Senior Essay Guide - 2009

 

For the PDF Version - CLICK HERE

 

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Chapter One - Five Steps to Writting a Successful Senior Essay
Chapter Two - The Senior Essay in the Fall
Chapter Three - The Senior Essay in the Spring: Mile by Mile
Chapter Four - Useful Miscellaneous Information
Chapter Five - Senior Essay Calendar

 

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CHAPTER ONE: FIVE STEPS TO WRITTING A SUCCESSFUL SENIOR ESSAY
How does one Eat an Elephant? In many small pieces!

 

Welcome to your final year at Yale College and to RLST 491!

The senior essay provides you with a unique opportunity to pursue an independent research project of your own (and only your own) interest. This is your project!

I hope you will enjoy working on your essay. The following pages summarize some important points about how to go about writing this essay. All the forms you find in this book are available online. Please go to the classes website and print them out for your personal use.

Good luck reading, researching, and writing!  If you have questions about the senior essay process (or just want to vent), write an email to the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Paula Hyman at paula.hyman@yale.edu.

 

Your Project
By the end of the year you will most certainly know more about your topic than most in the university and academy (including your advisor). You will have spent countless hours in the library or your favorite study spot, solved hard problems only to encounter new ones, fretted over lost quotations and the just perfect formulation. You will have contributed to the tapestry of scholarship in the humanities. Most importantly, you will have found your own voice and you will have begun to stake out your place in the study of religion and beyond.

Whether you see the essay as the crowning of four years of college or as a tentative exploration into a topic with which you are deeply concerned or as the (your) answer to a burning question, the important point to remember is, this is your project.

What does that mean?

First: Thou shall have fun with the essay!

• Work on something that keeps you motivated.
• Work on something that keeps you restless.
• Work on something that is manageable.

Second: You have to choose your topic!

• Reflect on your academic interests
• Narrow your interests into one question or a set of questions
• Think about resources for your questions

Third: You are responsible for your essay!

• It is your job to plan a YEAR LONG PROJECT.
• It is your job to follow through and KEEP THE DEADLINES (your advisor cannot extend the deadlines outlined in the senior-essay time line).
• It is your job to make your advisor relationship work.

Eating the Elephant
We expect from you a well-argued, organized, well-documented and original piece of work that is a joy to read. If our experience in the last few years is any indicator, then you will have no trouble doing just that! Right now this might feel overwhelming. Perhaps you have never produced such a long piece of work and you wonder how to organize it (12-15 K words as the Blue Book says). Here are some suggestions:

• Break the essay down into manageable individual tasks.

What are the overarching questions? What are sub-questions? And what are the individual elements of each question? (This is the architecture of your argument.)

What needs to be done first, what can wait for later, and which tasks need to be done in which order? The dead-lines on the calendar are a help for you to think about these questions. Set your own dead-lines. (This is the flow of your project.)

Intellectual Architect & Project Manager

• Find resource-persons to talk about your project.

Your advisor being one of them. But who else in the department or the university could you talk to about your project? Email people in the field. Maybe the specialist in the area will be intrigued and reply. Don’t be shy! Talk to friends, roommates, colleagues.

Network!

• Write, Write a Lot and, Write Early.

Start jotting down ideas on paper.

To refocus: Write in one sentence what your essay is about.

Start Writing Now!

• Budget Time.

Try to manage your Time: How much time do you need to spend to get each task done?

Try to work every day on your project – even if it’s for only half an hour.

Work backwards from the deadlines to determine how much time you need.

Remember study breaks and factor in time for little things like binding, printing and delivering the essay. Think about your spring break now.

No senior essay gets written in all-nighters.

 

Many Words about Advisors
Your advisor is an important resource!

However, you must take the initiative in shaping this important academic relationship. This may be intimidating, but it is a learning experience to deal with professional relationships. Plus, our faculty loves to work with undergraduate students.

