TERM ESSAY SPECIFICS
FORMAT
Ten (10) FULL* pages MINIMUM** exclusive of cover page, bibliography, endnotes*** and figures. The essay can be fronted by a title page, but an abstract must lead the first page. “Works Cited” at the back, followed by any figures or illustrations if applicable. Do not imbed images in the text. Figures should be labeled and mentioned in the text as (fig. 1) etc.
*HINT: Go on to 11th page to be sure
***papers longer than 10 FULL pages gratefully accepted
**footnotes DO count to length
Double spaced Times Roman 12 pt. Mandated.
Indent your paragraphs and do not put extra space between them.
All text must be in black ink. Number your pages.
SOURCES & CITATIONS
Citations can be in any recognized style (MLA, APA etc.) but must be consistent. Minimum three (3) sources are required and more are strongly recommended (the more your opinions are moderated/confirmed by the work of others the more convincing your case).
Textbooks may be cited but do not count towards total.
Class notes, encyclopaedias, Wikipedia or non-scholarly websites are not to be sourced or otherwise incorporated into the essay.
Websites containing peer-reviewed articles (Jstor, library data base of electronic versions of journals, etc.) and academic databases (ASOR, etc.) are OK. Web material (exclusive of academic journals) cannot form the majority of sources.
Proviso: many publications that start in print quickly appear also as web-versions. If they start as print, they are considered print even in e-form
Rule: Quality always trumps format.
Sources should be from a variety of authors and up-to-date. Certain older sources such as original excavation reports or recognized “classic” standards (Carter, Jacobsen, Faulkner) are OK. Consult the bibliography of recent books to see what is still relevant.
Citations should be fully incorporated into the text and discussed as supportive evidence for your argument. Material from different scholars should be worked together to support and/or evaluate the evidence, do not repeat the same author multiple times in a row or rely too heavily on one scholar. Failure to cite ideas, dimensions, facts or any other material will result in deductions and may be considered an academic offense.
Citations are to be embedded:
Skotheim (2016: 284) cites inscriptions from Tanagra to prove performance of the satyr drama.
It has recently been noted that inscriptions from Tanagra prove performance of the satyr drama (Skotheim 2016: 284).
ORGANIZATION
Arguments should flow logically: two successive statements or paragraphs must somehow be related. A proper introduction (ie., the abstract) and conclusion are essential, yet are often the weak points of a paper. All ideas mentioned in the abstract should be fully developed in the paper. Conclusions should bring together all the arguments and explain why you have proved your point (no new information).
STYLE
FORMAL ESSAY = FORMAL STYLE. The tone of this essay should be professional; it is not a personal response. Limit use of “I” and never use sentences such as “Next I will discuss…” (= ‘speech markers’). Do not state the obvious (“Egypt was a powerful empire”); or make generalizations (“Romans appreciated festivals”). Professional style does not mean boring, but be careful not to let the tone become idiomatic. Various style guides (New Oxford Book of Style is a no-fail source of wisdom) and resources are available, such as The Canadian Writer’s Handbook and A Student’s Guide to Research and Writing: Making Sense [in the] Social Sciences.
ARGUMENTATIVE VS. INFORMATIONAL
There are two tracks a formal essay can take: (1) argumentative in which you have a thesis of your own to prove (or one of someone else to disprove) and (2) informational in which you gather, organize and assess material in a way that has not been done before (or at all) that shows its value
Argumentative. Examine and weigh the evidence to prove a point. Do not simply present a catalogue of examples. Evidence should be precise (specific objects, facts and examples) and thorough. All parts of the whole should be considered, if not fully discussed. Contrary opinion should be (briefly) addressed (typically relegated to a footnote) and, if valuable to your argument, refuted.
Your opinion is valid and should be included, however this opinion must be supported by evidence and should not form the main focus of the paper (main focus = evidence). Personal “responses” are unprofessional and are to be avoided.
Your views will be apparent from the evidence you present and how you marshal it.
Informational. Sometimes evidence has not been brought together that shows it to its best advantage, such as, for example, comparing Bes in pharaonic as opposed to Greek ruled Egypt or gathering statues of Bes to indicate typology, use, duration of use.
Informational essay need to start with an exploration of why it is useful/necessary to gather this information and conclude with what we now know that we did not know before about the material and why it is worth knowing. In between, the evidence should be gathered and discussed in a manner that is coherent and leads from the strongest evidence to other examples perhaps not as compelling.
