Guide to Writing Term Papers Getting Started 1. Choose something you are interested in! Writing over topics you loathe only makes the assignment unbearable. Instead, find a topic that interests you. 2. Begin finding sources now! Everything needs to come from the OSU Library: www.library.okstate.edu. 3. Prove everything – your paper should focus on the source material. You will construct an argument, but remember that you need to prove everything you write. 4. Save the thesis for last! Write about what you find in the movie/book and your sources first. Then see what you have proved. 5. With the thesis, set up your paper’s argument. Introduce the topic, and tell the reader what you are going to prove. 6. Make an argument – the goal is to compare the fictional movie with the historical reality. Feel free to say the movie is terrible! 7. Find good sources – make sure the sources are relevant – do not just make them fit. 8. If you need help – let me know! I will be more than glad to help with editing, finding sources, comments, etc. Stylistic Guidelines 1. Write in the third person – No “I,” “We,” “You,” “Us,” or things like that. Write with confidence and authority – in theory, you are proving what you are saying. 2. Use active voice – it makes the paper much more readable. For instance, “The Germans invaded France.” As opposed to “France was invaded by the Germans.” – It sounds better, gets more to the point, and helps keep reader interest. 3. Vary word choice – do not be repetitive, try to vary your words within paragraphs to increase readability. Using a thesaurus is helpful, though do not get to crazy with word usage! a. Note – this is a freshman paper, so do not worry too much about this. 4. Avoid, or at least use carefully, flowery language – for instance, historically a person “dies” not “passes away.” This is not to say you need to be boring with your language, but rather be sure to convey your meaning at all times 5. Avoid contractions and colloquialisms – the goal is formal academic writing. 6. Proofread! Proofread! Proofread! And did I mention, proofread! Always be sure to finish your paper in enough time that you can read it critically. Citations 1. Cite everything that is not common knowledge. The old metric was common knowledge was that “George Washington was the first president.” At bare minimum, you should cite at least once per paragraph. 2. Use Turabian style footnotes – the best place to see the appropriate style guidelines is http://www.press.uchicago.edu/books/turabian/turabian_citationguide.html 3. The paper must be cited! Some omissions are understandable, but an uncited paper could be seen as plagiarism. 4. Cite as you go – nothing is worse than having to remove good information because you cannot remember where you got it. If unsure – refer to the Reading Yesterday, Writing Today part of your textbook. Remember – to insert a footnote, click where you want the note, then in the header bar of MS Word click: Reference → Insert Footnote. Then, at the note, type the appropriate citation. Paper Assignment Representations of American Culture 100 Points Your assignment is to write a paper (4-6 pages) examining a movie, miniseries, short subject, or fictional book’s portrayal of a particular time in American history, and with the help of at least two (2) outside sources critically analyze the film. In four to six pages, the paper should attempt to address the following issues of the film: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. When was the film made? What era does it portray? What themes are present in the movie, and how well does it convey them? What can the movie tell about the era in which it was made? What can the film tell us about the popular perception of the era that is being portrayed? How accurate is the movie, compared with the information obtained in your source material? 7. How successful is the movie in conveying its chosen subject? 8. How can history as a backdrop to tell a story, and how can events be used in order to facilitate the telling of a story or push a modern message? There are any number of ways this assignment can be done. The most straightforward way might be simply selecting one movie and two secondary sources, but, it is also perfectly acceptable (if not encouraged) that students can select an early movie and a later movie about similar events or themes, to discuss changing perceptions. So, for instance, if one were interested in the retelling of the Normandy Landings on June 6, 1944, one might watch The Longest Day (1962) and Saving Private Ryan (1998), and compare how a thirty-six-year difference shapes the telling of a similar story. Another option might be to choose movies such as Mississippi Burning (1988) and Lee Daniels’ The Butler (2013) to describe the Civil Rights movement. For fictional movies in the list, such as On the Beach, Fail Safe, Dr. Strangelove, or Wargames, the objective would be to examine more what these movies tell about Cold War society and fear, and examine how these movies are representative of the time and society that created them – with analysis of their historical accuracy focusing more on analysis of the society of the time. Please note: in all cases, you must use two secondary sources. Within the paper, students should address the questions presented above, citing numerous examples from the film and contrasting that with similar examples from the relevant sources. The paper should discuss the themes presented in the movie, their historical accuracy, and the effectiveness that the movie conveys them. To some degree, this paper is also a movie review going beyond the