YOU need to make sure that you are meeting on a regular basis. Ask your advisor whether he or she is willing to meet with you once a month. If the advisor feels a regular meeting is not so important, you should make sure that you schedule a follow up meeting WHILE YOU ARE STILL IN THE OFFICE.

(Some advisors are very busy people and while they are enthusiastic about advising you, your email in the middle of November following up on your meeting in the first week of September might not get the deserved attention – or rather it might get the deserved attention . . .)

You need to test out EARLY ON whether your advisor has the time and flexibility to work with you, and whether you feel comfortable working with this particular person. To discover in the spring that you are not well matched is not good. CONTACT THE DUS IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS!

Do this sooner rather than later so that we can switch advisors or do something about it. Sometimes, just talking about your frustration helps to define new goals and strategies. Sometimes it is best to switch advisors.

Your advisors are not supposed to write the essay for you; neither are they a convenient encyclopedia or library catalogue. They will help you think through your project by asking questions, questioning your answers, and by helping you detect strength and weaknesses of your argument.

Every advisor has his or her own style. Some meet regularly others meet sporadically. Some ask you to write short papers for them, others don’t. What would help you best to achieve your goal? (Well, what was my goal again?)  Make sure you know what your expectations are and communicate them with your advisor.

 

Grading in the Fall: RLST 491a
The DUS assigns first semester grades based on

1. Timely submission of all required assignments in consultation with your advisor (see check-list below).  You must have completed the assignments on or before the deadlines listed in the senior essay calendar to receive a grade of SAT.  Two or more late submissions will lead to a grade of NSAT for RLST 491a. These requirements are not negotiable. Your advisor does not have the authority to override these requirements.
2. Participation in ALL mandatory meetings as outlined on the time-table. If you miss more than two meetings with or without excuse the DUS will not grant an SAT.

Extensions can only be granted by the DUS. To be eligible for an extension you need a dean’s excuse outlining the reason you cannot meet the deadline.

If you pass RLST 491a satisfactorily, your grade for 491a will be replaced at the end of the academic year by the grade of the essay.  However, should you receive a grade of NSAT for RLST 491a then your final grade for the entire course will be lowered by a third of a grade. E.g., your received a grade of NSAT for RLST 491a and your senior essay is graded A minus.  The resulting grade for RLST 491 (a & b) will be B+.

During the spring term, a NS grade in 491a will be changed only if the grade was recorded in error.  There are no make-ups.

Students who receive an NS in RLST 491a should still register for and complete RLST 491b.

 

Grading in the Spring: RLST 491a & b
To begin writing sooner rather than later, you are required to hand in to the DUS and to your advisor ONE CHAPTER of your essay on the due-date in early FEBRUARY as specified in your senior essay calendar. Failure to submit this chapter on time will affect your final grade for RLST 491 (see below).

After you hand in your essay, the DUS will assign a second reader for your work. The second reader and your advisor together assign a grade for your senior essay. You will also receive a reader’s report by both readers.  If the two readers are unable to agree on a grade the DUS will assign a third reader. The final grade for the essay will then be determined by the DUS based on the three reader’s reports. If the DUS is one of the readers, they will assign another faculty member (usually the chair of the department) to assign the grade for the essay.

If you received a SAT for RLST 491a and if you submitted the required first chapter on time, the grade of the essay will be converted into the grade for the entire year-long course RLST 491 a & b.

However, failure to submit the required first chapter on time will lower your final grade for RLST 491b by a third of the grade. E.g., Your first chapter was late and your essay received an A minus.  The resulting grade for RLST 491 a& b will be B+  If you have received a grade of SAT for your first semester; if your chapter is late and if you had received a grade of NSAT for RLST 491a, then your final grade would be B.

The final grade for RLST 491a cannot be changed – except in the case of an administrative error.

The advisor or the DUS (upon receiving the readers’ reports) can also nominate your essay for prizes.

