PSCI 4213 (Summer A 2006)
Professor: Joseph Jupille
RESPONSE ESSAY
ASSIGNMENT
From the Syllabus
A maximum
four-page response essay, comprising fifteen percent of your final grade,
will ask you to summarize and analyze one of the following books (your
choice): Gordon & Shapiro (due
June 29th) or Kagan (due June 20th) or Reid (due June 22nd).
… Essays are due at the beginning
of the class on the due date.
Goals
As
noted, your essay should summarize and analyze the book in question. Do not
provide a chapter outline. I want
you to synthesize the book as a whole.
That means I want you to tell me what the “bottom line” of the book is,
and highlight its key arguments, evidence and contribution to our understanding
of
The payoffs
of this assignment are severalfold. First, it encourages to closely read one of the key books assigned during the semester. Second, it encourages you to analyze the book
clearly and concisely, to distill its most important claims and evidence. Third, it allows you to practice your
analytical writing, with a premium placed on the power of your ideas and the
concision and clarity of your exposition.
Formatting, etc.
The
essay must not exceed four pages. I will
stop reading at the bottom of page four.
It does not require a cover page.
It is sufficient to place your name at the top and to identify the essay
as a response to the book in question.
Essays must be double-spaced, with normal margins (no narrower than 1”, no broader than 1.25”) and a normal 12-point font. I will deduct 5 points for violations of each
of these requirements (page length, margins, font). It must be proofread. I will deduct 1
point for each grammatical or spelling error that I detect.
Every
essay must have an introduction which sets forth its main point, outlines the
structure of the essay, and alludes to its broader implications. After the first paragraph of your paper, I
should know precisely what book you are responding to, precisely what your main
claim is, precisely how you will proceed, and precisely where you will end
up. Every essay must also have a proper
conclusion. I urge you to use “section headings”
to identify the different elements of your paper, and to avoid paragraphs that
are too long (more than a half-page of so) or too short (less than 3-4
sentences).
Use your
own words as much as possible. That is,
paraphrase as much as you can. If a
quote is so good that you absolutely cannot do without it, make sure to cite
page references and keep it short – no more than 2-3 sentences. Longer quotes, which would appropriately be
inserted in block format, will be frowned upon.
In an essay this brief, they merely demonstrate a lack of hard, clear
and original thinking.
Late Papers
I will
not accept late papers. If you miss the
deadline –start of class on the
given date-- for one of the earlier books, you can always write on one of the
later books. Again: I will not accept
late papers.