historical accuracy of a movie and describing how effectively the movie communicates with an audience. As examples, papers over Lee Daniels’ The Butler should describe the effectiveness that the movie shows the changing nature of the Civil Rights Movement or how effectively it shows white racism during the 1930s-1960s. Please note that the movie selected (should students wish to depart from the provided list) must be about AMERICAN history – hence any movie selected not on the list must be approved by the instructor. Acceptable sources are scholarly works (they must include footnotes!) and journal articles obtained through the OSU Library system. If a website is to be used, you must obtain permission from the instructor to use a website! Any website used that is not approved will result in an automatic failing grade for the assignment. There will be NO approvals of websites such as Wikipedia, Answers.com, etc. Websites must be scholarly works to be approved, and only then at the discretion of the instructor. If a student wishes to use a movie or short subject not on the approved list, they must seek the permission of the instructor. However, there is a good sampling of movies and shorts on the list provided, many of which can be streamed from the internet (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and even YouTube carry full movies), purchased at movie stores, or rented through the OSU or Stillwater Library or Video Rental outlets (Hastings, Red Box, Blockbuster, etc). Grading Criteria The paper, beyond addressing the prompt and using citation, must be proofread, follow the rules of academic writing (see the Reading Yesterday, Writing Today handout), and avoid typographical errors, spelling errors, contractions, first person, run on sentences, and use correct grammar and punctuation. The paper must have a clear thesis statement (an argument, as in [for example] “the Civil War was an irrepressible conflict because...” or “the Civil War could have been avoided if…” Your essay must use paragraphs (three to five sentences) and evidence to support the thesis, and have a strong conclusion. If you need assistance, do not hesitate to see either the instructor, TAs, or go to the OSU Writing Center in Morrill Hall, Room 104. Your paper must be a minimum of four pages, and should not exceed six full pages (on the rare chance it does, it is perfectly fine). The paper should be in Times New Roman font, 12 point, with 1” margins. You will need to adjust the margins manually by using the Page Layout Tab of Microsoft Word. The paper must include footnotes, and you must cite all of your information to avoid the appearance of plagiarism. We will discuss this in class, however, the Reading Yesterday, Writing Today: A Student Guide to the Study of History at Oklahoma State University will be helpful in explaining how to properly footnote sources. The rubric lets you know how you will be graded, so before turning in your paper please review the rubric to ensure that your paper successfully meets the criteria. Possible Movie/Miniseries Choices – This is not a complete list, and was last updated in 2013 1776 The Patriot Revolution John Adams The Alamo (1960) The Alamo (2004) Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory Iron Horse Union Pacific Gettysburg Gods and Generals Glory Lincoln Young Mr. Lincoln North and South Blue and the Gray Hell on Wheels The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Wyatt Earp The Grapes of Wrath Truman The Young Lions Sahara Sergeant York Company K All Quiet on the Western Front Fighting 69th The Big Red One The Longest Day Midway John Ford’s The Battle of Midway Guadalcanal Diary Wing and a Prayer Saving Private Ryan A Bridge Too Far Judgment at Nuremburg The Pacific Pork Chop Hill Band of Brothers The Right Stuff From the Earth to the Moon October Sky The Help Apollo 13 Forrest Gump Mississippi Burning Ghosts of Mississippi The Kennedys JFK Fail Safe (either version) The Color Purple On the Beach Goodnight and Good Luck Thirteen Days Apocalypse Now Full Metal Jacket Platoon Dr. Strangelove The Day After Wargames Charlie Wilson’s War 42 The Conspirator J. Edgar Gangs of New York Black Hawk Down Public Enemies Road to Perdition The Untouchables We Were Soldiers Red Tails Milk Frost/Nixon The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford Battle for Haditha Aviator Hyde Park on Hudson The Godfather Part I Pearl Harbor Patton Tuskeegee Airmen How the West Was Won Chaplin Hiroshima Argo The Godfather Part II Tora Tora Tora Malcolm X Men of Honor Great Gatsby (either version) Grading Rubric for Term Paper Name:__________________________________ Automatic F Penalties Does not meet minimum four full pages ____ No citations ____ Does not follow prompt ____ Point Deductions (at the Discretion of the TA/Instructor) Improper Margins or Font ____ Grade Items ____ Thesis (10 Points) – Does the student have a clear, concise thesis? ____ Uses at Least 2 Secondary Sources. (20 Points) – Does the student uses at least two books, with multiple citations from each? ____ Discussion and Critique the Historical Nature and Accuracy of the Movie. (45 Points) – Does the student adequately discuss the themes, tropics, and topics discussed in the movie, what they say both about the events portrayed AND the time the movie was made, as well as discusses the accuracy of the portrayal of events? ____ Academic Writing, Organization, and Polish (25 Points) – Does the student follow the rules of academic writing? Avoid first person, contractions, grammatical errors, etc? Comments: Grade____/100
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