The most important thing however is that you have produced a wonderful piece of work, your work, and that you have found your voice in the academy. You have accomplished an important and major achievement! Congrats! (Well, more about that later…)

 

Fall Checklist: Receiving credit for RLST 491a
To Earn an SAT in 491a you must:

• Register
• Attend ALL mandatory meetings (two excused absences are permissible)
• Submit a Statement of Intent (signed by you and your advisor)
• Attend an individual library colloquium
• Submit a research plan
• Submit a three-page prospectus
• Submit an annotated bibliography

ALL REQUIREMENTS MUST BE FULFILLED ON OR BEFORE THE DEADLINES SPECIFIED IN THE SENIOR ESSAY CALENDAR

Don’t forget to register for the second semester

NOTE: YOUR ADVISOR MAY NOT EXCUSE YOU FROM ANY REQUIREMENT NOR FROM ANY DEADLINE SPECIFIED IN THE SENIOR ESSAY CALENDAR. IF AT ALL EXTENSIONS MUST BE REQUESTED IN ADVANCE FROM THE DUS IN THE DEPARTMENT, ONLY THE DUS CAN GRANT EXTENSIONS.

 

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CHAPTER TWO: THE SENIOR ESSAY IN THE FALL

What is an advisor?

Who could it be?
You advisor must be a member of the Religious Studies Department (exceptions must be granted by the DUS). You cannot write an essay without an advisor. You are responsible for finding an advisor by the deadline outlined in the Senior Essay Time-Table.

Ideally you will ask a faculty member whom you already know to be your advisor – you have taken classes with this professor, you are interested in your future advisor’s approach to scholarship, and you share a common academic interest.

If you are not in this ideal situation, you can select an advisor according to two criteria:

They are the expert in your topic. You hope to profit from your advisor’s expert knowledge and this advisor will be deeply knowledgeable about the material supporting your research.

They are somewhat familiar with your topic and very much committed to the process of helping you write an essay. You have taken classes with them and you very much liked this faculty member’s intellectual approach to things. You hope to profit from your advisor’s general intellectual approach and from his or her ability to break down the complex task of research into a productive process.

In any event MAKE SURE YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE TO MEET WITH AND TALK TO YOUR ADVISOR.

 

What to do?
Meet with your advisor AT ONCE. Remember that you need to be proactive in finding a topic and in finding the right person to work with.

To prepare for this meeting you should bring an idea about what you want to work with (WRITE IT DOWN before hand).

 

What is the Statement of Intent?
The Statement of Intent is a thoughtful (albeit preliminary) answer to three questions:

1. What you want to research?
2. Why the effort is worthwhile?
3. How you want to go about it?

It is one page in length (double-spaced and Font 12) and needs to be signed by both you and the advisor!

Rule #1 - Choose a topic that interests you.
Rule #2 - Just because something interests you does not mean that it is a good topic. 

As you are considering a topic, try to write three sentences that describe it.  Then ask three questions you want to know about it.  Then determine three types of primary sources to which you might go to answer those questions.  If you cannot do these things, rethink the topic, but be sure that it is something absolutely compelling to you.

Briefly search the secondary literature to determine what exists and what does not exist on your topic.  At this early stage, you want to be sure that enough secondary literature exists to guide you to new questions and sources, and you want to be sure that someone has not published an important book that answers all of the questions you want to ask of a topic.  Do not worry that there are no topics left.  A good topic springs from a unique combination of your interests, your education, your experiences and your temperament.

If you are having trouble identifying a topic that compels you, try to identify a collection of primary sources or religious literature that interests you and develop questions based on that.  These questions can then lead you to relevant secondary literature.

Go online for tips getting started!
Retrieved 4/21/2009:
http://www.yale.edu/history/documents/2008-2009SrEssayHandbook.pdf

Another source for helpful writing and topic finding tips is here:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_plan2.html

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE STATEMENT OF INTENT FORM

 

What is Library Research?
Now that you have a general idea about the topic of your essay, you need to find resources.

