Stanton POLS 277 Fall 08
Political Science 277
Research Methods in Political Science
Fall 2008
MWF 8 am, Lab M 6:30 pm
HAL 301
Dr. Samuel S. Stanton, Jr.
Office: HAL 303E
Office Hours: MWF 9-11 am, MW 4-5 pm, TTh 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Phone: ext. 3854
Email: SSStanton@gcc.edu
Webpage: http://www2.gcc.edu/dept/pols/faculty/stanton/
“I am unpersuaded by the view that the prime rules of scientific method should differ
between ‘hard science’ and the social sciences. Science is science.”
--Stephen Van Evera, Guide to Methods
Overview: This course is designed to introduce students to the concepts and mechanics
of political science research. The process of scientific political research will be the
starting point for the course, which will then proceed to an understanding of gathering
and testing data using basic statistical methods.
The course begins with consideration of what makes political science a “science”. What
logic must we follow to engage in scientific consideration of political phenomenon? That
is, how is research conducted, how is it designed, what is the process by which we
engage in the study of political phenomenon?
The course moves on to consider approaches to quantitative research. The topics in this
section are based on understanding the gathering of data and design of research tests.
What are the fundamental concepts required to understand quantitative methods in
political science? How are samples collected? What is the difference between a sample
and population? How are tests designed to make the best use of the sample data?
The next section of the course focuses on statistical concepts in the quantitative research
process. Included in this section is understanding the use of descriptive statistics, and
nonparametric measures of statistical relationship. Students will become familiar with
use of excel and SPSS for statistical analysis and with the proper methods of reporting
research results using tables, charts, and graphs.
This course is primarily focused on quantitative methods of political analysis. Time
permitting qualitative methods will also be discussed. Quantitative analysis requires the
development of an understanding for use of statistics to analyze the relationship between
variables. Using statistics does mean using mathematical formulas. However, none of
the formulas for this course exceed what a person could reasonably be expected to have
learned in a basic college algebra class.
Stanton POLS 277 Fall 08
Goals:
 To assist students in developing fundamental skills of research and analysis for
use in the scientific study of political phenomenon.
 To help students examine the application of this knowledge to their futures.
 To assist students in living lives that glorify and honor God through the
advancement of knowledge.
Outcomes:
 Students will exhibit the ability to apply scientific research principles to political
phenomenon. (Dept. Obj. 2, 6, 7)
 Students will show understanding of the scientific method of conducting research.
(Dept. Obj. 2, 4, 5, 6)
 Students will show ability to generate research questions and conduct a research
project to answer a generated question. (Dept. Obj. 2, 4, 5, 6, 7)
 Students will exhibit ability to conduct data entry and data analysis using SPSS.
(Dept. Obj. 2, 4, 7).
Measurement of Goals and Outcomes:
Measurement of goals and outcomes will be made by use of regularly scheduled
homework and lab assignments, an objective and quantitative final examination, the
course paper written and corrected in three segments, and the observation of student
involvement in regular class meetings and scheduled lab sessions.
General Objectives for Students Majoring in Political Science
1. Have acquired knowledge of the four major subject areas (American
Politics, Political Theory, International Relations, and Comparative
Politics) of political science
2. Be Competitive for graduate and professional school opportunities.
Political science majors with strong academic records will be competitive
for both master’s and Ph.D. programs in political science and other
professional programs and will be competitive for financial stipends.
3. Be familiar with entry level jobs suitable for political science majors.
4. Be competitive for entry level jobs suitable for political science majors.
5. Have the ability to read, comprehend, and evaluate content in professional
political science journals, scholarly books, and websites..
6. Show familiarity with, and the ability to critically evaluate, information
sources in the Social Sciences.
Stanton POLS 277 Fall 08
7. Demonstrate a mastery of research and writing skills in the field of
political science.
8. Develop and capacity to apply a Christian moral principles to issues and
topics within political science, including using a Christian perspective to
evaluate critically political ideas, public policies, and political figures.
Simply stated, our aim is that students will seek to understand the field of
politics as individuals who are committed to historic Christian thought.
Course Requirements: This course demands student participation. Many technical and
challenging concepts will be discussed in class that may not be as clear if a student only
has the benefit of reading the text. So, attendance is highly recommended. There will be
numerous homework assignments during the semester and a course paper that will be
developed and graded in sections over the length of the semester. YOU WILL NEED
TO BRING YOUR LAPTOP/NOTEBOOK COMPUTER TO ALL CLASS
MEETINGS.
