General:
·
Essays are due at exactly 9:00 a.m. on
September 21 and October 22 and November 26.
·
You are responsible for following these
guidelines.
·
Failure to do so will result in at least 10%
grade reduction.
Format:
·
All essays MUST have a title page. Put your name ONLY on the title
page—nowhere else!
·
Type and double-space your essays.
·
Use Times New
Roman 12 point font.
·
Margins no bigger than 1.25 inches on sides; 1 inch on
top/bottom.
·
STAPLE your essay. No report covers please.
Style:
·
Spelling and grammar do count. Proofread carefully.
·
Use third person (he, she, it). Avoid 1st person (I, me) and
2nd person (you, your).
·
Avoid contractions (can’t, won’t, etc.). Spell them out.
·
Use semi-colons ( “;” ) sparingly, if at all.
·
Avoid phrases like, “you can see”; “in my opinion”; or
“as I have shown”.
·
Avoid or minimize the use of block quotations.
·
No need to refer to the titles of the books, but if you
do, italicize or underline
titles.
·
Use present tense when talking about contemporary
authors. Use past tense when
talking about events and people from the past. E.g. Zinn
explains that Prohibition was a major mistake.
Citations:
·
Put page numbers for quotations from the books in
parentheses following the quotation marks. e.g. Zinn writes that “class war was still on in
that supposedly classless society.” (367)
·
If you mention the author in the body, you do not need
to put his name again in parentheses.
Basically, can I tell who the quote is from? If not, cite as follows: (Zinn, 367)
·
Do not mention page numbers in the text of your essay.
(e.g. On page 37 Zinn says, …)
·
Do not quote lectures.
·
Make sure you introduce your quotes: As Zinn argued, “Socialists rule.”
·
Explain your quotes: Zinn’s argument suggests that….
·
Refer to authors by last name. (Don’t write: Howard and Paul think that…)
·
Do not use ellipses (...) at the beginning or end of
quotes. Use them only in the
middle.
e.g. Zinn writes, “I call it
that … because … it is a history disrespectful of governments.”)
Late Policy:
·
Essays will not be accepted after 5pm on due
date.
·
Unless approved in advance, exceptions will be granted
for serious, verifiable, emergencies only.
·
Essays turned in between 9am and 5pm on due date will
be marked down 15%.
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