Essay #2

Essay #2 = 15% (60 points, incl. 5 points for rough draft and 11 points for each of 5 rubric criteria)

Write a 4-6 page paper that “finds religion in Bloomington.” This paper will require group work during section and outside of class. Your group (assigned in section) should take a walking tour of the IU campus and/or Bloomington and look for evidence of “religion.” You can look at churches, but don’t stop there: consider fitness centers, restaurants, shops, monuments, music, arts, and locally sponsored websites. Talk to some people about “religion” and/or “spirituality.” Observe religion being practiced. Write down your observations and discuss them with your group. After collecting and analyzing data as a group, every individual is responsible for writing one’s own paper. Focus in on one aspect of your findings that intrigues, puzzles, or troubles you. As with the first course paper, develop a thesis, or narrowly focused argument, that approaches your “text” from a particular angle, and makes a case for the significance of the paper. Your “evidence” may include quotations from interviews, posters, or websites, photographs, or audio/video recordings (but graphic materials do not replace the required minimum of four pages of text). We encourage you to exercise creativity in analyzing the evidence presented, rather than merely summarizing your observations or stating unsupported opinions.

How to Prepare to Write:

We recognize that there are multiple effective ways of approaching an essay, but we suggest trying the following strategies. Re-read the text section(s) with pencil and (several colors of) highlighters in hand. Take notes in margins, or on a separate page, and jot down reactions or questions that come to mind. It is absolutely crucial to develop a system to differentiate quoted/paraphrased material from your own words/analysis! Highlight words or phrases that catch your attention, develop a color-coding system to mark up the text, or draw lines connecting repeated words or ideas. Make a list of observations about the text, even if some of the observations seem trivial. Ask questions of your text while you read. Who is writing? When? What else is happening in American culture or the world at the same time? For what occasion is the text written? Who is the expected audience? What is the author’s purpose in writing or speaking? What kind of diction is used? How is the text organized? Are there unusual rhetorical strategies? What style or tone does the author adopt? What surprises you? Does this text remind you of anything else you have read? Develop interpretations that stem from your observations and questions about the text. What accounts for observed patterns? Why might some seemingly trivial details be significant? What does all of this mean, and why does it matter? This is where you figure out what is really important about what you have observed (and what is not important for the purposes of your essay). Finally, use your collection of interpretations to develop a focused argument that answers the assignment question. Here you will need to narrow in from broad exploration to a single line of reasoning. Tell the reader how to think about this text and/or a problem it raises and why thinking about it in this way is significant. What is at stake? Why should a reader (who may care nothing about the particular author or text) care about your argument?

How to Structure Your Essay:

We suggest the following structure for each essay for this class. First, write your name, the assignment name and date, and the word count at the top of page one. Next, supply a descriptive title. Use the first paragraph to 1) invite the reader’s interest (e.g. with a quotation, question, or startling fact), 2) identify the text(s) to be discussed, incl. a) author’s full name, b) title (in italics for a book or movie, or quotes for an essay), c) publication date, 3) provide a roadmap of how the argument will be developed (e.g. This essay will examine three aspects of . . . First, . . . ) and 4) state the thesis (the last sentence of the first paragraph). The thesis is the most important sentence in the paper! The thesis is more than a statement of the topic; it is an argument about the topic that makes a case for why anyone should care. The thesis should provide a clear answer to questions raised by the essay; do not try to keep the reader in suspense until the conclusion. Begin each body paragraph with a topic sentence (or mini-thesis) that forwards the thesis. Each body paragraph should include specific textual evidence, e.g. quotations, facts, or paraphrased information (with appropriate citations—including page numbers), and analysis of how the evidence supports the topic sentence and thesis. Write a concluding sentence that explains the significance of the paragraph and transitions to the next. Do not end any paragraph with a quotation; most such quotations have not been adequately analyzed. Paragraphs should build on each other to carry the thesis forward through the progression of the paper. In the concluding paragraph, recap the thesis of the essay, remind the reader of how you have proven your position, and emphasize the implications.

How to Cite Your Sources:

Every paragraph that borrows ideas, quotations, or paraphrased information from another source—incl. course texts, lectures, discussion comments, (and, when used, websites)—must be documented meticulously; either endnotes or parenthetical references (with accompanying works cited list) are acceptable. If endnotes are used, a works cited list is unnecessary. For example, for a reference to page 17 of Only Love Can Make a Miracle, parenthetical: (Chavda, Only Love, 17); Works Cited: Chavda, Mahesh. Only Love Can Make a Miracle. Charlotte, NC: Chavda, 1990. For an endnote: Mahesh Chavda, Only Love Can Make a Miracle (Charlotte, NC: Chavda, 1990), 17 (no need for “p.” ); for subsequent references, all you need is Chavda, Only Love, 17. For references to the Bible, cite book, chapter, verse, and version, e.g. (John 3:16 NIV); the version may be omitted from parentheticals if specified in the works cited. Endnote markers should be positioned at the end of the sentence (or after a semicolon), after the punctuation (e.g. Chavda describes his father as a “striking man, with rich black hair.”¹). Help with source citation may be found online from Writing Tutorial Services, “Pamphlets” (www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets.shtml), and College of Arts and Sciences, “Plagiarism” (www.indiana.edu/%7Ecollege/plagiarism/index.shtml). We strongly advise purchasing a style manual, such as Kate Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 7th rev. ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007).

