Suggestions for Final Term Papers
SIS 200 – States and Capitalism –
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- Use a title, and use a good one. Your title should indicate the subject matter and argument of your paper. Bad Title: “Money and Guns.” Good Title: “Money and Guns: The Role of Artillery in the Mamluk Defeat of the Ottoman Empire.”
- Time and Space. Make the time frame and geographic framework of your paper clear from the very beginning.
- Use a map. If you are talking about complex regional interactions (wars, trade, movement of people, etc.), include a map so your reader can reference visually the places and movements you are discussing. Maps are readily available on the Internet. This is not a requirement.
- Set up your Why question. By the time you get around to asking your “why question” (and this should happen in paragraph 1), you need to have set up the puzzle that makes the “why question “necessary. Don’t spring the question on your reader without creating or presenting a need for it. Ideally, your introduction, on its own, will make the readers ask the question themselves, and then WHAMMO! There is the question; and all seems right with the world (and your paper, of course).
- Assumptions: Two very important assumptions you should make in writing your paper are: 1) your readers are not idiots, but 2) they do not know anything about your topic. Thus, you must provide sufficient background and explanation so the readers can understand the context of your argument.
- Citations. You must cite your sources. This does not mean that you cite only direct quotations. You must cite every morsel of information (including facts, data, and ideas) that you gather from other sources, even if they are reworded or paraphrased. Failure to credit your sources equals plagiarism, which is a serious academic offense. Do not make this mistake, intentionally or unintentionally. Even if you start out already knowing a lot about your topic, I would expect ten citations in your paper, at the very least. Thirty would not be unreasonable for many of you. Furthermore, you must cite your sources according to academic formatting conventions, and do it consistently throughout your paper. Do not mix formats. If you do not know the proper format, ask your study group, ask your TA, ask the assistants at the writing center , or consult a source on writing.
- Diversify your sources. You cannot write an analytic academic paper using one book as your source, or information from two pages of one book, or even two books. You must provide evidence, both through your information/analysis and your sources, that you have done rigorous research and thinking about your topic, and that you have drawn information and ideas from a diverse range of sources. In addition, please note the following section from your syllabus:
Please note that your term paper will be based on library research. In writing this paper you will be expected to use at least four sources, which you will locate in the library. These sources should be a combination of scholarly books and articles. Websites, newspapers and magazines can be used as sources but only in addition to the four main sources.
- Break it up! You need to break your paper into subsections with indicative section titles. This will help you organize your paper according to a coherent outline, and it will help your readers understand the paper’s conceptual framework and the flow of its argument. Your intro/thesis should forecast the overall structure of the paper.
- Use data! If you want to make your discussion, illustrations, and argumentation stronger, you need to use data (figures, numbers, charts, maps, etc.) to help give life to the events and phenomena you are discussing. Using empirical evidence will help you prove your thesis and support your argument. How much did X cost? How many people fought in war Y? How many boatloads of Z were shipped between this date and that date? How do these figures change over time?
- Don’t write like you speak. Your topic is important. Clichés and idiomatic expressions sound goofy when you are trying to convince your readers. Don’t be cute, be persuasive and serious. Try to avoid choppy little sentences, and give your paper a flow that makes it more enjoyable and easier to read. Read it yourself (out loud). Ask other people to read it and comment on the tone of the writing.
- Relate everything in your paper back to your thesis. Ask yourself at the end of every paragraph: how does this relate to the central argument? Then eliminate everything that does not contribute to supporting your thesis. Repetition is not generally advisable, but you can spell out repeatedly in your paper how each section relates to the thesis.
- Transitions. Think about the transitions in your paper (between ideas, sections, paragraphs, text and quotations). They should be smooth and logical. . Do not jump from idea to idea without an organizing framework behind the movement. Your reader should be able to sense that you are following an outline, and both you and the reader should be able to identify where each part of the paper fits into that outline.
- Be explicit. Explain to the best of your ability everything you are talking about. If you refer to abstract concepts (trade routes, results, ideas, changes, countries, etc.), the reader wants and needs to know exactly what you are talking about. Most importantly, do not use words like it, this, that, these, those, etc. without making very clear exactly what those pronouns are standing for (and referring to) in each sentence.