Participation: You cannot participate if you are not present. I do not call roll often and I
do not expect that every student will be present for every class period. However, I do
expect you to be present unless there are mitigating circumstances such as illness and
university sanctioned event participation. Participation is more than simply being in the
room, participation is discussion, questioning, and answering. This represents 20% of
your grade.
Homework: There will be several homework assignments that will count as 35% of the
grade in the course. There are enough homework assignments that no single assignment
will torpedo your grade, but the assignments should not be taken lightly. You will be
given notice in class when homework is due. On rare occasion, homework will be
given out during class and students will be required to complete it and return the
assignment that day (when this is done, emailing the assignment is acceptable).
Course Paper: The course paper will be developed in sections over the course of the
semester. The sections are: 1) Introduction, Theory, Hypotheses and Literature Review;
2) Data, Concepts, Models, and Analysis; and, 3) Findings and Conclusions. As each
section is turned in, It will be commented on and returned to the student with a grade.
This grade is what the paper merits without correction at this point in time. When the
next section is due, it is expected that the student will also correct the previous section
and resubmit the whole. In this manner, the only part of the work that will not have been
proofed and commented on prior to the end of the project is the Findings and Conclusions.
The paper is to be written using style guidelines found in the Guide to Writing Research
Papers section of this syllabus. The paper will be 15-20 pages in length when completed,
as each of the 3 sections should be at least 5 pages. Proper margins and a standard 12
point font are expected. The paper is 35% of the grade.
For this paper students must develop a question about U.S. Politics, either domestic or
foreign policy. You are required to use a version of the American National Election
Survey (available in the course public folder) as your dataset for the paper.
Stanton POLS 277 Fall 08
Final Exam: Per Grove City College regulations, there will be a final exam given during
the scheduled time. The exam will cover all aspects of the course. This exam is 10% of
your overall grade.
Grade:
Participation
Homework
Paper
Final Exam
20%
35%
35%
10%
Grading Scale:
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
Below 60
A
B
C
D
F
The final computed grade is rounded off. If you have a 79.5 it becomes an 80 and
receives a mark of B, a grade of 79.44 is rounded off to 79 and you have a C. +/- grades
are given on the basis of student performance during the semester.
Attendance and Behavior: You are adults in an upper division course, I feel no
compulsion to take role and keep tabs on your attendance. However, you cannot
participate if you are not in attendance. This course will center on discussion of the
literature as a pathway to learning critical thinking skills. Civility is required, so see Will
Moore’s essay on civility located on my website.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a serious violation of moral and academic principles. It involves
claiming as one’s own original work the ideas, phrasing, or creative work of another person.
As such, plagiarism is a direct violation of the biblical commandments against stealing,
bearing false witness, and covetousness; thus, the Grove City College policy. We
encourage our students to think seriously about the demands of their Christian faith in
regards to this issue.
We remind students that plagiarism includes the following:
1) any direct quotation of another’s words, from simple phrasing to longer passages,
without using quotation marks and properly citing the source of those words;
2) any summary or paraphrase of another’s ideas without properly citing the source of
those ideas;
3) any information that is not common knowledge —including facts, statistics, graphics,
drawings—without proper citation of sources;
4) any cutting and pasting of verbal or graphic materials from another source—
including books, databases, web sites, journals, newspapers, etc.—without the
proper citation for each of the sources of those materials; this includes any
Stanton POLS 277 Fall 08
copyrighted artwork, graphics, or photography downloaded from the Internet
without proper citation;
5) any wholesale “borrowing,” theft, or purchasing of another’s work and presenting it
as one’s own, whether from the Internet or from another source;
6) any presentation of “ghost-written” papers—whether paid for or not—as one’s own
original work;
7) making one’s work available for copying by others, as well as copying work posted
on the Internet or otherwise made available by another.
The above statement is taken from the Grove City College Bulletin and The Crimson.
Plagiarism in written work in this course will result in a grade of 0 being assigned to that
work. Opportunity to correct and resubmit the work is based on time remaining in the
course, nature of the plagiarism (is it simply forgotten or improper citation or is it cutting
and pasting entire sections of someone else’s work), and whether or not this is a repeat
offense for the individual student.
