6 pages, use 12-point font, standard margins, double-spacing,
in Word preferably, or Open Office.
Write your essay
without separating its parts.
– A catchy first
sentence
– Some background
material and if you like, a question.
-A clear thesis
statement (or hypothesis, or claim) that presents the main argument you will
construct about this topic. Look for
paradox and contradiction to provide depth to your thesis statement. Do not write a question, rather write a clear
and direct affirmative statement that your essay will then demonstrate.
– The three points you
will develop to demonstrate a logically constructed argument that will prove
your thesis statement (hypothesis, or claim).
For each of the three points, provide three concrete examples that
demonstrate (or prove) them. Be very
precise. Be careful to avoid errors of
causal logic. IMPORTANT: All your points and all your examples must
have references in parenthesis, either (Foner, page x) or (Bolton, Lecture no.
x, page x). No other references are
acceptable. Lack of references will
reduce your grade.
– A conclusion in
which you remind the reader that you have demonstrated the thesis and in which you
draw your own conclusions about the topic, opening it to a larger issue.
You must write in your
own words. Your essay will be analyzed
by a plagiarism detection program and plagiarism will result in a reduced or failing
grade.
Argue
your claim logically, define all terms, analyze rather than describe, and
provide very precise and concrete examples to prove your points. You must define all your terms with factual information
that clarifies your answers.
