Essays must be 3,500 words and you will lose marks if you are under the
word count.
You are permitted to go over by a maximum of 500 words.
Essays must contain at least ten academic sources (books, articles, book
chapters, etc.).
You can also use the Web. However – be warned – some
websites convey false or misleading information!
Do not cite the lectures or course material (including the text) as a source. I
am expecting you to do independent research.
Do not use Wikipedia or online dictionaries to define terms or provide
information in your essay.
Essays should not be merely descriptive – analysis and critical engagement
with the material are very important. Each essay should have a clear argument
and be backed up by appropriate supporting material.
An essay should begin with a research problem or theme and then use this to
provide a structure for what follows. A detailed introduction with your
research problem and a short summary of the sections of the essay must
be included.
You must also include a short conclusion that summarizes the key
arguments of the essay.
Feel free to use bolded headings to divide the essay into sections.
Paragraph markers [Hard return and a tab or two hard returns] must be used
every 4-6 sentences.
Essays must be typed, double-spaced, 12-point font, and must include a title
page, full bibliography, page numbers, and word count. Marks will be
deducted if you don’t include these.
The bibliography or footnotes are not included in the word count. Do not use
both: either have in text notes (MacDonald, 2013, p. 5) and a full Biblio, or use
footnotes or endnotes.
