Essay Writing and Research BTAN10000BAK2
2012/13 Spring Semester
BTAN10000BA-K2-05
BTAN10000BA-K2-06
Seminar, 2hrs, graded, 1st year BA
Credits: 2
Wednesday, 12.00-13.40; Room 106
Wednesday, 16.00-17.40; Room 54.
Instructor: Hudácskó Brigitta
Office hours: Wednesday, 14.00-15.00, Room
104
E-mail: brigitta.hudacsko@gmail.com
Course Description:
Primarily the course aims at assisting students with research methodology and improving on writing
skills with special focus on academic writing i. e. the production of essays and/or research papers.
Students will get acquainted with the basic research skills such as the efficient utilisation of library
facilities, search engines, electronic databases, error-free employment of the MLA style. The seminar
also targets at getting students familiar and secure with the employment of the appropriate structure
of an essay: how to formulate your thesis statement, the coherence of argumentation, the proper
manner of citing your primary and secondary sources, how to integrate quotes into the body of your
text, the essence of a good conclusion, and finally the common (thematic and stylistic) blunders one
should avoid.
Course Requirements:
Class attendance: more than three absences will result in failing the entire seminar.
Participation: Students are expected to prepare for each and every class with special attention to the
written assignments and keeping deadlines. Since the course is structured in a consecutive manner i.
e. one class is built upon the other, the success of the seminar and also one’s potential sense of
achievement highly depend on students’ work ethics.
Minor written assignments: Closely related to the aforementioned duties. Each written assignment—
such as a reader’s journal (app. 350-400 words), an introductory paragraph (including the thesis
statement), a summary (app. 300 words), two short response papers on criticism, a short essay (app.
450-600 words), MLA test, plot test on the novel—adds to the final grade. For detailed description of
the grade components check “Grading Policy.” Naturally, late submission of the assignments will
lower the final grade.
Term essay: an essay of approximately 1600-1800 words that meets the formal and academic standards
of a research paper on Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity. Secondary materials (the use of at least TWO
academic sources proper, preferably printed or in case of a lack of the relevant printed secondary
sources digital databases can also be used such as JSTOR, EBSCOHost, or Project Muse) and scholarly
documentation, conforming to the requirements of the MLA Style Sheet, are required. Sources not
meeting the academic standards (e. g. Wikipedia, Gradesaver, Sparknotes etc.) on no condition can be
used in the essays.
No grade can be obtained unless ALL the course components are fulfilled. Students need to reach at
least 50 % in order to get a pass mark for the course.
Plagiarism and academic dishonesty will be penalised as described in the Academic Handbook of
the Institute (excerpts see below). The essay is to be submitted by the defined deadline, otherwise the
grade will be lowered (see below). The essay will only be accepted in a word processed (typed)
format.
The cover sheet of the essay must contain the title of the essay, the name of the student, the name and
code of the course, the name of the tutor, the date of submission, and the following statement: Hereby
I certify that the essay conforms to the international copyright and plagiarism rules and
regulations. Students must also sign the statement.
Plagiarism and its consequences
Students must be aware that plagiarism is a crime which has its due consequences.
The possible forms of plagiarism:
1. word by word quotes from a source used as if they were one’s own ideas, without quotation
marks and without identifying the sources;
2. ideas taken from a source, paraphrased in the essay-writer’s own words and used as if they were
his/her own ideas, without identifying and properly documenting the source.
Plagiarism, depending on its seriousness and frequency, will be penalised in the following ways:
1. The percentage of the submitted paper will be reduced.
2. The essay will have to be rewritten and resubmitted.
3. In a serious case, this kind of academic dishonesty will result in a failure.
4. In a recurring, and serious case, the student will be expelled from the English major programme.
Late Submission Policy
1. Deadlines must be observed and taken seriously.
2. Essays and written assignments submitted after the deadline will be penalised by a reduction in
the percentage (see reduction policy chart below). More than one week delay in submitting your
term essay will result in a failure of that particular component of the grade. In exceptional and welldocumented cases, the extension of deadlines can be negotiated with the course tutor well in advance
(but not after, or on the day of the deadline).