Catalogues or appendices are often part of informational research but by no means essential or obligatory.
AVOIDING FILLER
Ten pages is a substantial paper. Do not use filler: IT WILL BE OBVIOUS. Filler includes (but is not limited to) excessive description, repetition, personal response, repetition, non-sequitur or unrelated arguments, repetition, excessive quotation and puppies.
If your paper is short, consider widening your thesis and use what you already have as a supporting argument; further develop one or more arguments; include and refute contrary academic opinion more extensively; include more examples that directly strengthen your thesis; include examples from other media, genres or disciplines; compare and contrast.
ABSTRACT
Abstracts are mandatory for your paper. They have long been obligatory in the sciences and are becoming the norm in the arts and fine arts. Provide a BRIEF paragraph communicating the key points of your paper and your most important pieces of evidence should be stated. This replaces an introduction. Abstracts are normally a short paragraph formatted as such:
indent 1 cm. 10 pt. single space block justification indent 2 cm.
ABSTRACT: This paper collects the literary evidence and physical remains for satyr drama during the Roman Empire. It makes the case that the sudden popularity of mime and pantomime, and of other ‘performative activities’ on stage during the Roman Empire led to a blurring of genre distinctions and eventual hybrid performance traditions in which satyr drama as a distinct genre declined but kept its vibrancy through its presence in other genres and through the work of imperial literary historians.*
*George W.M. Harrison (forthcoming). ‘Satyrs on Stage in the Roman Empire’ in Antonopoulos, Christopoulos and Harrison (eds.) Brill’s Companion to Satyr Drama. Leiden: Brill.
FOOTNOTES
Citations are to be embedded, but footnotes are appropriate for various reasons:
post-antique comparisons (unless it is the point of the paper)
further examples that would otherwise clutter the paper
arguments that might counter one’s point – acknowledge, but bury them
reference to scholarship if many scholars/items are referenced
one’s own misgivings about strength or applicability of evidence –
acknowledge, but then ignore
Footnotes are to appear at the bottom of each page
footnotes count to length but end notes do not. Footnotes are the place for
non-sequiturs, less supported opinions, and the scholarly assassination
of incompetent authors; ie., anything that breaks the flow of your essay.
ANCIENT AUTHORS / SOURCES
Primary sources are NOT mandatory in this paper, but may provide valuable insight and evidence to support the topic. You work on Pliny (or Plutarch or Athenaeus) has shown you that ancient authors must be taken with a grain of salt and ideally with secondary scholarly support (which also needs to be taken with another grain of salt).
Use the past tense when referring to the author. Pliny is well and truly dead (for which we should all be very grateful) so a sentence referring to him should read “Pliny wrote…” however his works live on and therefore should be referred to in the present tense: “Historia naturalis is decisive that silphium….”
Reference to ancient authors should cite the ANCIENT work as precisely as possible: “as Pliny wrote” tells us little; “Pliny (HN 37.18) wrote that the best statue…” gives the complete context.
In the bibliography, translations are organised under the name of the translator, not the ancient author: Lombardo, S. 2005 (tr.). Virgil. Aeneid. Indianapolis.
THE 7 DEADLY SINS
These will certainly lose you points.
1. SHORT – paper is 10 pages, EXCLUSIVE of cover page, bibliography, endnotes and figures. Widened margins, extra space between paragraphs and overuse of description and indented quotes will get you points docked. Times Roman 12 pt. Mandated.
2. LATE – late papers lose one letter grade per 48 hours late starting at the end of class on the day on which they are due.
3. ‘IBIDITIS’ – overusing one source as well as using sources sequentially instead of inter-relating them with each other as they support YOUR thesis.
4. REDUNDANCY – repetition of same point over and over and over and over and over.
5. LACK OF ABSTRACT – key your reader to what the paper is about and what are the most important pieces of evidence. Normally a short, indented paragraph: see above.
6. BAD SOURCES/TOO FEW SOURCES/SOURCES USED BUT NOT CITED – do not cite encyclopedias, dictionaries, non-scholarly websites or CLASS NOTES. Citation of Wikipedia (and its equivalents) will cost you a letter grade.
7. INFORMAL STYLE/LACK OF PROOF READING – a professional and academic style is expected in your essay. Do not use slang, informal language or contractions. Keep it clean, clear and professional. Use your spell check but do not trust it.
developed K. Toohy (2013)
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