Description
Assignment I – Short, Scholarly Essay on the Iliad Your first writing assignment is a short scholarly essay on the Iliad, roughly five pages, double-spaced, with a Works Cited section at the end (a separate page 6, or place on the bottom of page 5). Let me explain what I mean by a scholarly essay. Basically, we are trying to prepare you to write the kind of article that one might find in a journal. You all could be published before you graduate! Those essays are much longer than 5 pages—they are usually 18-30 pages in manuscript form. What I want you to produce (just do your best) is a short scholarly essay where you cite from the Iliad and also from scholarly sources to support an argument or thesis to create the sort of essays that you are reading. You must have a title (not “Assignment I”) and a thesis statement. I look for your thesis statement somewhere towards the end of the first paragraph or beginning of the second (I often underline it when I grade a paper). The title and thesis statement help to communicate to your reader what it is you are writing about. In your essay, you must argue your case (your thesis) using evidence from the text itself and scholarly sources. These sources must be cited according to MLA style guidelines. Requirements for Assignment 1: * Your paper MUST have a title and a thesis communicating the main point you are trying to argue. * You MUST include and correctly cite at least one line from the work itself, but preferably a lot more. You should try to cite lines from the original text. For the Iliad, lines are cited (Book.Lines). * You MUST include and correctly cite at least one scholarly source from an academic journal, but it will be easier to write if you reference more sources. Take your sources from the library’s online databases to make sure they are scholarly. * Your paper MUST include a Works Cited page with MLA formatted references.