Course components
Minor assignments
Short essay
Term essay
Total
40%
15%
45%
100%
Late submission reduction for the
introductory paragraph
Delay (days)
Reduction
1–2
2
3–4
4
5–7
7
Research paper evaluation
Statement of thesis/introductory
paragraph
Quality of argument
Coherence of structure
Scholarly documentation
Level of language
Total
4
15
13
6
7
45
Minor assignments 40%
Plot test
5
Reader’s journal
5
Introduction paragraph
5
Response papers on criticism
5
Summary
15
MLA test
5
Week
1
2
Date
13/02
20/02
Assignment
Orientation
Discussing course requirements specified in the syllabus and outlining the
assignment for next week
The Structure of the Essay
(thesis statement, introductory paragraph, coherence, conclusion)
“About Essays in General” in Essay Writing pp 12-23
“Writing about Literature” in Strategies for Successful Writing pp 271, 278295 (reading materials are to be uploaded on the instructor’s Current
courses site)
HW #1: Read Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity.
HW #2: Write a reader’s journal (app. 350-400 words) about the novel.
NB.! The journal is not to be a summary of the plot but a collection of
your own thoughts about what you read. The purpose of the assignment
is twofold: to help you find a hold on the reading experience, and also to
facilitate classroom discussion. Therefore students are expected to bring
their journals to the discussion class (27 February), refer to them and
hand them in at the end of the class. As the journals are necessary for the
discussion class, no late submission is accepted!
3
27/02
Reading Literature Critically
Nick Hornby, High Fidelity
Plot test on the novel!
4
06/03
HW #1: Write an introductory paragraph with a proper thesis statement
based on Hornby’s High Fidelity.
HW #2: Read Barry Faulk’s article on High Fidelity and fill out the
response paper regarding the text. (Both the article and the response
sheet are to be uploaded to the instructor’s Current courses site.) Students
are expected to have both texts at hand for the discussion class (6
March)!
Reading Theory I
Faulk, Barry. “Love, Lists and Class in Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity.”
Cultural Critique 66 (Spring 2007): 153-176.
HW: Write a short summary (app. 300 words) of Faulk’s article based in
your response paper and classroom discussion. Students are expected to
send their summaries to the instructor in email by 11 March AND also
bring them to class in a printed format.
5
13/03
Discussing your summaries
Feedback on your introductory paragraphs.
HW: Write a short essay (app. 800-1000 words) on Hornby’s High Fidelity
based on the topics previously discussed. Students are expected to send
their short essays to the instructor in email by 25 March AND also bring
them to class in a printed format.
6
20/03
Library research
Visiting the departmental library (getting familiar with the utilization
of the library catalogues, databases, and search engines e.g. JSTOR,
EBSCOhost, Project Muse)
7
8
9
27/03
03/04
Discussing your short essays
CONSULTATION WEEK. No class. 
10/04
HW: Read Mikko Keskinen’s article about High Fidelity. Students are
expected to find and download the article from Project MUSE on their
own. Fill out the response sheet about the article (to be uploaded to the
instructor’s Current courses site) and bring it to class along with the
article.
Reading Theory II.
Keskinen, Mikko. “Single, Long-Playing, and Compilation: The Formats of
Audio and Amorousness in Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity.” Critique (Fall
2005), 47.1, 3-21.
10
11
12
13
14
15
17/04
HW: Choose the ideas of the critical material that are most relevant to your thesis
and try to incorporate them into your essay.
Introducing MLA; Discussing the idea of plagiarism
24/04
01/05
HW: Write the term essay (for details check the introductory part of the
syllabus)
MLA in practice
Public Holiday. No class. 
08/05
HW: Send your term essay in email to your partner and to the instructor
by 4 May the latest. You are expected to read, correct and summarize
your partner’s paper and bring both the essay and the summary to the
next class (8 May).
Discussing your essays
15/05
22/05
HW: Revise your essays and re-write it if necessary
Essay writing week. No class. 
MLA test!
Essay deadline!
Evaluation: in any of my office hours.