Your examination must have a final page that contains a bibliography-
-whether or not you use
the editions i have ordered for the course. Please provide in-text citations that contain the parts of the work and the page number from whatever edition you have used—
-including electronic
versions of these texts. For example, Machiavelli notes that Cesare Borgia used “force” and
“fraud” (ch. 7, p. 32). If you are using kindle versions please provide chapter, paragraph, or aphorism, etc. numbers as well as the kindle page. IF you neglect to provide this information, I will not be able to grade your examination.
Your essay should be no longer than 10 double-spaced pages and 3,500 words. Your bibliography will count neither in the page nor word count.
I do not require the consultation of outside sources; indeed, I discourage it, but if you are absolutely compelled to do it, you must provide full citations to your references in notes as well as in the bibliography. This policy includes references to the introductions, notes, and interpretative essays contained in our editions.
Response to the prompt. The paper should address all of the issues contained in the prompt.
This criterion includes making full use of the works or aspects of the works that the prompt demands.
Thesis. The paper should present a precise and clearly stated thesis in the introduction. The thesis statement is your ultimate conclusion. The paper should support that thesis consistently and avoid adducing arguments that are not relevant to it.
Beware: The thesis statement does not merely explain what your topic is or how you will go about exploring it.
Evidence. The paper should provide abundant textual evidence to support its thesis. Be sure to interpret that evidence to establish its significance. Again, you must provide all appropriate publication information in your bibliography.
Writing. The writing should be clear and effective. Improper grammar, inappropriate word choice, and typos all detract from the paper’s effectiveness. Because this is formal writing, you should not use colloquialisms-including “to take a deep dive” into a topic.
Overall grasp of the material. The paper should display a sense of the issues at stake in these texts. Errors in understanding the texts are particularly costly.
Insight. The best papers go beyond what was said in class and recitations. The very best papers offer an original insight either into a particular passage or into an approach to a question.