Communication: Things always change over the course of a semester, which
necessitates changing dates for assignments and the course outline. I will communicate
with you as much information as possible at the start of each class. As a backup to this, I
will create an email list for the class and will email all pertinent information to the
members of this class, so check your email. If you email me, do not leave the subject
line blank, I delete email with blank subject lines without reading it.
Text: The text and workbook can be purchased as a package.
Janet B. Johnson and H.T. Reynolds, (2007). Political Science Research Methods, 6th
Edition. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press
Course Outline: (This Outline is not set in stone and will change as necessary).
Aug 25-Sep 26 Designing Scientific Political Research
1. Course Introduction/Examination of Syllabus and Text
2. What is Political Science Research (J & R Chap 1)
3. The Science of Political Science (J & R Chap 2)
--the science of Political Science
--logic and reasoning
--why engage in scientific research?
4. The Research Process
--identify the problem
--establish objectives
--pick a strategy
--prepare a plan/proposal
--gather data
--analyze the data
--presenting findings
5. Finding and Focusing on Research Topics
Stanton POLS 277 Fall 08
6. Research Design (J & R Chap 3)
--theory
--literature review
--hypotheses
--tests (quantitative designs)
--findings
--conclusions
Sep 29-Oct 27 Building Blocks of Social Science Research
1. Hypotheses, Concepts, Variables (J & R Chap 4)
Hypotheses
--proposed answer to the research question
--formulating good hypotheses
Concepts
--a measurable idea
Variables
--measurement of a concept
2. Measurement (J & R Chap 5)
--methods/strategies
--accuracy
-reliability
-validity
--precision
3. Literature Review (J & R Chap 6)
--Why do a lit review?
--How to conduct a lit review
--Using internet sources
4. Sampling (J&R Chap 7)
--basics
--types
--inference
-distribution
-margin of error
5. Observations (J & R Chap 8)
--techniques of data collection
--types of observation
-direct
-indirect
--ethics of observation
Oct 29-Dec 10 Gathering and Analyzing Data
1. Interviews and Surveys (J&R Chap 10)
--interviewing elites
--how to ask questions
--how to order and design questionnaires
--validity and inference from surveys
Stanton POLS 277 Fall 08
2. Univariate Analysis/Descriptive Statistics (J&R Chap 11)
--frequency distributions
--mean, median, mode (descriptives)
--normal distribution/statistical inference
3. Bivariate Analysis (J&R Chap 12)
--Crosstabulation
-strength of relationship
-direction of relationship
-creating and interpreting tabulations
-statistical independence
-association
-statistical significance
--Difference of Means
--Regression
-modeling
-parameters
-fit of model
-fit of regression line
-test of significance
-correlation
--substantive versus statistical significance
PAPER DEADLINES (sections of paper are due in my office by 5 pm on due date)
Section 1 (Introduction, Theory, Hypotheses, Literature Review) due 10/27.
Section 2 (Data, Concepts, Models, Analysis*) and Section 1 rewrite due 10/21.
Section 3 (Findings and Conclusions) rewrites of Section 1 and 2 due 12/10.
* at the time this material is due, we may or may not have already covered regression
analysis, if we have not you do not need to include a regression at this time, but should
include a regression in the final product.
Final Exam will be at the scheduled time.
Stanton POLS 277 Fall 08
GUIDE FOR WRITING RESEARCH PAPERS
A research paper should pose a question about some relevant event or behavior. This
question should be easily recognizable and found somewhere in the first page of your
paper. Included in the introduction of your paper should be a defense of why anyone
should care about finding an answer to your question. You must conduct a literature
review that critically evaluates how other scholarship has addressed the general area of
your question (or in some cases, how other scholarship has addressed your question
specifically). The literature review serves two purposes: One, it allows you to develop a
theoretical explanation of how events or behaviors occur. Two, it allows you to
determine and explain how your paper adds to our knowledge of the event or behavior
(strengthening your argument about why we should care to read your paper).
Your proposed answer to the research question is your hypothesis. The hypothesis
suggests factors that contribute to or impede the event or behavior in question.
