Writing Papers for REL 3170

Each paper will receive a mark out of 30. 10 marks are given for generic writing skills, 20 marks for skills that are particular to this course.

Grammar: /5
Papers must be written in good English. You may ask a friend to act as a proof-reader, that is, someone who reads your paper and points out grammatical errors, but if so, you must acknowledge their help.

Composition: /5
Papers must be well-organized. This means that you should avoid irrelevant material, and your material should be ordered so as to lead the reader towards your conclusion.

Understanding: /10
Remember, that one objective of this course is that you manifest a knowledge of different cultural perspectives. This means that you must show that you understand more than one point of view. An essay that is too one-sided will not receive a high mark for understanding, but it is important to understand what this means. An essay that clearly comes down in favor of one particular point of view is not necessarily one-sided. A paper that is one-sided is a paper where rival positions are not given proper consideration. To give a position proper consideration, you must show that you have studied the reasons why people hold such a position, and what replies they have put forward to objections. In order to demonstrate that you really know what you are talking about, make it apparent to me that you have done your research properly. When I read the paper, I should be able to tell that you have carefully read relevant material.

Evaluation: /10
Although I want you to consider a variety of points of view, you should be decisive. Remember, in Miss Universe Competition, is it enough to say 'I want World Peace'. In the United Nations, you need to outline what your plan for World Peace is, and that plan is bound to upset certain people. I do not want a Miss Universe Paper, that merely repeats platitudes that offend nobody, but fail to propose solutions to difficult problems. But, just stating your mind isn't enough either. You have to give some good reasons why peope should agree with what you say. What constitutes a 'good reason'? I hope that class discussion will make it clear how to distinguish between good reasons and bad reasons. Also, pay close attention to the comments I make on your papers: I will try to explain which of your reasons are strong and which are weak, and why.

Also, don't forget, plagiarism is prohibited!
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