Ask yourself:

• What TYPE of resources do you need (books, anthropological data, cultural artifacts, primary sources, secondary sources, interviews, web-sites, videos)? Make a “shopping list” and bring it with you to the meeting!
• What sources/ materials do you already have? Which books were helpful for your project etc? Make a list of the things you have and bring it with you to the meeting!
• Go over the bibliographies of the newest books, articles, etc that address your topic. Look for interesting authors and works. Try to find out more about their publications. How can you find a reliable (!!!) book-review of this book with the exciting title you just heard about? Make a list with questions like these and bring it with you to the meeting.

Kate Turabian, Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations
(Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996)

FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH THE CORRECT WAY OF CITING AND QUOTING DIFFERENT MATERIALS.

A Manual for Writers by Kate Turabian, which is available at the Yale Bookstore, provides the only styles acceptable for the senior essay in Religious Studies. (That means that MLA or APA in-text documentation styles are not acceptable.)

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE LIBRARY RESEARCH COLLOQUIUM FORM

What is a Research Plan?
What is your topic?
Now that you have done preliminary research about your topic, let us come back to your statement of intention. They research plan is the opportunity to refocus you efforts. It should have three parts:

Why is it important?
First part:
Answer again the three questions:

(1) What is your topic?
(2) Why is it important?
(3) How do you go about it?

Be careful not to simply cut & paste, but rethink and rework your project

How did you go about it?
Second Part:

What is the material basis of your work? What are the major works in the field you have discovered?  Say briefly why they matter (or why they don’t).

Third Part:

End with a series of questions you will ask of your topic?  These questions are pointers for you as to how to develop your project.  What is your strategy and what is the next step?

TWO PAGES, DOUBLE SPACED, Font 12

ON THE TOP OF THE RESEARCH PLAN WRITE A ONE SENTENCE DESCRIPTION OF YOUR TOPIC.

 

What is the Prospectus?
“By now you should have distilled your thoughts and questions about your topic into a thesis statement.  Your three-page prospectus should open with a short description of the topic and present your thesis statement.  Your thesis statement is the argument you hope to make based on your source materials. It is, in effect, the "message" you want to leave with your readers, the conclusion that will indicate the significance of what you have written.  At this point in your work your thesis may be tentative, and it may change as you continue your research.  That is fine.  But providing at least a provisional thesis statement is an important part of the process of moving forward on your essay. The three-page prospectus should offer a brief background on the topic and explain how your research will make a unique contribution to it.  This part will quite likely become the introduction to your senior essay.  Then discuss the major secondary literature that exists on the topic and describe the primary sources you will use to contribute an original addition to that literature. Later, this can become the core of your bibliographical essay.”   (History Department Senior Essay Handbook, p. 16).

ON THE TOP OF THE 3 PAGE PROSPECTUS, WRITE A ONE SENTENCE DESCRIPTION OF YOUR TOPIC.

Keep in Mind:
That your prospectus revolves about your thesis-statement.  This is the claim YOU are making.

For more information see the following handout from Purdue University’s Writing Center.

 

Writting a Thesis Statement

Brought to you by the Purdue University Online Writing Lab at
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/01/

A thesis statement is a sentence (or sentences) that expresses the main ideas of your paper and answers the question or questions posed by your paper. It offers your readers a quick and easy to follow summary of what the paper will be discussing and what you as a writer are setting out to tell them. The kind of thesis that your paper will have will depend on the purpose of your writing. This handout will cover general thesis statement tips, explain some of the different types of thesis statements, and provide some links to other resources about writing thesis statements.

General Thesis Statement Tips

• A thesis statement generally consists of two parts: your topic, and then the analysis, explanation(s), or assertion(s) that you're making about the topic. The kind of thesis statement you write will depend on what kind of paper you're writing.
• In some kinds of writing, such as narratives or descriptions, a thesis statement is less important, but you may still want to provide some kind of statement in your first paragraph that helps to guide your reader through your paper.
• A thesis statement is a very specific statement -- it should cover only what you want to discuss in your paper, and be supported with specific evidence. The scope of your paper will be determined by the length of your paper and any other requirements that might be in place.
• Generally, a thesis statement appears at the end of the first paragraph of an essay, so that readers will have a clear idea of what to expect as they read.
• You can think of your thesis as a map or a guide both for yourself and your audience, so it might be helpful to draw a chart or picture of your ideas and how they're connected to help you get started.
• As you write and revise your paper, it's okay to change your thesis statement -- sometimes you don't discover what you really want to say about a topic until you've started (or finished) writing! Just make sure that your "final" thesis statement accurately shows what will happen in your paper.

