Essay Instructions
Specific Points
Essays are 10 pages long, double spaced, 1 inch margins, 12 point font.
Essay topics are listed on the syllabus. This is an argumentative essay,
not a research paper, so you need to argue for or against something, not
just recite points from the readings and the lectures. An argumentative
paper uses materials from the readings and the lectures to construct an
argument related to the thesis topics you were given. If you are having
any trouble understanding the topics please discuss this with the course
director early in the term.
General Points
1. Good work takes time, if you don’t have much of it then do a little bit
of work regularly every week. Don’t leave everything to the last minute,
you will likely blow it and the world will never recognize your genius!
The prime directive in this business is: edit your paper as often as you
can, and never start your paper with the words: “Ever since the dawn of
recorded time...”
2. Essays are to be exercises in minimal interpretation (not code
breaking), I should not have to read the paper three times just to figure
out what your on about (I always picture the Incredible Hulk reading my
paper, which has the additional advantage of adding an element of fear,
“Paper makes no sense, so HULK MUST SMASH!”). Proofread for
sense or meaning as well as for style, argument form and facts. The best
way I know to do this is to give your paper to someone else and get them
to read it. If they look utterly clueless when they are done, find someone
smarter. If they look clueless, find out why they are confused and
rewrite.
3. On that subject, think about your audience as you write. Assume you
are writing for an intelligent student (so you don’t have to explain
everything), do not assume that your reader is an expert in the field (and
thus that you don’t have to explain anything). Treat argumentation as an
adversarial enterprise, assume that your reader is a nasty,
uncompromising but knowledgeable creep whose only pleasure is gained
from tearing arguments to pieces.
4. Be fair to those you criticize, do not invent a weaker version of
someone’s argument to demolish, this is a waste of time. Try to present
the opposition’s position in the strongest way, and then remember the
immortal Greek words, “The Fates are cruel, so I must also be cruel.”
5. Parallels and distinctions are important, so, if you draw parallels make
sure to highlight some differences as well, and vice versa.
Overemphasizing parallels makes you look flaky (“Everything’s
connected man...”), overemphasizing distinctions makes you look analretentive.
6. Your high school teachers lied to you (about soooo many things...)
You should give your opinion in your paper, don’t just parrot your
sources. However, your opinion should be backed up by arguments and
facts. Opinions backed up by arguments and facts make excellent papers.
Style, Argument Form and Content
You should think explicitly about the style (word choice and grammar),
the argument form (whether or not X follows from Y), and the content
(statements of fact) of the paper.
Style
1. Do not submit a paper that is far below or above the word-length.
2. Avoid the use of informal language (slang) in your assignments. It’s
@#$%! unprofessional.
3. Don't capitalize RaNdomLy. For example, neither "society", nor
"science" need capitalization.
4. Paragraphs should be indented (optional), pages numbered and the
essay double-spaced with 1 inch margins and 12 point font. Font colour
should be black.
5. Check spelling with your word processor and manually, word
processors do not catch all of your errors.
6. There are technical terms in every academic field. Some writers use
terms so violently out of context they are obviously only there for effect.
Also, “all”, “none”, “every” and similar absolute words are very strong,
and usually there turn out to be exceptions to them. Academics drool
over the opportunity to blow holes in over-ambitious generalizations.
You should consider words like “most” and “very few.” Make strong
statements, just don’t overstate your case.
7. Use a standard referencing style (ask if you don’t know one), and
regular white bond paper (not something I need a chisel to write on these aren’t the 10 Commandments).
8. Single space and indent long quotations, and while you’re at it,
introduce quotations and say something about them afterwards, do not
assume the reader knows why they are there.
9. Paraphrase and reference rather than quoting where possible, it forces
you to think things through, and too many quotations looks like an
attempt to pad the paper.
Argument form
1. You have all year so you should have an essay plan and a fairly solid
thesis by the time you write your draft, I would suggest simply filling in
the plan and using this as your draft. Simple but effective.
2. Arguing that “this just doesn’t make sense”, or that “this is obviously
wrong” is a waste of time, your reader will just demand that you support
this point, so you might as well do it yourself.
3 With respect to your thesis, you should ask yourself the following
questions: did you have one, was it clear, did you stick to it, and was it
interesting? Your intentions count for next to nothing mon petit, a clear
thesis, even a bad one, will get a better mark than a brilliant piece of
obscurity.
4. Don’t save your thesis for big effect at the end (this is not a bad horror
movie, it’s an essay), give it up front in big neon letters. The conclusion
should summarize the argument very briefly, as this leads the reader
back to the paper for ideas they may have missed.
5. Do not simply summarize the class material in your paper; this is
necessary but not sufficient.
