Papers

You will write two main papers in this course. The initial due dates for the papers are provided in the syllabus, and you can revise any paper at any time. The first time you turn in each paper, it should be about three to four pages (900-1200 words) long. The first two papers will each have a specific citation component. In the first paper, you will need to use at least one snippet quotation and one paraphrase. In the second paper, you will use at least one block quotation and one bit of summary.

Each of your papers should cite its sources in Chicago NB style. To format your citations, you can use my quick guide (PDF) or, for more detail, the Purdue Online Writing Lab's page on Chicago style. If you use a tool that generates bibliography entries automatically, that's fine as a starting point, but they often get details wrong. Do the final version of your entry yourself, carefully.

I want to emphasize the importance of revision in this course. Writing seriously nearly always requires revision, often heavy revision. In this class, you will revise both of your papers. For all revisions: when you submit a revision, be sure to mark every change you have made so I can better understand your process. You can use "track changes" in your word process or any other method, as long as I can easily understand exactly what you have changed. For your two papers, approach the revision process in two different ways, one for each of the papers:

In one case, you will do a revision in the same format. This means that the paper will remain at roughly the same length and scope, but you will revise it thoroughly and carefully, concentrating on the same issues of thesis, evidence, writing style, and structure that guided your approach to the first version. You may also add sources to your analysis, but adding them is not the main point of the process in this case.

In one case, you will do a research-based revision and expansion. In this case, in consultation with me, you will find an element of your paper that you can clarify or enrich through library-based research. You will improve the paper and lengthen it to a final version of about five to seven pages (1500-2100 words).

You will turn in at least one revision during the semester itself, and then the final revisions of both papers will be included in your portfolio at the end of the semester.