Analytical Thesis Statements
In an analytical paper, you are breaking down an issue or an idea into its component parts, evaluating the issue or idea, and presenting this breakdown and evaluation to your audience. An analytical thesis statement will explain:

• What you are analyzing.
• The parts of your analysis.
• The order in which you will be presenting your analysis.

Example: An analysis of barn owl flight behavior reveals two kinds of flight patterns: one related to hunting prey and the second related to courtship.

A reader who encountered that thesis in a paper would expect an explanation of the analysis of barn owl flight behavior, and then an explanation of the two kinds of flight patterns.

Questions to ask yourself when writing an analytical thesis statement:

• What did I analyze?
• What did I discover in my analysis?
• How can I categorize my discoveries?
• In what order should I present my discoveries?

Expository (Explanatory) Thesis Statements
In an expository paper, you are explaining something to your audience. An expository thesis statement will tell your audience:

• What you are going to explain to them.
• The categories you are using to organize your explanation.
• The order in which you will be presenting your categories.

Example: The lifestyles of barn owls include hunting for insects and animals, building nests, and raising their young.

A reader who encountered that thesis would expect the paper to explain how barn owls hunt for insects, build nests, and raise young.

Questions to ask yourself when writing an expository thesis statement:

• What am I trying to explain?
• How can I categorize my explanation into different parts?
• In what order should I present the different parts of my explanation?

Argumentative Thesis Statements
In an argumentative paper, you are making a claim about a topic and justifying this claim with reasons and evidence. This claim could be an opinion, a policy proposal, an evaluation, a cause-and-effect statement, or an interpretation. However, this claim must be a statement that people could possibly disagree with, because the goal of your paper is to convince your audience that your claim is true based on your presentation of your reasons and evidence. An argumentative thesis statement will tell your audience:

• Your claim or assertion.
• The reasons/evidence that support this claim.
• The order in which you will be presenting your reasons and evidence.

Example: Barn owls' nests should not be eliminated from barns because barn owls help farmers by eliminating insect and rodent pests.

A reader who encountered this thesis would expect to be presented with an argument and evidence that farmers should not get rid of barn owls when they find them nesting in their barns.

Questions to ask yourself when writing an argumentative thesis statement:

• What is my claim or assertion?
• What are the reasons I have to support my claim or assertion?
• In what order should I present my reasons?

This handout written by Erin Karper, August 2002
Last edited by Allen Brizee on September 10th 2008

This page is located at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/

 

What is an Annotated Bibliography?
This assignment gives you a solid research basis for your project. By now you should know what major books and articles are essential for your work. Collect all the secondary sources on a single list. This is the bibliography part! Make sure to follow the Chicago Manual of Style conventions.

For this list of books and articles to become useful we ask you to “annotate” it, i.e.: to make notes under each entry.

You should give a short summary of the argument of the work and a write one sentence or two assessing its usefulness for you.

The annotated bibliography should be approximately five pages long (single spaced, Font 12).

ON THE TOP OF THIS ASSIGNMENT WRITE A ONE SENTENCE DESCRIPTION OF YOUR TOPIC.

For more information, see the handout on annotated bibliographies from Purdue University's writing center.

Annotated Bibliographies

Brought to you by the Purdue University Online Writing Lab at
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/01

Definition
A bibliography is a list of sources (books, journals, websites, periodicals, etc.) one has used for researching a topic. A bibliography usually just includes the bibliographic information (i.e., the author, title, publisher, etc.).

