Your paper must have a thesis. This means that you will make a clear statement of what you are going to argue in your paper. You well then support your argument with examples and details from at least two of the texts we have discussed so far this semester. Seventeenth century Dutch genre painting may be considered as ‘text'.
Your thesis statement should appear in the first paragraph. The body paragraphs of your paper will support and develop your thesis. Your conclusion should reference your thesis statement and present a final thought, question, or flourish.
A good paper should and will take time and effort and it should be a rewarding opportunity for you to consolidate and showcase your knowledge and understanding.
Tips
• Brainstorm first.
• Make an outline.
• If you're having trouble getting started don't begin at the beginning.
• Write simply and clearly.
• Remember I am reading your paper. Show you're interested and thoughtful. Be engaged.
• If you don't understand what you're saying, I won't.
• Don't just make your paper ‘sound' like a paper.
• Don't repeat yourself.
• Don't give a summary of any texts. I read Othello, too. I don't need to know the story, I need insightful analysis.
• Don't tail off towards the end.
• Finish with a flourish.
• Use a written register. I encourage you to use the pronoun ‘I' as it brings you closer to your thoughts, however a paper is a formal document. It's not an email.
• Before you submit your paper check it for spelling and grammar.
If you have questions/concerns, email me on First Class.
Choose one question.
1. Choose three texts we have discussed and critically examine key questions that were raised. To what extent were these questions resolved by the texts?
2. How did Bacon's utopian vision contribute to the notion of Modern Thought? Refer to at least two other texts we have discussed in your paper.
3. Most texts we have considered so far this semester are concerned with essentially the same issues though the perspectives may be different. Discuss.
4. Discuss how at least two of the texts we have considered either shaped or foretold the world we live in.
5. Any medium can be used to effectively address the great questions and concerns of society. Discuss this statement with reference to at least two of the texts we have discussed.
6. What universal themes reveal themselves in the texts we have considered? How are they resolved?
7. How have the works we considered this semester shaped or reaffirmed your view of the world?
8. No political writing we have considered offers a practical solution to the question of how best to organize society
9. Explore the issue of ‘power' as it is discussed in at least three of the texts we have examined.
10. Discuss how human nature has been described in at least three of the texts we have explored. How do these views match up with your own?
11. Discuss how art and literature can be used as vehicles for exploring the human condition?
12. Discuss the view that science is fundamentally culturally determined with reference to three or more texts we have explored.