guidelines for the final paper

The final essay, which is due on 12/10, should be:
* 5-6 pages in length (that is, no shorter than 5 full pages and no longer than 6, not counting the title page and Works Cited page;
* a clear, persuasive argument with a focused, specific thesis statement;
* well-supported by textual evidence (which means direct quotation, not just paraphrase and summary);
* organized, with coherent, unified paragraphs and clear topic sentences;
* grammatically, mechanically, and stylistically fluent.

And, of course, it must answer one of the assignment questions. If it does not address a question from the list, it earns an F, no matter how stellar it is!

A few questions for you to ask yourself about your paper (the answer to all of these questions should be "yes!"):

* Is it possible that a reasonable reader could disagree with my thesis statement? (If not--if no one would disagree--it is not really an argument.)

* Is my thesis statement consistent across the paper? (Often, it evolves as you're writing, which is actually a good thing; however, it does mean that you need to go back and revise the introduction to reflect the more-developed thesis.)

* Have I analyzed every quote that I include? (No quote should stand alone; each one needs to be analyzed, to tell your reader why and how that quote supports or proves your thesis statement.)