GUIDELINES FOR WRITING ESSAYS
>
>Prof. Jonathan Sassi           College of Staten Island/CUNY
>COR 100                                Fall 1998
>
>
>1.  The most important thing you must do is answer the given question.  You
>are not to write about a topic of your own choosing.  You are not to write
>an essay that answers only part of the given question.  Rather, your essay
>should fully and coherently answer the question at hand.
>
>2.  Consider your argument carefully, and outline your ideas before you
>start writing.  Anticipate counter-arguments to your thesis.  Are your
>logic and argument airtight?  If not, revise your thesis to counter or
>incorporate challenging ideas.
>
>3.  Organization is critical.  Your paper should have an introduction,
>body, and conclusion.  The introduction begins by framing the question in
>general terms, then announces its one- or two-sentence answer, known as the
>thesis statement.  The body of the essay is meant to prove the
>introduction's thesis statement, and the ideas in the body of the paper
>should smoothly flow from one to the next.  The conclusion restates the
>main points of the preceding essay and your thesis.
>
>4.  Your arguments must be supported by relevant evidence taken from the
>readings.
>
>5.  Plagiarism is the misrepresentation of someone else's words or ideas as
>your own.  It is a most serious breach of academic honesty and integrity,
>and I will not tolerate it.  I promise you that I will prosecute plagiarism
>to the fullest extent allowed under college regulations, so don't even
>think about doing it!
>       In order to avoid the charge of plagiarism, you must cite your sources
>through the use of endnotes.  Consult a reference work such as The Chicago
>Manual of Style for endnote styles.
>
>6.  Your paper should be three or four pages long, typed, and
>double-spaced, in an easy-to-read font.  It should have one-inch margins
>all around the page, and each page should be numbered.  Please also include
>a cover page that includes the number of the question you're answering, the
>title of your paper, your name, the date, the course number, and my name.
>Do NOT put your paper in a report cover; a simple staple in the upper
>left-hand corner will suffice.
>
>7.  Details matter.  Your paper should use correct English prose.
>Attention to spelling and punctuation convey to your reader that you are
>putting forth your best effort.
>
>8.  Finally, feel free to consult with me should you have any questions.
>I'd rather not read rough drafts of papers, but would prefer to discuss the
>outline with you, which I think is more useful.