Students will choose a European or Middle Eastern individual born prior to 1600 to research.

Research Essay Assignment

CHOOSE A TOPIC

Topic Submission: Students are to write a three to six page research essay. Students will choose a European or Middle Eastern individual born prior to 1600 to research. As specified in the syllabus the topic must be submitted and approved by the instructor before students may begin their research. This is the first part of the research assignment and therefore has its own assignment located within the Research Assignment Module.

Annotated Bibliography: All students are required to submit an annotated bibliography in addition to the research paper. This is the second part of the research assignment and has its own assignment within the Research Assignment Module. Students are to use their textbook as well as at least three other sources. Only one source from the internet may be used, all other sources must be either books, academic journals, or periodicals. Students may not use Wikipedia or other online encyclopedias as sources. If you are unsure of a source make sure to check with the instructor. All sources must be cited properly on the Bibliography page of the essay.

Title Page: This page does not count as part of the essay’s Main Body, but it is needed with all essays. Any essay turned in without a title page will automatically receive a 10 percent reduction penalty.

A. Center of the Page One Third way down – Title

B. Bottom Center of the Page –

Student Name

Instructor Name

Course Title & Semester

Format Requirements: All students are required to use the following format instructions for this assignment.

A. 1 inch margins on all sides.

B. 12 point, Times New Roman font.

C. All essays need a proper introduction paragraph with thesis statement, multiple body paragraphs, and an conclusion paragraph with restated thesis statement.

D. Double space all the text, except the block quotations, which have to be single-spaced.

a. Block quotations apply to those that are five lines or more.

b. Block quotations are direct quotes not paraphrases.

c. Block quotations do not require quotation marks since the block format tells the reader that it is a direct quotation. Source information is required at the end of each block quotation.

E. Page numbers placed in the upper right corner; pagination starts from the second page (this means that even though the title page is considered page number one, the page number does not show on the title page).

F. Works Cited/Bibliography Page, this page does not count as part of the essay’s Main Body.

a. This is NOT an annotated bibliography, this is a regular works cited page.

G. All source information must be cited throughout the paper

a. If you use a quote or a paraphrase you must cite the source information within the paper, not just in the works cited/bibliography.

b. Any student who does not cite their sources throughout their essay will see a drastic negative affect on the format portion of their grade.

c. Students are to use APA, MLA or Chicago format for reference citations.

H. All research papers are to be uploaded to the assignment on blackboard. Students are required to upload either a .doc or .docx file only, no other file types will be accepted. This means if you upload an unauthorized file type you will receive a “zero” for the assignment. Also, make sure you see the green bar at the top of the screen verifying the document was uploaded successfully.

 

Grading Criteria: All essays will be evaluated based upon-

A. Required Discussion Topics

a. Early Life/Background of individual

b. Individual’s life work

i. What did they contribute in art, politics, science, military, discovery…?

c. Contribution to Western Civilization and influence on other Westerners.

B. Formatting

a. All formatting requirements as stated above must be adhered to.

C. Organization-All essays must include:

a. Introduction paragraph with thesis statement

i. Thesis Statement- for this assignment is a statement about the individual you have chosen to research. This statement is something that the writer of the essay must prove to the reader throughout the body section of the essay. Do not be general in your thesis statement, be very specific! Often this statement will have something to do with what they contributed to their field.

b. Multiple body paragraphs

c. Conclusion paragraph with restated thesis statement

D. Grammar

a. Pay attention to detail! Students will be marked off for misspelling, punctuation, and grammar errors.