Human-Animal Relationships

Human-Animal Relationships

Much of this semester has been devoted to researching and writing individual your individual research papers related to the course’s theme. They can be geared towards your own background and interests, whether those are in history, education, arts and literature, medicine, animal rights, religion, or anything else!

You should construct an argument that supports a convincing thesis in response to your topic. You should build a persuasive case using evidence from a mix of scholarly and popular sources, using primary or secondary material. You should not just describe or report on your topic, but present a strong point of view that takes a particularly position relevant to existing scholarship and criticism.

Instructions:

The paper should be 20-25 pages in length (12 pt, Times New Roman font, one inch width margins). Your paper must be organized around a thesis that addresses the questions raised by your chosen topic. Build on in-class exercises on thesis writing and making an argument. Assume your audience is the community of similar scholars like your classmates and your instructor. You can expect us to have a general knowledge of Animal Studies, but not necessarily the context of your topic. You must follow all the paper style guidelines (below). Be sure to use explicit examples from books, articles, and other sources to advance your argument. You should use material quoted from the sources, but direct quotations should compose less than 20 percent of the paper.

Grading:

This paper is worth 45 percent of your final grade for the course.

Late paper policy: Final paper grades will be lowered by 1/3 of a full letter grade for each day that the paper is late, including weekends. Extensions can be made in extenuating circumstances by contacting me directly and making arrangements in advance.

Style Guidelines BASICS:

Each paper is to be 20 to 25 typed pages in length – about 5000 to 6500 words! Typed—12 point, Times New Roman font. Double-spaced on 8 ½ x 11 white paper One-inch margins (check your defaults! Microsoft Word often sets these at 1.25 inches!) Page numbers Grammar, sentence structure, and quality of organization of thoughts will all affect the overall quality of your paper. Take time to both edit and proofread your paper at all stages! Remember that you must have a strong and clear introduction and a conclusion that summarizes your argument.

CITATION and QUOTATIONS:

Quotations and citations are necessary to give support to your arguments. Remember that although some quotations are necessary, avoid too many direct quotations or really long quotations—paraphrase using your own words. Keep quoted material to under 20 percent of the final paper. Proper citation for this assignment is the use of EITHER: footnotes according to the Chicago Manual of Style (single spaced, 10 pt font) OR parenthetical references in APA or MLA style. All ideas that you have used from the sources must be properly cited!

Plagiarism (using someone else’s words, ideas, or interpretations without giving them credit) will not be tolerated. Proven cases of plagiarism will result in a zero for the assignment, the possibility of an F in the course, and a report to the Dean of Students.