- Inanimate objects cannot do things, move, speak or feel. Don’t argue that country X did something or the state Z felt angry. Similarly, don’t write about entire countries or nations as if they live through history in unison. For example, Belgium as a whole does not benefit from colonialism. Always ask yourself, which social group you are talking about, exactly?
- Punctuation. Please, punctuate, intelligently. Don’t, overuse, commas.
- Formatting. You may use a title page. Include your name, paper title, class & section, date, and the TA’s name. (Big Hint: Try to spell these correctly.) Number the pages of your paper. Use 12-point type, double space, one-inch margins. Put your bibliography on its own page (it does not count as part of the page limit).
- Revise. You can never revise a piece of writing often enough. You should read and reread your paper, making revisions as you go. Use your study group: Have them read and reread your drafts. Use the tutors at the Writing Center; they are waiting for you in Smith Hall, and they know the difference between right and wrong when it comes to SIS 200 term papers.
- Proofread your paper. Spell-check can play tricks on you, so do not rely on it.
- Page and Time Limits. The final draft of your paper will be approximately 7-8 pages and is due in sections on Dec 1. Respect and honor the page limit. Don’t even consider playing games with the due date. Do not wait to print until the day before the due date. Save your work as you go. We all know that computers behave unpredictably, so take precautions. Note the following section from your syllabus:
- Everything you turn in should be typed (double-spaced, 12 pt type, with one-inch margins). Hand-written paper topic proposals, drafts, or papers will not be accepted. Please keep extra copies of all the written assignments you turn in for grading. In case of loss or other similar problems, it is your responsibility to provide us with additional copies of your work.
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GUIDELINES FOR PEER REVIEW
SIS 200, AUTUMN 2009
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Here are some questions for you to consider as you read your friends’ papers:
- Does the paper have a title? Is it a good title?
- Does the paper have a clear why question or a puzzle?
- Does the author explain this question so that it makes sense to a reader who does not know much about the topic?
- Does the author have a hypothesis? (This would be the proposed answer to the why question)
- Is the author on the right track in terms of collecting and presenting information to support his/her hypothesis?
- Has the author located some good sources?
- Any other comments? (Style, structure, language, format)
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How to Write Weekly Papers
In preparing to write the weekly papers, first identify the major themes being discussed by that week's readings. Compare how different authors treat the same theme and identify how the authors explanations may differ. Consider which author's argument or evidence you find more compelling. After considering the readings, determine what argument or critique you want to make about the material you have read. In order to write the paper, you much first begin by presenting an argument or thesis statement in your introductory paragraph that analyzes the readings from that week. You could use one author's arguments or evidence to critique another author on the same topic/theme. You could critique an author's argument or evidence as flawed or incoherent, making sure to provide examples as well as your own persuasive evidence. Or, you could draw connections between themes or topics discussed in the readings that the author(s) haven't already discussed or noted. The most important things to remember for the weekly papers is that you must make an original argument and present that argument/thesis in the introductory paragraph, that your paper must treat the readings for that week, and that you must present evidence and examples in the body of your paper in order to substantiate your thesis. A well-written paper will be focused, clearly laid-out and make a compelling, original argument.
How to choose a paper topic
and how to write your paper.
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1. Choose a region.
2. Read/skim a general history of the region. This will be your big book and will have a general title such as History of X. m Economic Hiostory of X. The rise and fall of Y etc.
3. Focus on a development, change, event, or a series of events in a specific time interval. What you identify here should be interesting. They can be unexpected or may result from a comparison. (Something happens in one part of your region, and not in another, etc.) When you write your paper, this will be in the opening paragraph and will serve as the “hook”, that gets your reader’s interest so that he/she will want to read on. This will also be your “why” question. The topic you focus on can be economic, political, cultural, architectural, literary, artistic and can come from anywhere in the world as long as it falls in 1250-1914 time period.
4. Your main argument and thesis will consist of explaining the puzzle in (3). This proposed explanation will have to include some reference to global factors.
5. In the body of your paper you will use evidence to show how your explanation holds. You will need to substantiate your argument by showing that the factors you identify in (4) explain (3).
* Make sure to consult your syllabus for a list of topics you may not write a paper on.
* Remember this is a course that covers history from a social science perspective. Papers that deal with individuals, psychological explanations would not be appropriate for this class.
* Never ever write a paper on negative question (i.e. why something did not happen!)