How to Format and Proofread Your Paper:

We expect essays to be formatted in exact compliance with syllabus guidelines. We will deduct points if guidelines are not followed. Adopt a “formal” writing style; avoid contractions, colloquial expressions, use of the second person or excessive use of the first person. Write in the active voice; always assign agency (who did what). Proofread for spelling, grammatical or typographical errors. For questions on writing style, purchase William Strunk and E. B. White, The Elements of Style, 4th ed. (Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2000). Consult the chapter “Fixing Weak Theses,” posted on Canvas, or pamphlets from Writing Tutorial Services (www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets.shtml).

Avoid common writing errors. “While” means “at the same time,” but “although” means “in spite of the fact that.” An ellipsis is not needed at the beginning or end of a quotation; to indicate omission of text within a quotation, use three periods with a total of five spaces separating them ( . . . ); if a period ends the sentence before the omission, this is a fourth period (. . . . ); beware of auto-correct and other automated formatting settings in Word! Write out number names when referencing centuries, etc.; hyphenate if used as an adjective (in the twentieth century, but twentieth-century society). In general, do not begin a sentence with a conjunction such as “However”; instead, position it within the sentence (e.g. I was, however, mad.). Use 8 ½” by 11” paper, 12-point Times New Roman font, double space (do not skip lines between paragraphs or allow Word to add space points between lines), 1” margins on all sides (note: the default setting in MS Word is 1.25”—change it!), indent five spaces at the start of each paragraph. Number pages in the top right corner (starting on p. 2). Submit your essay in a standard file format. Your filename must have an extension (i.e. doc, docx); on a Mac, check the “append file extension” checkbox when you save your file. Do not include any unsupported characters, such as a number sign (#) in your filename.

Questions to Guide Revision:

The following questions can guide you in reviewing drafts written by your peers and in revising your own drafts. A workshop-formatted version of this questionnaire is available in Canvas: Files: Essays.

THESIS

Restate in your own words what you understand to be the thesis (write it down). Is the thesis easy to locate (e.g. last sentence of first paragraph), clear, unified, debatable, sufficiently narrow? Does it make clear what is at stake (i.e. why the essay matters, why readers should care), or does it leave you asking: “so what”?

ORGANIZATION

Does the essay’s opening invite the reader’s interest (e.g. with an opening quotation, question, or startling fact)? Does the introduction identify the primary source(s) to be discussed, incl. author, title (in quotes or italics, as appropriate), date? Does the introduction provide a roadmap (i.e. preview of major topics) of how the thesis will be developed? Does each paragraph have a topic sentence that is a mini-thesis (i.e. sub-argument that advances the main argument)? Is the order of presentation logical and easy to follow? Are transitions between paragraphs smooth? Are there parts of the essay that are confusing or that do not seem to fit? Does the conclusion tie up loose ends, convince you of the essay’s significance, and/or suggest further implications of the argument?

EVIDENCE

Does the paper make effective use of assigned readings, lectures, artifacts, discussions (avoiding inappropriate use of outside sources)? Does the evidence presented persuade you of the thesis? Are choices of when to quote rather than summarize appropriate? Are any of the quotations longer than necessary? Is there a good balance between general and specific information? Does the paper raise and adequately address any conflicting evidence? Is evidence documented properly (e.g. properly formatted endnotes or parentheticals plus reference list)?

ANALYSIS

Is textual evidence accompanied by thorough explanations of what the evidence means and why it is significant? Does the author avoid ending paragraphs with unexplained quotations? Is the essay’s reasoning persuasive? Does the essay provide fresh insight into course themes?

STYLE

Does the writing style contribute to the essay’s overall effectiveness? Does the essay use active rather than passive voice and assign agency (i.e. make clear who did what)? Is the tone appropriately formal (e.g. avoiding colloquial expressions, use of the second person or excessive use of the first person)? Are there any awkward expressions or mistakes in grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.? Are there certain kinds of mistakes that occur frequently? Does the format conform to course guidelines (e.g. length, 12-point Times New Roman, double spaced, 1” margins, pages numbered)?

OVERALL

What two things do you like best? What two areas require most attention in rewriting?

In evaluating essays, we use these same five question clusters, weighted equally, as a grading rubric.