A paper examining; The Role of Edward I s Model Parliament of 1295 in giving Britain a Powerful, yet Restrained Government is a nice size and focus for a semester paper. 4. Writing: This is typically about 15% of the rough grade. Please write using correct spelling, syntax, and punctuation. Nice transitions between paragraphs and a smoothly flowing paper are also good. I would suggest having someone else proofread your paper (and statements of interest) before you turn it in. 5. Analysis: This is about 25% of the rough grade. The more insightful your analysis of the questions, points of contention, etc. is, the better your project is. 4

5 6. Boldness: This is about 10% of the rough grade for the final paper. Boldness relates to pursuing a topic that is not easy because there is both; a) a general lack of preexisting literature on that topic, and b) we did not spend much time on the topic in class. Please note that I (the grader), not you (the student), determine the level of boldness. An example of a bold topic is Keynes post World War II idea for Money Based on a Basket of Commodities. Good luck finding tons of literature on that topic. An example of a topic that, while a fine topic, is not nearly as bold is: Did Monetary Forces Cause the Initial Downturn During the Great Depression? There s a lot of literature on this topic. I can t think of any topic with 0% boldness, but I can think of some that could get half of the boldness points (5% of the 10%). 7. Turn-it-in copy: This is 2% of the rough grade for the final paper. If I get an a copy to Turn-it-in copy, you get the 2%. If I don t get an a Turn-it-in copy, you do not get the 2%. 8. Hey! That adds up to 107%. The key point is that, while I appreciate and reward boldness, your paper does not have to be super bold to have a shot at a 100% score. I have never had a paper that scored over 100%, but several have been in the very high 90 s. o Final Grade: I next order the papers (or statements of interest) in order of the rough grades. I scan the papers again to make sure I am confident that the grades reflect the relative quality of each paper. Occasionally, after reviewing the papers in (initial, rubric) rank order, I will tweak a paper s grade up or down to make it fit better. 5