An annotation is a summary and/or evaluation. Therefore, an annotated bibliography includes a summary and/or evaluation of each of the sources. Depending on your project or the assignment, your annotations may do one or more of the following:

Summarize: Some annotations merely summarize the source. What are the main arguments? What is the point of this book or article? What topics are covered? If someone asked what this article/book is about, what would you say? The length of your annotations will determine how detailed your summary is.

For more help, see our handout on paraphrasing sources at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/01/

Assess: After summarizing a source, it may be helpful to evaluate it. Is it a useful source? How does it compare with other sources in your bibliography? Is the information reliable? Is it this source biased or objective? What is the goal of this source?

For more help, see our handouts on evaluating resources at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_evalsource3.html

Reflect: Once you've summarized and assessed a source, you need to ask how it fits into your research. Was this source helpful to you? How does it help you shape your argument? How can you use this source in your research project? Has it changed how you think about your topic?

Your annotated bibliography may include some of these, all of these, or even others. So it's important, if you're doing this for a class, to get specific guidelines from your instructor.

Purpose
To learn about your topic: Writing an annotated bibliography is excellent preparation for a research project. Just collecting sources for a bibliography is useful, but when you have to write annotations for each source, you're forced to read each source more carefully. You begin to read more critically instead of just collecting information.

To help you formulate a thesis: Every good research paper is an argument. The purpose of research is to state and support a thesis. So a very important part of research is developing a thesis that is debatable, interesting, and current. Writing an annotated bibliography can help you gain a good perspective on what is being said about your topic. By reading and responding to a variety of sources on a topic, you'll start to see what the issues are, what people are arguing about, and you'll then be able to develop your own point of view.

To help other researchers: Extensive and scholarly annotated bibliographies are sometimes published. They provide a comprehensive overview of everything that has been and is being said about that topic. You may not ever get your annotated bibliography published, but as a researcher, you might want to look for one that has been published about your topic.

Format
The format of an annotated bibliography can vary, so if you're doing one for a class, it's important to ask for specific guidelines.

Examples
See our handout for sample entries for an annotated bibliography at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/02/

Written by Geoff Stacks and Erin Karper, July 2001.

 

What is an Outline or 10 page draft?
At the end of the first semester you should be able to give an overview of your project – and in so doing you will learn what you overlooked and where your work is strong.

You can choose between (1) an outline of the essay or (2) a ten-page draft.

The Outline is a detailed and annotated table of content (see more below). It is important to think of the outline as the flow-chart of your argument. What do you need to establish first? What sub-points do you need to make? Etc.

If you chose this option you need

• To give a paragraph long summary of what you will argue or work on in each section.
• To set dead-lines for each section. When will you finish the second chapter? (This will give you a very good sense of how to allocate time in the spring semester)

The Ten-page draft is like the introduction to your senior essay. Now you have ten pages to answer the three questions:

1. What is your topic?
2. Why is it important?
3. How do you go about it?

However you need to incorporate the progress you made. For example, you need to tell the reader why your treatment of the topic is important. Thus, you need to talk about the other works in the field (using your bibliography).

Some people need a linear progression of the argument to best structure their works, others need to start writing and working. Choose the method that helps you best to LOOK AHEAD and structure the final stretch of writing the entire senior essay.

ON THE TOP OF THIS ASSIGNMENT WRITE A ONE SENTENCE DESCRIPTION OF YOUR TOPIC.

For more information about outlines, see the handout on outlines by Purdue University’s writing center!

 

Developing an Outline

Brought to you by the Purdue University Online Writing Lab at http://owl.english.purdue.edu

________________________________________

To review a sample outline, see the OWL document Sample Outline at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/544/01/

For more information about writing research papers, visit
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/ResearchW/index.html

See our overview page as well as our new, extensive research paper workshop. For general writing concerns, visit http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/index.html, see our overview page on that topic.

See the OWL document “When You Start to Write” for more help with the early stages of the writing process at  http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_plan2.html

 

Developing an Outline
An outline is:

• A logical, general description
• A schematic summary
• An organizational pattern
• A visual and conceptual design of your writing

An outline reflects logical thinking and clear classification.