Hypotheses infer something about events or behaviors based on interpretation of some
observation(s). What this means is that in political science we are in the business of
inferring causation, if you want to simply report what is, take a journalism class. The
hypothesis is a testable claim. By using quantitative or qualitative methods, you test the
hypothesis for strength and validity. This means specifying how you are measuring and
interpreting causal factors. It also means reaching findings (inferences) about whether or
not your hypothesis provides a quality answer to the research question.
Research papers end with a conclusion section that ties everything together. What do we
learn about the event or behavior from the research you have conducted? What does this
tell us about the world and its future?
Research relies on the evaluation of multiple sources. If you rely on one or two sources
for most or all of your research you have engaged in plagiarism. Papers that include
plagiarism earn an automatic 0. Popular media should generally be avoided as a source
of information (although use of sources such as the New York Times, London Times, etc.
for specificity of events and statements made by people is acceptable). Textbooks should
also generally be avoided as a source of information (if you have a question about
whether or not a book is a textbook, just ask your professor). Generally, for a paper of 20
pages in length you would desire about 15 quality sources of information.
Style and grammar do matter. Because grammar matters, proofread!!! Because grammar
matters do not use dangling modifiers, end sentences with prepositions, use sentence
fragments, etc. Because style matters, look at a style manual and use appropriate citation
style (not citing the source of information used in your paper is plagiarism), use
appropriate bibliography styles, and always number your pages appropriately.
Stanton POLS 277 Fall 08
In Political Science, two styles are prevalent in the scholarly literature—APSA, which is
a revised form of APA, and Turabian, also known as the Chicago Manual of Style (which
was originally edited by Katherine Turabian). Since the purpose of this course is in part
to correctly train you in appropriate writing technique for professional political science
work, you will find provided for you in the space below, examples of proper in-text
citation, proper footnote citations, and proper bibliographical citations. For all other
issues (page numbering, title pages, subdivisions (chapters, sub-chapters, etc.) within a
paper, etc.) use APSA or Turabian style. A copy of the APSA style manual may be
borrowed for 24 hours from Dr. Stanton.
IN-TEXT CITATION (APSA):
Olzak (1992) offers an ecological theory of ethnic conflict. The basis of the
theory is competition causes conflict. James (2002) refers to competition as the moral
equivalent of war. Competition is an embedded structure in humans and affects the
actions of individuals. When translated into group settings we see similarities to sports
teams athletic contests. The struggle becomes “us vs. them”, a struggle for glory,
reputation, and prestige. Competition is so ingrained it cannot be rooted out of the
behavioral patterns of people. As James notes, our ancestors bred it into us (2002, 146).
Competition for resources and position are fuel for a greater dilemma. Any gain made by
a group will elicit a response from at least one other group in society, decreasing stability
and increasing the likelihood of the security dilemma.
NOTE: if you are using in-text citation, footnotes or endnotes are used solely for the
purpose of providing additional information that was not warranted as part of the actual
text.
NOTE: if you directly quote or use ideas directly from a source, it requires year and page
number as in the third citation in the example paragraph.
Stanton POLS 277 Fall 08
FOOTNOTES/END NOTES (Turabian):
Olzak1 offers an ecological theory of ethnic conflict. The basis of the theory is
competition causes conflict. James2 refers to competition as the moral equivalent of war.
Competition is an embedded structure in humans and affects the actions of individuals.
When translated into group settings we see similarities to sports teams athletic contests.
The struggle becomes “us vs. them”, a struggle for glory, reputation, and prestige.
Competition is so ingrained it cannot be rooted out of the behavioral patterns of people.
As James notes, our ancestors bred it into us.3 Competition for resources and position are
fuel for a greater dilemma. Any gain made by a group will elicit a response from at least
one other group in society, decreasing stability and increasing the likelihood of the
security dilemma.
NOTE: It would also be permissible in footnote/end note number 3 to simply use Ibid.,
146.
NOTE: If using end notes, the footnotes below would follow the last page of text.
1
Olzak, Susan. The Dynamics of Ethnic Conflict and Competition, 1992.
James, William, “The Moral Equivalent to War,” in Betts, Richard K. ed. Conflict After
the Cold War, Arguments on the Causes of War and Peace, 2002, 145-151
3
James, William, “The Moral Equivalent to War,” in Betts, Richard K. ed. Conflict After
the Cold War, Arguments on the Causes of War and Peace, 2002, 146.