Content
1. Provide references for all facts and ideas you get from others. Don’t
plagiarise, if you are caught you will fail the assignment.
2. Do not introduce points without developing them, it frustrates your
reader and makes it look like you don’t know what you are talking
about.
3. It is often useful to bring up some implications of the argument you
are making for the wider
cultural or scientific context, but do not overestimate your case (e.g.,”I
have discovered the most important thing since the Ark of the
Covenant!”), and keep it brief.
4. Your papers should be accessible to a non-scientist, as you are writing
a history of science and technology paper, not a science paper or an
engineering report. Try to be reasonable when you introduce any ideas
from modern science into a historical paper (e.g. Newton thought x, we
now think y), and keep the technical content simple and to a minimum.
Do not present us with a thesis about how you have rewritten Newton’s
optics in light of some aspect of Schrodinger’s wave equations (don’t
laugh, I got a paper on that very topic once...), as much fun as that might
be.
5. Here’s a biggie. If you pick a thesis and discover that it won’t fly, but
you have done a lot of work, don’t panic. Reverse or alter the thesis, and
argue for that (an old philosophy trick). So, for example, if you have
been arguing that Newton’s concept of space was very close to
Aristotle’s, and you discover that this is not the case, then argue that
Newton’s concept of space might appear to be close to Aristotle’s, but it
is actually importantly different. Whatever you do don’t give up your
work and try to throw something together at the last minute.
Grading Structure
All essays are graded according to a four point system, ATEC,
argument, thesis, evidence and clarity, each parameter marked out of 5,
giving a mark out of 20
Generally:
- 5 out of 5 in a given category means you did exceptionally well;
you impressed me or did something unexpected or innovative.
- 4 out of 5 means you did a good job, picking out an important
point or a key idea
- 3 out of 5 is an average mark, you did something relevant but
perhaps obvious
- 2 out of 5 is a less than average mark, this means that the area
needs work
- 1 out of 5 implies that there is room for significant improvement
A – Argument: Does the argument support the thesis in a convincing
way, do the parts of the argument hook up, is the
argument focused, does the argument repeat or
contradict itself?
- Many people simply do not have an argument; they give a series of
points, sometimes linked, sometimes not, but no discernable
argument. I refer to this sort of assignment as a “kitchen sink”
approach.
- Every assignment will have a focus, so for example, essays in this
class require you to say something about science and technology,
essays missing that component in the argument will not do as well.
- Sometimes statements in one part of the paper contradict
statements in other parts of the paper, this is a significant problem.
T – Thesis: Is there a clearly stated thesis, does the essay wander from
this thesis, is it interesting or challenging?
- You need a statement of thesis. An assignment lacking a thesis is
difficult to evaluate, as I don’t know what you are arguing for. A
thesis allows me to evaluate your paper by determining whether or
not you have supported it with your arguments and evidence.
- Many students make the mistake of not taking a stand, stating
points related to the argument, but not taking a position or
critically evaluating the material. The thesis statement should
outline your position.
E – Evidence: Is there relevant evidence brought to bear on the
question, has the essay demonstrated your knowledge of the
material, are exceptions to the thesis considered?
- Some students use only one source, that is not sufficient for a paper
of this size
- You must provide specific references, not just a bibliography, that
is also not sufficient for this assignment. Those who do not provide
specific references will have their assignments returned for resubmission.
- I am not concerned about which particular referencing style you
use, but please choose one of the standard styles (in text, endnote,
footnote, Chicago, MLA) and be consistent.
- Be careful with internet sources, I require a full and functional
URL for internet sources, if your source is not available when
marking is done it will not be acceptable. By the by, PLEASE be
careful about typing out your URL’s, otherwise there is a
considerable amount of searching to find pages due to misprints.
- Many students cite a source but do not discuss the point to show
that they actually understand it, this is unacceptable.
- Any plagiarism of your source will result in an automatic failure on
the paper.
C – Clarity: Is the essay clear and understandable, can the main points
be identified and understood?
- There will be no editing for style, however, if there are too many
small mistakes (e.g. spelling mistakes, grammar mistakes,
punctuation mistakes), then you will lose marks as this makes your
assignment harder to understand.
- For ESL students, I would suggest that you either attend to one of
the numerous university writing centers or try to bring me your
work before handing it in. I do try to be fair in marking considering
language difficulties, but there is only so much I can do.
- You should all have more than one edit of your paper before
handing it in, at least one is a minimum.
Pay attention to your mark (out of 5) in each of these categories, and
seek to improve your work in these areas. I hope these suggestions help,
and remember, when in doubt: edit your paper savagely, because if you
don’t, I will, but when I do it you lose marks.