| United
States in the 20th Century
1945
TO THE PRESENT
GENERAL
GUIDELINES FOR SHORT PAPERS
Why
Papers Rather than Exams
At first
glance these papers may not seem to require anything more than reading
the assigned documents that the paper involves and being in class the
day they are discussed. Don't let the short paper requirement fool you.
Success on these assignments depends on close attention to lectures (this
means regular class attendance) and readings (not just those involved
in a given paper assignment), and careful, critical reflection of the
issues and events that define U. S. History in the second half of the
20th century. I have chosen short papers over exams, because I want you
to think hard about the questions I have raised and have the opportunity
to polish both your thinking and your writing.
Deadlines
- Short
papers are due at the beginning of class on the day noted on the schedule.
- Late papers
will be docked 1/2 letter grade for each day they are late. For example,
a paper due on Tuesday that would have earned a B+ if on time, would
receive a B- if not turned in until Wednesday (the same applies for
turning in the paper any time other than the beginning of class on Tuesday).
That same paper turned in on Thursday would now be a C paper. In other
words, being late really hurts. Plan ahead so that a computer, printer,
car problems, a bad cold, etc. don't make you miss a deadline.
- If you
are a member of a University team and have to be absent from class on
the day a short paper is due, please plan ahead. Your paper is due as
scheduled and either may be turned in in advance or by someone else
on the date due.
- If you
have a documented family emergency or documented personal health emergency
which makes it impossible for you to meet a short paper deadline, please
contact me as soon as possible. In fairness to all students, I must
have documentation for such excuses. We will structure an alternative
deadline suited to the circumstances.
- Finally,
if everything falls apart (which sometimes does happen), remember that
it is always better to turn in a short paper really late than not at
all. An F is better than a 0, especially here where each assignment
counts for a substantial portion of your grade. If you find yourself
in such a position, please stay in contact with me.
Length
and Format
- Short
papers should be 3-5 pages long (plus cover page), typed or word-processed,
12 point font, with appropriate footnotes or endnotes citing sources,
including lecture, and have page numbers.
- Cover
page. Each short paper should have a title page including the following:
(1) your name, class, and date; (2) short paper #; (3) title. A good
title catches the reader's interest, establishes place, time frame,
and at least suggests the argument of the paper. The title page is not
included in the page length. Please do not spend time on fancy graphics
for the cover page. I would far rather you spend the time refining your
argument, polishing the prose, and proofreading!
- The substance
of short papers should be drawn solely from lectures and assigned readings.
Because we are not using a text for the course, class attendance and
careful notetaking are especially important. I do not expect students
to consult recommended readings for the short papers.
Questions
about Assignments. We will discuss each written assignment in
class a week before the assignment is due. I will ask you to carefully
read the assignment in advance so that you can get any questions you have
about the assignment ironed out. If you begin work on an assignment and
discover you have additional questions, please check with either me (Professor
Welke) or Jason Stahl -- in person meetings are best. It is vitally important
to answer the question asked; I've read many papers over the years that
were well-written, but simply had not addressed the question asked and
so received a poor grade.
Getting
Started
One reason
for structuring this class around papers rather than exams is that I don't
expect your first draft to be your final draft! We write both to learn
what we think and to communicate, but this means that writing happens
in multiple stages. Here is how I would recommend that you proceed:
- Read the
assignment carefully (then read it again! and be sure to reread it as
you work on the paper and before turning your paper in -- this will
help a great deal in making sure that you write a paper that meets the
requirements of the assignment).
- Read back
over your class notes and the documents that you need to address in
the paper.
- Brainstorm
by jotting down ideas (on paper is best). Don't expect any of this to
be organized at this stage; just let the ideas flow!
- Step back
and ask yourself: What are the main points I want to make? (jot these
down) And consider what evidence you have that supports these points.
- Now that
you know the main points and the evidence that supports them, ask yourself
what it all adds up to. What's the point? This is your argument or thesis.
In a history essay, your thesis should be in your first or second paragraph.
- Thinking
about organization. There are all kinds of effective ways to organize
a paper (chronological; topical; compare and contrast, etc.) Your organization
should reflect both the question asked and how you have decided to address
it.
- Now you
are really ready to make an outline. Put your thesis (argument) at the
top, then note each of your main points with shorthand notes underneath
of the evidence that helps you support those points. This is best summed
up in the phrase "subordinate the evidence to the argument."
Remember the evidence supports the argument. In other words, the evidence
has to be there or you've just got a collection of unsupported claims.
But it's up to you to frame the evidence into an argument for the reader.
- Come up
with a title for your paper. It should situate the reader in place and
time and at least hint at the argument.
- Think
about how you'd like to begin your paper. You want that opening paragraph
to have the thesis (usually near the end), but it also needs to get
the reader's attention and orient the reader.
- It's only
at this stage that you should start writing. You've done the hard thinking
at this stage and can really focus on questions of writing mechanics,
transitions, and style.
- Print-out
what you have written and read it. Give the assignment and your draft
to a friend to read. Can she/he follow the argument? Ask them to explain
to you what they think your argument is.
- Make a
trip to one of the writing centers on campus for feedback on your draft.
- Rewrite!
Nobody gets it right the first time. Don't worry if your first draft
is too long or too short. But whatever you do, don't let the page limit
dictate the first draft. Once you've got your ideas down on paper you
can decide if some need more developing, if others are simply not that
important, and finally, how to express your points in the clearest and
most concise way possible. You should be able to read from the thesis
through the topic sentences of the paper and be able to follow the argument
and main points. What can you do sylistically to make the paper "flow"
better?
- Spellcheck.
- Proofread.
Don't proofread until you are really sure that you are done writing
and don't proofread on-line (it's just too damn hard to catch things!)
You need to read it at least two times for proofreading. First, actually
read it to see that you haven't repeated a sentence or left out words,
etc. Then, you need to reread word-by-word. There are a million little
errors that spell-check won't catch for you (e.g., there vs. their;
effect vs. affect; know vs. no; statute vs. statue; and the list goes
on). If you've got a really good friend, ask her/him to proofread it
a third time for you; it's amazing what a second pair of eyes can catch.
What all of this should tell you is that you can't write
a good paper if you wait until the night before to start.
Helpful
Web-Links
I would appreciate
hearing back from you on whether you found these links helpful in your
writing.
Assistance
The University
and the Department of History have terrific resources to assist students
with writing assignments. These resources are for everyone and I strongly
urge you to make the most of them.
- The
History Department Writing Tutors. The history department writing
tutors are intended solely for students enrolled in history courses.
The writing tutors this term are Nikki Berg and Jamie Stephenson (tutor001@umn.edu).
You can sign up for an appointment on the signup sheet outside their
office (122A Social Sciences Building). I will distribute a handout
near the beginning of the term that describes how they can help you
with writing and how to make the most of their services.
Don't forget
-- I am also willing (as is Jason Stahl) to help you at any stage of the
thinking and writing process. This may be a big class, but, as I have
tried to communicate in learning your names, it is important to me to
get to know students and do everything I can to help you be successful
in this class.
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