Expectations for the Response Paper

Expectations for the Response Paper
1) Develop a Thesis statement for the paper. Since the question asks you to pick one side or the other, the thesis should indicate which side you prefer.

Expectations for the Response Paper
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2) The best theses will include something like a because clause. In other words, the best theses will not only say which side is better but will explain why that particular argument was chosen.
3) The introduction should introduce the arguments that will be presented in the body of the paper. The introduction is not the place to talk about background information that will not be relevant for the body of the paper. The introduction is the place to mention briefly the arguments that will be expanded upon in the body of the paper.
4) Use topic sentences. Each paragraph should begin with a sentence that describes the main argument of the paragraph. The job of the rest of the paragraph is then to supply evidence that supports the argument presented in the topic sentence. The topic sentence of each paragraph is a bit like a sub-argument that supports the central argument. Indeed, if you put all the topic sentences of the paper together as a single paragraph, that paragraph should look something like the introductory paragraph where the paper stated briefly what arguments would be explored in the body of the paper.
5) Be sure to use specific pieces of evidence from the documents that we will be discussing for Thursday. Historians use primary documents like those we are reading for class to make arguments about the past. These primary documents serve as pieces of evidence that historians use much in the same way that lawyers use evidence in court. Without evidence, an argument is not all that convincing.
6) Using direct quotations from the text is a very effective way to use these documents as evidence. Using a direct quotation is a bit like referring to a court stenographer. The historian can establish what exactly was said so that he/she can clearly show that his/her interpretation is correct. Paraphrasing can be used, but it can be a dangerous way to use these documents as evidence. The reader may wonder if that was really what was said. When students paraphrase rather than provide direct quotations, they often misrepresent what the primary document actually said.
7) I EXPECT YOU TO CITE YOUR EVIDENCE. I dont care what kind of citation method you use, but I would like you to use some method of citing the sources that you are using as evidence. One easy way to cite the source would be to place the page number at the end of the piece of evidence. Heres an example: Cookie Monster stated, I have no cookies (98). This citation style would suffice for this project.
8) In general, the paper should move from old information to new information. Doing this will give the paper flow. For example, many would describe the following sentences as choppy. For example: I went to the park. I went home. I had lunch. I fell asleep. Its hard for the reader to see the relationship between these three events. The story is easier to follow if the sentences stated the following: I went to the park in the morning. I enjoyed playing at the park, but by noon I was hungry so I
went home for lunch. After lunch I felt drowsy so I took a nap. Creating flow in papers like these is important because the flow often helps the reader see how the evidence is connected to the argument. Without flow it may be unclear how the evidence is related to the argument of the paragraph.
9) When in doubt, keep your sentences short.