11. Term papers should be substantial pieces of analysis and criticism. They should not simply report,
summarize, or review course materials (although you ought to draw from class presentations, discussion
and readings). Term papers should demonstrate thoughtful reflection, evaluation, and should embody a
critical and conceptual argument in which various angles of the question are explored in fairness and at
length. In this respect, they differ from the argument summaries, which did not involve critique.
2. Your term paper may not exceed 1200 words. Typically, that means four-to-five pages of text at
250-300 words per page. Provide a word count of your essay. Excess will be severely penalized: I will not
read more than 1200 words of typed text body, properly formatted (not including title page or footnotes).
3. The term paper is due on 5 April 2022 no later than 4:00PM MDT. Assignments received after 4:00PM
MDTon the due date will be deducted as per the syllabus’ late policy.
4. Use letter-size paper, 12-point font, full double-spacing (nothing less!), 1" margins, and a simple
typeface (Times New Roman is all you need). Your submission must be printed double-sided in hardcopy;
electronic submissions will not be accepted. If you do not have your own printer, SUBPrint can print off
your assignment for a small fee.
5. Number your pages, but not your title page. Page one should be the first page of your text body.
6. Citations: – For an essay of this length, you should not need to consult many sources beyond the course
materials. If you are unsure about this, please speak with me. – You should cite whatever sources you
have used. This includes the sources in the coursepack and the Miller novel, even your friends if they
gave you the big idea in your paper. – All (text-based) references must be to scholarly publications with
page numbers. This means you may not use wikipedia and the like, but allows you to use electronic
journals published exclusively online. – All references must conform to Chicago footnoting style (16
edition or earlier), as is common in the th humanities. Other than footnotes, you need not conform to any
2style peculiar to the Chicago manual. – Turabian’s (8 edition or earlier) manual (a truncation of the
Chicago Manual of Style) is in the the reference stacks of any library on campus. Two short guides to
footnotes are on eClass. – If you still have trouble with footnotes, consult a librarian. Helping you is what
they’re paid for! – Footnotes should not contain anything other than cited sources. You do not have space
for quoting text or discussing stuff in your footnotes. – If you still find that you have so many footnotes
that you cannot squeeze 250 words onto each page, I will permit you to use endnotes. But this really
shouldn’t be necessary.
7. Because of the high volume of term papers in this course and the fact that many students are not
interested in receiving written feedback on them, you must clearly indicate on your term paper whether or
not you want feedback. If you make no indication either way, then no feedback will be provided.
8. If you are unclear about these or any other requirements for this course, you must speak to the
instructor for clarification.
9. Do not use flashy language or unnecessarily big words. Just be as forthright as you know how. The
term paper is an argumentative essay, not a report or piece of journalism. No empty rhetoric! Your reader
is looking for rational content, that’s it. You must also use gender neutral language when you refer
generically to the species of which you and I are members – or to generic members of our species – even
if your sources do not.
10. You may use the first-person in your writing. In fact, this will make it easier to distinguish your own
positions from those you will be surveying. However, be on guard: using the first person (especially “I
believe”) is no replacement for actually substantiating your beliefs. Ensure that every time you make a
first person statement, you continue on to explain why or for what reasons (i.e., “because”) you believe or
think as you do. Moreover, these reasons should be compelling to your readers, i.e. reasonable people
3other than yourself. The same duty to provide rational explanation holds also for your treatment of other
authors, too.
11. I highly recommend that you make an outline before you write anything, and that you follow your
outline closely during writing. This will help you to follow your own train of thought. It is especially
helpful to break the question, and thus the answer, into manageable and ordered chunks, and then to plan
how much time & space will be devoted to each chunk.
12. Make sure you know what your conclusion is before you start writing your final draft. Make sure you
state it very clearly at the end of your term paper (be blunt). Typically, your conclusion should comprise
only a single sentence.
13. Do not bring in new points or arguments into your concluding paragraph. The support for your
position should be established before you wrap up. End your term paper with a summary only.
14. Your introductory ‘paragraph’ can be a single sentence in a piece of academic writing this short. Just
tell me what you are going to do in your term paper; don’t try to be catchy.
15. Much of your term paper (the exact proportion will vary) will consist of analysis – that is, a clear
explanation of the positions and/or concepts you are examining in the essay.
16. The rest of the term paper will thus consist of the point of doing your analysis at all – that is, the
actual comparison or assessment. On the basis of your analyses, therefore, you will proceed to establish
your conclusion by presenting your own argumentation.
417. The basic rule of good argumentation: show, don’t tell. Don’t just tell me that your source says
something; show me why they say it. Don’t just tell me that you will argue something; show me your
argument!
WINTER 2022 ESSAY QUESTION: Would Walter Miller see his novel as providing a social
constructivist interpretation of science and technology? Defend your answer and assess Miller’s
position by critically engaging with relevant course materials (textbook, coursepack, lectures,
discussions).