 

Purpose
General:

• A logical, general description

Specific:

• Helps you organize your ideas
• Presents your materials in a logical form
• Shows the relationships among ideas in your writting
• Constructs an ordered overview of your writting
• Defines boundaries and groups

Process
Before you begin:

• Determine the purpose of your paper.
• Determine the audience you are writting for.
• Develop the thesis of your paper.

Then:

• Brainstorm: List all the ideas that you want to include in your paper.
• Organize: Group related ideas together.
• Order: Arrange material in subsections from general to specific or from abstract to concrete.
• Label: Create main and sub headings.

Theory
An outline has a balanced structure based on the following principles:

• Parallelism
• Coordination
• Subordination
• Division

Parallelism
Whenever possible, in writing an outline, coordinate heads should be expressed in parallel form. That is, nouns should be made parallel with nouns, verb forms with verb forms, adjectives with adjectives, and so on (Example: Nouns - computers, programs, users; Verbs - to compute, to program, to use; Adjectives - home computers, new programs, experienced users).  Although parallel structure is desired, logical and clear writing should not be sacrificed simply to maintain parallelism.  (For example, there are times when nouns and gerunds at the same level of an outline are acceptable.) Reasonableness and flexibility of form is preferred to rigidity.

Coordination
In outlining, those items which are of equal significance have comparable numeral or letter designations: an A is equal to a B, a 1 to a 2, an a to a b, etc. Coordinates should be seen as having the same value. Coordination is a principle that enables a writer to maintain a coherent and consistent document.

Correct coordination

A. Word processing programs
B. Database programs
C. Spreadsheet programs

Faulty coordination

A. Word processing programs
B. Microsoft Word
C. Page Maker

Explanation: Word is a type of word processing program and should be treated as a subdivision. Page Maker is a type of desktop publishing program. One way to correct coordination would be:

A. Types of programs

1. Word processing
2. Desktop publishing

B. Evaluation of programs

1. Word processing

a. Word
b. Word Perfect

2. Desktop Publishing

a. Page Maker
b. Quark Express

Subordination
In order to indicate levels of significance, an outline uses major and minor headings.  Thus in ordering ideas, you should organize it from general to specific or from abstract to concrete- the more general or abstract the term, the higher the level or rank in the outline. This principle allows your material to be ordered in terms of logic and requires a clear articulation of the relationship between component parts used in the outline.  Subdivisions of each higher division should always have the same relationship to the whole.

Correct subordination

A. Word processing programs

1. Microsoft Word
2. Word Perfect

B. Desktop publishing programs

1. PageMaker
2. Quark Express

Faulty subordination

A. Word processing programs

1. Word
2. Useful
3. Obsolete

Explanation: There is an A without a B. Also 1, 2, and 3 are not equal; Word is a type of word processing program, and useful and obsolete are qualities. One way to correct this faulty subordination is:

A. Word

1. Positive features
2. Negative features

B. Word Perfect

1. Positive features
2. Negative features

 

Division
To divide you always need at least two parts; therefore, there can never be an A without a B, a 1 without a 2, an a without a b, etc. Usually there is more than one way to divide parts; however, when dividing use only one basis of division at each rank, and make the basis of division as sharp as possible.

Correct division

A. Personal computers: hardware

1. Types
2. Cost
3. Maintenance

B. Personal computers: software

Faulty division

A. Computers

1. Mainframe
2. Micro

a. Floppy disk
b. Hard disk

B. Computer uses

1. Institutional
2. Personal

Form
The most important rule for outlining form is to be consistent!

An outline can use topic or sentence structure.

A topic outline uses words or phrases for all entries and uses no punctuation after entries.

Advantages: presents a brief overview of work and is generally easier and faster to write than a sentence outline.

A sentence outline uses complete sentences for all entries and uses correct punctuation.

Advantages: presents a more detailed overview of work including possible topic sentences and is easier and faster for writing the final paper.

An outline can use Roman numerals/letters or decimal form.

