Your first paper for the class is due February 10. For this assignment I want you to write an argument essay on Guns, Germs, and Steel. More specifically, I want you to write an essay that explains what you think of some aspect of his account. To be even more specific, your essay should answer these questions about the aspect of GGS that you choose: Do you find this aspect of his account convincing? Why or Why not?
What you argue is up to you, as is the aspect you choose, but you want to formulate an argument. That means, you need to position your essay against another plausible position. So try not to stake out a position that is too obvious, because you need be making a case against a plausible alternative position. Obviously, the easy way to know you are formulating an argument is to criticize Diamond's take in some important way. You can just use Diamond as your Common Ground. If you are writing to praise him, it takes a little more imagination to formulate the piece as an argument.
This paper should be about 750-1000 words long.
Your paper should include an introduction, and your introduction should include a thesis. Your introduction should be structured according to the overview provided in The Craft of Research. By that, I mean you should have a Common Ground, a Disruption, and a Thesis. For a paper of this length, such introductions are generally one paragraph in length. The Common Ground is typically three or four sentences long; the Disruption is a single sentence; you'll have a transition sentence or two; and then your Thesis at the end of the paragraph. For purposes of this assignment, boldface this thesis sentence.
Make sure your paper provides adequate development and support for your thesis — that is, sufficient evidence to convince the reader that you are presenting a valid interpretation of the facts. The paragraph structure of the body of the paper should relate directly to the logic of the argument that you have laid out in your introduction. For this assignment, citation references to our textbook can just be made by citing the GGS page numbers in parenthesis like so: (43). Other citations should use Chicago style. I will post a style guide on blackboard by the end of the first week.
Your paper should express your own ideas. You must provide adequate citation for paraphrases and quotes from the texts, but also ideas borrowed; not to do so is plagiarism. Please proofread your paper for style and grammar, punctuation, page numbers, etc., as well as content. Better yet, have some one else proofread it for you and then correct any problems before you hand it in.
The paper should be accompanied by a title page which should include the paper’s title, your campus mailbox number, the class name, and the date. Not Your Name. The title should reflect your overall thesis, be centered on the title page one third of the way down, and should not be underlined or within quotation marks unless it is in fact a quote. The rest of the information on the title page should be at the lower right of the page.
Please turn in a hard copy of the paper to my office door on the third floor of ARH.
Key Points:
1. Do not include your name anywhere in your paper. Instead, put your campus mailbox number on it.
2. Include a title page. Title pages are not numbered, the subsequent pages should be, starting with "1." If you do not know how to do this, ask.
3. Do not use the passive voice unless you have a good reason for it.
4. You should have a good, one sentence thesis at the end of your introduction.
5. Do not use "this" as a pronoun.
6. But most of all, remember what it means to have an argument: you have to make the case for a position against another plausible interpretation.
If you have any questions, contact me before it is too late. Your paper is due at 5 PM on February 10.