You will choose a biographical figure in consultation with the professor to write an argumentative-based, research paper. You are required to meet with me in person to discuss a possible topic by Wednesday, February 18.
Once you have met with me and have received approval for your chosen person, you should do the following:
1)Research your topic. You are welcome to use online sources, but please note that such sources vary widely in their usefulness and accuracy. You are fully responsible for using disreputable sources, in whatever form. You are required to use at least one printed source, either a book or an article, and at least six sources total.
2)Think about a question or questions you plan to discuss in your paper. In other words, you are not simply describing or explaining your biographical figure, you are analyzing him or her, asking and answering, to the best of your ability, a scholarly question pertaining to that person.
3)Form a thesis, i.e. main argument regarding your topic.
Once you have completed these tasks, you are ready to write your paper. You should adhere to the following guidelines: Times New Roman, 1-inch margins, 12-inch font, double-spaced, 3-5 pages.
You are required to submit a bibliography at the end of your paper and to use parenthetical citations to cite your sources in your paper.
I will evaluate your papers based on the following criteria:
1)Whether or not you have learned a reasonable amount about the person in question. The best way you can demonstrate your knowledge is by including several specific examples of historical actors, events, and ideas in your paper.
2)How effectively you develop a clear thesis statement in your introduction and support your thesis with specific examples and critical analysis throughout the paper. I don’t care about your opinion; I care about your opinion that is supported by historical evidence, the dreaded “facts” that you will have learned from your research.
3)How well you edit your paper and organize your ideas. Editing and organizing your written work are skills that every college student should practice. You will be expected to do so.
IMPORTANT: The official college statement regarding academic integrity and honesty reads as follows:
“Academic misconduct committed either directly or indirectly by an individual or group is subject to disciplinary action. Prohibited activities include but are not limited to the following–cheating, including but not limited to unauthorized assistance from material, people, or devices when taking a test, quiz, or examination; writing papers or reports; solving problems; or completing academic assignments. In addition to other possible disciplinary sanctions that may be imposed as a result of academic misconduct, the instructor has the authority to assign either (1) an F or zero for the assignment or (2) an F for the course.”
To supplement the college policy, this course also has a clear plagiarism policy. It is the responsibility of the students to understand what comprises plagiarism, to submit assignments that they have created themselves, and to properly acknowledge outside sources.
Some examples of Plagiarism include:
1)Using another person’s exact words without citation and/or quotation marks.
2)Altering the words of another person, including information taken from another member of the class, while keeping that person’s original idea intact without citation. This is called paraphrasing. Unless otherwise noted, assignments should be worked on individually. Essays or papers that are too similar to another student’s will be considered an act of plagiarism.
3)Using information taken from compilations of data, such as found in textbooks, without identifying the source and using quotation marks if needed.
Any acts of plagiarism or violation of the college’s academic integrity and honesty statement are a serious offense for which the student will be subject to the following sanctions:
The first offense will result in a grade of 0 on that assignment.
Any additional offenses will result in an F in the course. I will also notify the college administration of such offenses, which may lead to additional punishment from the college.
