Paper Writing Guideline for HUM 2020: Introduction to Humanities

The student will write a 5-6 page research paper on any topic dealing with the Humanities. The topic is open-ended and may be whatever the student chooses upon approval by the instructor; however, students need to ensure it is academic and not current event-related. Some possible examples include:

*a biographical paper (research a political figure, artist, musician, philosopher, etc. and discuss his or her contributions to the Humanities.)

*an analytical paper (develop a topic in an open-ended question format. Present multi-faceted information and offer a well-supported critical analysis in a neutral stance.)

*an argumentative paper (state a topic you wish to explore and establish a position to argue in the thesis. Present both sides of the issue, and, if elected, persuade the reader to adopt your chosen view.)

*compare and contrast (choose two topics and discuss them through what makes them similar and distinct. This may include comparing two different viewpoints and/or arguments.)

 

Papers must be typed, DOUBLE-SPACED ONLY with a 10-12 point font in Times New Roman or Arial and 1-inch margins. Do not put extra spacing between paragraphs or start the paper half-way down the first page. Ensure you write in third-person style (do not use ‘I’ or ‘you’ in the paper). A minimum of three sources must be used (do not use the textbook). You may use at most ONE online source if it is of academic origin (usually websites with ‘.edu’ address.) If you use eBooks, make sure they are ONLY through the SJR State library database and cite them as you would normal books (e.g. with page numbers).

Papers will be graded based upon general understanding of the topic, college-level analysis of the subject, proper sentence structure and organization, grammar, punctuation, tense, and flow. Papers must fulfill the required length (a letter grade will be deducted for each page shorter than required length). In addition, citations must be correct and appropriate: footnotes, with author, title, & page number. Ensure the final paper is below the similarity index of 20% when submitting to www.turnitin.com. Papers above this percentage will earn a failing grade.

• A-level papers must be proficient in all areas (grammar, punctuation, sentence structure), have a strong thesis statement with support, include an introduction and conclusion, show college-level analysis, fulfill the required length, and have excellent citations.
• B-level papers will have few or no errors in grammar, tense, and sentence structure, but may lack in strong analysis or have a weaker thesis, yet still have proper citations. Papers must have an introduction and conclusion, but they may not be strong.
• C-level papers will show little college-level analysis or understanding of the subject, as well as elementary understanding of sentence structure and organization, grammar, or tense (e.g. using present tense for past tense subject). Papers may lack an intro. or conclusion. Citations must still be present and correct.
• Failing papers show no understanding of the topic, no college-level analysis, is full of errors in sentence structure, grammar, and tense usage, as well as show little or no organization or flow to the paper. Citations are incorrect and/or wrong style. To avoid failing papers, utilize Smarthinking and/or the Academic Support Center on-campus.

No citations means a zero for the assignment.

The reference style in Humanities is CMS (Chicago Manual of Style); refer to the CMS Citation Guideline for further information.