2
Stanton POLS 277 Fall 08
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL:
Books:
Olzak, Susan. The Dynamics of Ethnic Conflict and Competition, Stanford, CA: Stanford
University Press, 1992.
Volkan, Vamik. Bloodlines, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997.
The World Almanac, 1985-1998, Mahwah, NJ: Funk and Wagnell.
NOTE: The last reference is for a book without an author. Note that items are singlespaced within and that a double-space is used between items. Also, items are not
numbered.
Chapter within an edited Volume:
Snyder, Jack and Robert Jervis. “Civil War and the Security Dilemma,” in Barbara
Walter and Jack Snyder, Eds., Civil Wars, Insecurity, and Intervention, New
York: Columbia University Press, 1999, 15-37.
Journal Article:
Saideman, S., Lanoue, D., Campenni, M., and Stanton, S. “Democratization, Political
Institutions, and Ethnic Conflict: A Pooled Time Series Analysis, 1985-1998,”
Comparative Political Studies, 35, 1 (February 2002): 103-129.
Newspaper Article:
Cuff, Daniel F. “Forging a New Shape for Steel,” New York Times, 26 May 1985, sec. F.
(if in electronic format)
Loeb, Vernon, “Fallout from a CIA Affidavit,” Washington Post,
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/nation/A 1998-2000Apr23.html>
April 24, 2000.
NOTE: April 24, 2000 represents the day the article was accessed. This date must be
included. This is done because on-line availability changes regularly and this provides
readers with a point of reference to use in tracking down a copy of the item.
Stanton POLS 277 Fall 08
Other Electronically Accessed Resources:
Bennett, D. Scott, and Christian Davenport. 2003. MARGene v1.0. Software.
<http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/inscr/mar/margene.htm>. Accessed May 8, 2003.
Bhutan. Webdb International Programs 2003.
<http://webdb.iu.edu/internationalprograms/scripts/accesscoveragepage.cfm?
country=bhutan>. Accessed May 5, 2003.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AS A COHERENT WHOLE:
Bennett, D. Scott, and Christian Davenport. 2003. MARGene v1.0. Software.
<http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/inscr/mar/margene.htm>. Accessed May 8, 2003.
Bhutan. Webdb International Programs 2003.
<http://webdb.iu.edu/internationalprograms/scripts/accesscoveragepage.cfm?
country=bhutan>. Accessed May 5, 2003.
Cuff, Daniel F. “Forging a New Shape for Steel,” New York Times, 26 May 1985, sec. F.
Loeb, Vernon, “Fallout from a CIA Affidavit,” Washington Post,
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/nation/A 1998-2000Apr23.html>
April 24, 2000.
Olzak, Susan. The Dynamics of Ethnic Conflict and Competition, Stanford, CA: Stanford
University Press, 1992.
Saideman, S., Lanoue, D., Campenni, M., and Stanton, S. “Democratization, Political
Institutions, and Ethnic Conflict: A Pooled Time Series Analysis, 1985-1998,”
Comparative Political Studies, 35, 1 (February 2002): 103-129.
Snyder, Jack and Robert Jervis. “Civil War and the Security Dilemma,” in Barbara
Walter and Jack Snyder, Eds., Civil Wars, Insecurity, and Intervention, New
York: Columbia University Press, 1999, 15-37.
Volkan, Vamik. Bloodlines, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997.
The World Almanac, 1985-1998, Mahwah, NJ: Funk and Wagnell.
Stanton POLS 277 Fall 08
Points to Remember about Writing
1)
This is a writing intensive course. However, it is not a grammar and composition
course. If a paper is poorly written ( in terms of style and grammar) it becomes
overly difficult to read and comprehend the content. I will correct the first section
extensively, utilizing the rules for writing attached to the syllabus. On the second
and third drafts/sections of the paper, I will quit grading if more than 7 errors (in
accordance with the rules for writing) are noted on any one page. Notation of
errors will be numeric and indicate a number to look at in the rules for writing.
2)
Even if you write in a grammatically and stylistically correct manner, and even if
you write a paper of appropriate length, you may not earn an A for the assignment.
B is average, C is below average. An A represents superior work. Attempts to
baffle and confuse should not be confused with logic and argumentation. A
papers have all the proper elements and the added quality of challenging the
reader to think about an issue in a manner that might not have occurred to the
reader. A papers show mastery and command of the issue, not merely
comprehension. In short, A papers are rare.
