FINAL PAPER REQUIREMENTS
A Final Research Paper (25%): In this paper (c. 2,500 words using 12-pt Times Roman font, i.e., about 10 pages, double-spaced), students will use primary and secondary sources to explore a major issue related to science and popular culture. Your paper should be grounded in a deep reading of both primary and secondary sources and should directly reflect in-class discussions. I will dedicate time through the semester to discussions of the requirements and expectations for the paper. Through the semester, students will work through a number of stages before writing the final paper. These include:
a. On October 27, I will hand out a list of acceptable broad themes/topics on which to write about;
b. On November 7, students will submit a two-paragraph abstract for the paper that should:
- state the specific subject of the final paper
- articulate a provisional thesis for the paper
- list five specific secondary sources and one primary source (or collection of primary sources) you intend to use
c. During Finals Week (specific date to be announced), you submit hard copies of your final paper (20%). Only paper copies will be accepted!!!
In addition, it is imperative that when you use sources for your paper, you use secondary sources that are legitimate from an academic point of you. Such sources, for the purposes of this class, are academic journal articles, academic books, and (sometimes) academic websites. Many of you will be tempted to find a random website with some information on a topic and use it as a source (instead of using a book or journal article). Please resist the urge to do this! I will talk more during the course of the semester about what I mean by an academic journal article or academic book. We will also go through various example websites to see what constitutes a legitimate source and what does not. As a final cautionary note, I will not accept Wikipedia as a secondary source.
I will grade your actual paper based on the following criteria:
· depth of research
· strength and logic of argument/thesis
· use of evidence
· quality of writing; and
· correctness of citations.
A Final Research Paper (25%): In this paper (c. 2,500 words using 12-pt Times Roman font, i.e., about 10 pages, double-spaced), students will use primary and secondary sources to explore a major issue related to science and popular culture. Your paper should be grounded in a deep reading of both primary and secondary sources and should directly reflect in-class discussions. I will dedicate time through the semester to discussions of the requirements and expectations for the paper. Through the semester, students will work through a number of stages before writing the final paper. These include:
a. On October 27, I will hand out a list of acceptable broad themes/topics on which to write about;
b. On November 7, students will submit a two-paragraph abstract for the paper that should:
- state the specific subject of the final paper
- articulate a provisional thesis for the paper
- list five specific secondary sources and one primary source (or collection of primary sources) you intend to use
c. During Finals Week (specific date to be announced), you submit hard copies of your final paper (20%). Only paper copies will be accepted!!!
In addition, it is imperative that when you use sources for your paper, you use secondary sources that are legitimate from an academic point of you. Such sources, for the purposes of this class, are academic journal articles, academic books, and (sometimes) academic websites. Many of you will be tempted to find a random website with some information on a topic and use it as a source (instead of using a book or journal article). Please resist the urge to do this! I will talk more during the course of the semester about what I mean by an academic journal article or academic book. We will also go through various example websites to see what constitutes a legitimate source and what does not. As a final cautionary note, I will not accept Wikipedia as a secondary source.
I will grade your actual paper based on the following criteria:
· depth of research
· strength and logic of argument/thesis
· use of evidence
· quality of writing; and
· correctness of citations.