How to Write a Seminar Paper
Why are Seminar Papers and Class Discussions Important?
It takes everybody’s active and consistent participation to create a vibrant discussion
community, so please be sure to complete the assigned reading on time and keep up with
the ongoing discussion. For more details on the discussion group participation
requirements and deadlines, please see the Syllabus.
Writing the Seminar Paper:
Prewriting:


Read the seminar paper instructions early and carefully. Each paper will ask you to
do different things; it’s useful to read the assignment before you do the assigned
reading so that you can keep the questions in mind as you read.
Read the assigned texts carefully and take notes. The notes that you jot in the
margins of the reading will help you to write a complete, thoughtful paper.
Writing



Remember to cite any quotations or paraphrases that you use. You need to use
an MLA citation whenever you reference a text. The MLA citation tells your reader
essential information—the author and the page number of the quotation. Reference
Easy Writer if you need assistance, paying particular attention to the section on intext citations.
Bring your own background and experiences to the seminar papers. Often, the
prompts will ask you to connect the reading to your own personal knowledge and
experiences. The class will benefit from what you know and what you’ve learned
from living your life; these experiences will make the papers more vibrant and
interesting.
As you answer the discussion question, think about using the “PIE” paragraph
structure to ensure that you have all of the components of a strong, well-supported
paper. Using this structure for your posts will be excellent practice for composing
your essays because it allows you to practice the significant steps of paragraph
writing. The components of the PIE structure are explained below:
o Point: The “point” tells your reader what you’re going to write about and
why that thing matters. The point is the paragraph's reason for being. It may
take you awhile to figure this out sometimes, which means that you may edit
the “point” when you reread your paper to check for clarity and grammar.
You’ll often find yourself doing this in essays, too—we often understand
what our point (or thesis) is after we’ve written a piece, and then we have to
go back and put it at the beginning so that our reader knows what we’re
trying to say.
o Illustration (Evidence): The illustration provides an example—in this course,
usually an example from the text or from your own experience—that helps
to support the point that you’ve made. (I tend to think of this part of the
“PIE” as “Evidence” rather than “Illustration,” but that poses obvious
problems for the acronym!)
o Explanation/Evaluation: Make sure to fully explain the Illustration or
Evidence that you’ve given above. Evidence doesn’t speak for itself—you
have to interpret it for the reader! Focus on specific words or rhythms from
the text or tell us why this illustration or piece of evidence matters. I think of
this as the fun part of the post because you get to speak with authority and
closely examine another person’s words or your own experiences.
After Writing:

Proofread! These paper are definitely less formal than your final essays, but you still
want to make sure that they communicate your point in a clear fashion and that they
are carefully checked for spelling and grammar. Checking posts is excellent practice
for your everyday life—well-written, proofread e-mails or memos will make you
look more professional and polished!
Seminar Discussions: Some Potential Responses to Your Classmates’ Observations
Agreeing – and providing a parallel example or specific reason for your
agreement
At times, someone will say something that you agree with completely. The ideas will
all make complete sense to you, and the Illustration will be spot on. In these cases,
you can say, “I agree with you completely . . .,” but always add an illustration and
explanation of why you agree (see the PIE structure above). At this point, “I agree
with you completely” becomes “I agree with you because . . .”
Agreeing—But with a Difference
It’s possible that someone’s ideas really resonated with you, but you have a slightly
different opinion or point of view. Maybe you can think of a way to complicate or
deepen the ideas. Maybe you had a similar experience but came to a different
conclusion. Maybe you’ve had vastly different experiences but find yourself
agreeing with the person’s conclusion. “Agreeing with a Difference” is a fantastic
way to engage in meaningful dialogue, and it’s a wonderful way to practice the
analytical responses that you’re employing in your essays.
Respectfully Disagreeing
At times, you will have a different opinion than one of your classmates, and
articulating that disagreement clearly and respectfully will allow both you and your
classmates to think more critically about the situation at hand. When you do
disagree with someone, it’s helpful to provide context (your own situation or point
of view) and evidence—a fact, an anecdote, a logical argument. Remember that the
purpose of discussion isn’t to “win” or to have the “right” answer; rather, it’s to
help us explore and examine the various different opinions to expand our thinking
about the course readings and concepts.
Grading
Scoring Rubric for Seminar Papers
Point
6 points
Does your point sentence give your reader the mini-argument of
the paragraph? Is your point sentence specific, strong, and clear?
Use of Evidence/Illustration
6 points
Do you support your claims with examples from the texts
or from your life? If you use evidence from the text
(direct quotation or paraphrase), is it cited correctly?
Explanation or Analysis
6 points
Style and Mechanics
7 points
Do you analyze and explain the evidence that you have provided?
Do you move beyond a repetition of the Illustration or Point to answer
the question, “So what?” or “Why is this so significant?”
Is the post written in a clear, readable style?
Is the post edited for spelling and mechanics errors?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Total
25 points
Some Suggestions for Contributing to the Large Class Discussion
 Make sure you speak loudly enough that other students can hear you. When
speaking, turn toward the rest of the class (instead of looking only at me!).
 When reading an example from the text, start with the page number and paragraph
and give everyone time to find the passage (wait about 10 seconds) before you start
reading it aloud.
 Be aware of how many times you’ve spoken. If you’ve said nothing and have an
idea, raise your hand and share it with us. If you’ve already spoken several times,
let others have a chance.
Group Work
When working in groups, assign each member a role. This assures equal participation from
everyone and makes the group more productive.




Facilitator: Help group stay focused; keep an eye on the time and suggest when it’s
time to move to the next question if the group gets bogged down.
Includer: Prevent any one person in the group from dominating by encouraging
participation from everyone.
Note Taker: Jot down key ideas, questions, etc. that come up during the group’s
discussion.
Spokesperson: Present the issue and ideas that came up in the small group to the
large group.