Style and grammar are 30% of the grade.
Content is 70% of the grade.
Stanton POLS 277 Fall 08
Dr. Stanton’s Rules for Writing
Built upon the work of a long line of mentors and colleagues
Sentence Rules:
1. Do not begin sentences in any of the following ways: “There are/is…”, “This is…”,
“It is…,” etc.
2. Do not use “this,” “these,” “that,” “those,” “which,” or “it” unless the word has a
clear and unmistakable antecedent nearby. Never begin a sentence with “this” unless you
follow it immediately with a noun that re-identifies the idea to which you are referring.
3. Never publicly dangle a participle or misplace a modifier: write “Showing
unmistakable signs of ignorance, the student did not persuade his professor;” NOT> “The
student did not persuade his professor, showing unmistakable signs of ignorance.”
4. Never write an incomplete sentence (participles -- “ing” words -- cannot stand as
verbs). A verb must agree with its subject in person and number.
5. Know these three rules about commas:
a. Join independent clauses (clauses with a subject and a verb) either by using (1) a
comma with a conjunction (“Right-handers predominantly use the left side of the brain,
so left-handers are the only ones in their right minds.”) or (2) a semicolon without a
conjunction (“Right-handers predominantly use the left side of the brain; left-handers are
the only ones in their right minds.”)
b. Separate items in a series by using a comma after every item before the conjunction
(“The professor was arbitrary, arrogant, and heartless.”)
c. Never use a comma between the subject and the verb or between the verb and its
object (except for interrupting clauses that use two (2) commas).
6. Bury words like “however,” “furthermore,” “moreover,” “indeed,” etc. (conjunctive
adverbs) in the clause or sentence; do not put them at the beginning. (E.g. “The students,
however, learned something.”)
7. Be consistent when you have two or more parallel structures. With adjectives: “He
was pompous, picky, and terrorized freshmen” is wrong. “He was pompous, picky, and
fond of terrorizing freshmen” is right. With prepositions: “A student could count on his
bad temper and arbitrariness” is wrong. “A student could count on his bad temper and on
his arbitrariness” is right. With correlatives: “He graded a paper not only for content but
for style” is wrong. “He graded a paper not only for content but also for style” is right.
8. Do not end a sentence with a preposition.
9. Do not use the passive voice (“Careless students are failed by the ruthless professor”);
use the active voice (“The ruthless professor fails careless students”). Because the active
voice is direct and clear, this rule is the most important of style, but it has serious
consequences for your meaning as well. Politicians, administrators, and those foolishly
trying to avoid the consequences of their actions love the passive voice because it
protects them from facts and responsibility: “Mistakes were made.”
10. Adverbs should be adverbs. Do not do it different – if you know what I am saying.
11. Walker’s Rule for Pronouns: every pronoun should have a clear antecedent to which
it agrees in person, number, and gender.
Paragraph and Thesis Rules:
12. Each paragraph must stick to the subject introduced by its first sentence. Most
importantly, the first sentence of the first paragraph must establish the context of your
Stanton POLS 277 Fall 08
paper. “John Wayne first appears in Stagecoach with a rifle in his hand.” NOT> “Duke
has a gun.”
13. Do not use one or two sentences as a paragraph.
14. Make the transition between your sentences and your paragraphs clear and logical.
This task is the most difficult in writing, but, as you know, life is hard.
15. Give your paper a clear thesis sentence at the end of your first paragraph. If you can
remember only one rule, this rule is the one you must remember. The first paragraph
should also demonstrate how the rest of the paper is organized.
16. Avoid using quotations to begin or end a paragraph or a paper. Your own words are
most important in those places.
17. In longer papers remind the reader of your thesis throughout the body of your paper.
Rules concerning Argumentation:
18. Never just summarize or paraphrase. Assume your reader has read/seen it. I do not
want to know what happened. I want to know your ideas about what happened.
19. Support your assertions and ideas with concrete examples, with brief quotes from the
story, book, or film you are discussing, or with a short citation from some reliable
authority.
20. Do not hedge. Words like “maybe,” “seem,” “perhaps,” and “might” do not keep you
from being wrong; they merely alert the reader to the fact that you are worried about it.
