Instructions for Short Paper #1
I. How the Paper is Graded
A. Basic Rubric
Grammar, Spelling, and Syntax 5% Proper Use of Turabian 5% Articulates Thesis 2% Identifies and Connects Major Themes (Synthesis) 44% Explains Themes and Concepts (Analysis) 44%
100%
**Remember that the paper should be 2000 words in length, which is about 8 pages depending on the type of font, font size, etc. Your concern is to hit the word length, not the number of pages. If you do not hit the minimum amount, you will lose points.
B. What NOT To Do
· Don’t cite Wikipedia, personal blogs, church blogs, denominational blogs, etc. in your paper
· Don’t provide a lot of biographical information (this is not a report on the person, but a review of the work)
· Don’t provide an overview of the person’s thought (this is not a research paper on the various works of the person, but a review of a specific work)
· Don’t summarize the work (you will lose at least 10 points if you give a chapter- by-chapter summary. That is not graduate-level writing)
· Don’t use the “last name” of the patristic or medieval writer because most do not have last names.
For example, Clairvaux is not the last name of Bernard of Clairvaux. Instead, Bernard is identified by virtue of his connection to a place (Clairvaux). You don’t say, “Clairvaux says that we love God,” but “Bernard says that we love God.” The same holds true for other writers like Gregory of Nazianzus, Augustine of Hippo, or Anselm of Canterbury. Thomas Aquinas is an exception to this rule because the place where he comes from (the county of Aquino) has become functionally a last name, even though technically it is not.
II. Explanation of Rubric
A. Grammar, Syntax, and Formatting (10%)
Poor grammar, spelling, etc., get in the way of your argument by causing the reader to focus on the mechanics of the paper rather than the content.
Please use Turabian (most recent edition) to format your paper. Here is why:
a. When (not if) you cite your source, you will need to use a footnote, and Turabian should be consulted for proper format. You must cite the source!
b. When (not if) you compile your bibliography, you will need to follow Turabian on proper format. You will have a bibliography!
Nota Bene (Note Well): You might also consult the Regent Writing Lab on Turabian.
It does not matter that you may only use one source. Part of writing this paper is getting the formatting correct. Thus, you will need to place the one source in your bibliography. Please make sure it is in the proper format because I will take off points if it is not.
Citing Patristic and Medieval Texts: If you are using an online version of the text that has no uniform pagination, you may use the book, chapter, and/or section number to indicate where you are citing in the text.
Example: Anselm of Canterbury, Why God Became Man, 1.12.
In the example, 1 refers to the book (book 1) and 12 refers to the chapter. Sometimes there is no distinction between books, but only chapters and sections. Sometimes, there are only chapters. Regardless, the method is the same.
B. Thesis and Body of Paper (90%)
1. Opening Paragraph(s) (This is what I will prove!)
The opening paragraph(s) should introduce the topic along with your thesis statement. It essentially tells the reader what you plan to do. Try to be as specific as possible. I should see three components in the introductory paragraph: (1) general statements about the significance of the writer and the treatise you’re reading; (2) instructions to your reader as to how you plan to approach the topic (this could relate to the structure of your paper insofar as you are signaling to the reader the order or way in which your argument will unfold); (3) a clear, specific thesis as to what you think about the treatise.
Note on the thesis: The thesis should give me your take on the treatise in question. That is, it will communicate in summary what you think the treatise is all about, it’s primary purpose or intention and the main points supporting that purpose. The thesis is not a set of instructions, but a clear statement of what you intend to claim in the paper.
Example of a set of instructions: The purpose of this paper is to explore the thought of Thomas Aquinas on salvation.
Example of a thesis: Thomas Aquinas views salvation as a transforming enterprise in which the individual receives an infusion of grace that instills a supernatural habit.
2. Body of the Paper (Here is my proof!)
The body of the paper sets forth your argument(s) in support of your thesis statement. This is where you will engage in synthesis and analysis.
Synthesis
Synthesis involves two basic components:
· Identifying the major ideas in a work and then arranging your paper around those ideas
· Finding a thread or threads that connect those ideas
You want to make sure that you are not simply picking ideas that stand out to you, but that might not stand out to someone else. Instead, you want to identify the ideas that you think best articulate the content of the work. You might identify four ideas that you claim together help the reader understand what the author is doing in the work.
As part of your identifying major ideas, you should demonstrate some interaction with the work either through quotations or references to a specific place in the text.
Quotations and references are crucial for your paper. The key lies in getting the right balance between your words and any quotations or references you make. Too much quotation and your words get lost; too little and your words lack support. There is no set formula to indicate whether you have the correct amount of quotes and/or references. But you can begin to determine the proper balance by asking yourself if the reader would be convinced by what you have given. This means that you must put your paper aside for at least two days and approach it fresh as if you were the reader. At minimum, you should have one citation and/or quotation per idea.
Analysis
There are two basic types of critical analysis:
• Explanation: It is an examination of the vocabulary and inner logic of a work
as an attempt to understand the author’s argument or point of view
This is the first step in critical analysis that most students pass over. They fail to take the time and effort to understand the key terms an author employs, what the author means by those terms, and how those terms connect to the larger argument. Many students skip right over this to critique. If a student attempts to critique without offering a sufficient account of the author’s arguments, it will result in a loss of points on the final grade.
**This is not a mere summary of an author’s argument(s). A summary only restates the author’s argument in a shortened version. Summarizing an author is intended for an audience that knows nothing about the author or the work. This is not the case here.
• Criticism: It is an attempt to critique the argument of the author either by showing its inconsistency within the work or by showing that the author does not take everything into consideration
Only after articulating the author’s perspective are you then in a position to offer some sort of critique. For this reason, my advice is that you refrain from criticism in this short paper.
AVOID Anachronisms:
It is unfair to critique an author based on something from another period of time that the author could not know. This is to read an author anachronistically. For example, John Wesley is not aware of the advances in science like Einstein’s theory of relativity nor could he be. While it would be appropriate to indicate that Wesley’s perspective is incomplete in light of what we now know, this is different from saying that Wesley is simply wrong because he does not know modern physics.
3. Conclusion (This is what I’ve proved!)
In your conclusion simply restate your thesis in different words pointing out to the reader what you think you have accomplished.
III. The Writing Process
Step 1: Read through the work carefully and attempt to identify the major ideas and the way those ideas connect to one another in order to form a whole argument. While you are reading record your thoughts.
Step 2: From your notes compile a thesis statement. As you begin to write, it may be necessary to modify your thesis statement so that it confirms to what you have written. Do not feel overly constrained by the statement. It can be changed!
Step 3: Construct an outline that clearly sets forth the main points you want to make in support of your thesis statement.
Step 4: Write your rough draft and put the paper aside for a few days (if possible or at least an hour or two).
Step 5: Revise, edit, and proofread (do not rely on your word processor to catch all the mistakes because it won’t!).