21. Avoid vague generalizations: “as we all know,” “people say,” “since the beginning
of time,” etc. Obvious claims such as “mankind would not exist without the heart” are
equally lamentable.
22. Write about works of art in the present tense, since Hamlet will be stabbing Polonius
and Roy Hobbs will be knocking the lights out with his home runs long after your
grandchildren have forgotten your name.
23. Avoid rhetorical questions.
24. Delete the phrase “in the past” from your writing as well as any hint of chronological
snobbery. Chronological snobbery is the erroneous assumption that, with the passage of
time, mankind has gotten progressively wiser. In the past such a pedantic list of writing
rules would have been unnecessary for undergraduates.
25. When citing a dictionary refer to the Oxford English Dictionary whenever possible.
Diction Rules:
26. Do not misspell words. Misspelled words look dumb; do not look dumb. Use a
dictionary or a literate friend to check your spelling. On a word processor always use
spell-check, but do not trust it! Possessing a limited vocabulary and undiscerning
between right words spelled wrongly and wrong words spelled rightly, spell-check is no
substitute for proofreading. Spell out one and two digit numbers.
27. Never use contractions.
28. A possessive without an apostrophe is a misspelled word. One exception is the
possessive of “it”: “its.” “It is” contracts to “it’s.” Since you will not use contractions,
you will never write “it’s” on a paper.
29. Choose the best word for the context. Your papers should be a place “where every
word is at home, taking its place to support the others” (Eliot “Little Gidding,” V.217218). Beware of unintended irony: an N.C. State basketballer once explained his ability to
Stanton POLS 277 Fall 08
shoot with either hand, “yeah, I’m amphibious.” Suffice it to say this student-athlete, to
avoid drowning in his coursework, crawled out of school and into the NBA.
30. Also beware these other egregious violations of Rule Twenty-Nine (29): jargon (say
“library”; do not say “instructional media center”), cliche (say “the professor is a
conservative grouch”; do not say “the professor is an old fogey”), slang (say “the teacher
is foolish”; do not say “the teacher is a dork”), hyperbole (say “this man has too high a
regard for himself”; do not say “this man is the most arrogant jerk who ever lived”),
gobbledygook (say “now”; do not say “at this point in time”), and malapropism
(confusion of idioms; one former NFL player commented, “I really cleaned his bell; I
rang his clock”).
31. Use your smallest most Anglo-Saxon, most comfortable words; big words impress
only high school teachers and smell of the thesaurus.
32. Lose the word “very” and, like, you know, other gratuitous additives from, you know,
your written and spoken vocabulary.
33. Non-English words should be italicized. Foreign words and terms that are not
commonly used should be defined when initially used in the paper.
Format Rules:
34. Number your pages.
35. Use the Chicago Manual of Style (Turabian) or APA/APSA for your papers. MLA
is not acceptable.
37. Give your paper an informative title. The name of the work you are dealing with is
NOT the title of your paper. “Shakespeare’s Use of Time in Hamlet” is by a thoughtful
person; “It Takes a Broken Egghead to Make a Hamlet” is by a clown; Hamlet is by
Shakespeare.
37. Italicize all full-length films, plays, and books. Do likewise with magazine and
newspaper titles. Short stories, film shorts, one-act plays, and articles go in quotation
marks (“…”). Do not underline or put your own title in quotation marks.
38. On those extremely rare occasions when you quote more than two lines of text,
indent five spaces left and right and single space the quotation, and leave off the
quotation marks.
39. When you quote from or refer to a source, cite it appropriately and include a works
cited page of some kind.
40. When you borrow and idea or paraphrase statements from existing scholarship, give
appropriate citation.
41. Print your paper out only on the front side of the pages.
42. Use 1” margins top, bottom, and right, use a 1 ½” margin on the left side of pages.
43. Use Times New Roman 12 point font.
44. If a header is used on page 1 to identify you, the course and the date, this material
should be single-spaced and have minimal spacing between it and the body of the paper
and it should be used only on the first page.
45. Before handing in your final copy, have an intelligent friend read your paper to you;
then fix it.
46. Be safe: frequently save your file, and if possible keep a hard copy, and/or a version
on another drive.
Stanton POLS 277 Fall 08
47. Do not hand in a paper unless you have come to care about it. You believe in
goodness and truth; therefore, commit yourself to communicating your ideas well and
true.