Roman Numeral

I.

A.
B.

1.
2.

a.
b.

 

Decimal

1.0

1.1
1.2

1.2.1
1.2.2

1.2.2.1
1.2.2.2

See OWL handout for a sample outline at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/544/01/

 

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CHAPTER THREE - THE SENIOR ESSAY IN THE SPRING: MILE BY MILE
It is a Marathon, Dear Student!

 

With the spring semester you are entering the most exciting phase of the senior essay process: you are actually beginning to make it happen!  At the same time, you are entering the most dangerous phase: now it is up to you to make it happen!

Many students react to this combination of high hopes and unstructured time with procrastination or with writers block or (insert any other academic dysfunction).

Not to scare you, but to alert you of possible pitfalls let me mention something important students who in the recent past have received very disappointing grades for their essay (a C or even a D) did not know how to manage their time and the pressures of actually writing a long essay.

You need to spend some time at the beginning of the spring term to realize that you are in for a marathon – and to make choices accordingly.  You need to be on your most adult behavior with regards to this project. And a lot of that has to do with time management.

 

Some Words on Time Management
You know the finish line in this marathon – the due date for the first draft is shortly after spring break – but do you know how many actual work days you have to finish your project?

Let’s assume that you are reading this over break at home and you think: “Oh, I have three months, from January to March.  That is great! I have a full nineteen days to work on this essay.” 

Well, think twice!  How realistic is it to assume that you will spend every day (from Monday to Sunday) working on your senior essay?  What about other responsibilities, parties, slumps, and days to visit your ailing dog at home?  So the first step is that you make a realistic assessment of your time.  How many working days can you dedicate to essay work, and how many hours per day can you work on your essay?  Again, be realistic.  You will not work 10 hours per day on your essay.  If you do, your work won’t be of good quality.  Even if you do well working smaller papers in “bursts” of high productivity during “all-nighters,” this strategy will not work for a big project such as the senior essay.

By the beginning of the spring semester, you will have a structure for your essay.  You have written your outline and your overview of the essay.   Now you need to sit down and decide how many days to allocate to each chapter of your essay.  This strategy gives you a clear picture of how to work on your essay.

 

Beginning to Write: A First Chapter
The most difficult part is . . . beginning to write.  Start jotting ideas on paper, have your “senior essay blog,” and do whatever it takes to begin writing.  Most importantly, dedicate at least 15 minutes every day to writing your senior essay material.  Keeping a constant pace is essential.

To facilitate this process, you have to hand in one first chapter (it does not need to be the first chapter) of your essay by the dead-line specified in the calendar.  Your advisor may not exempt you from this requirement.

 

Citation Anxiety?
The first rule is that if you cite verbatim you need a reference (see case A).

A) Kant's first formulation of the categorical imperative states that "the universal maxim blah blah" (Groundworks, xxx).

The second rule is that if you cite summarily, then you need a reference.

B) While Kant uses in the Groundworks different formulations for the categorical imperative, the general thrust of the argument is clear: The autonomous self is beholden to its function as universal lawgiver (Groundworks, page number for example for different formulations, and page number for example for general thrust).

Finally, if something has influenced your thinking in the widest sense or if you make a widely generalized claim then you don't to cite.

C) Kant's categorical imperative has remained very influential in contemporary ethics (no citation necessary). D) In the development of my thought, I am influenced by a Kantian framework (no reference needed). But why would you want to make such generalized (and potentially empty) claims?   Back to Top

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CHAPTER FOUR - USEFUL MISCELANEOUS INFORMATION
A Horrible Story about Data Loss

 

Just when I thought I had seen it all, I got this frantic email just three days before the final due date of the essay:

            As it turns out, the unthinkable happened to me (thought I was immune, and immortal, I suppose...).  My computer completely died this evening.  I am pretty sure that I have backed up my senior essay within the last 48 hours, but it maybe that this crash will set me back a good pace.  I am hoping that I will be able to cover lost ground, but I'm writing to inquire about the possibility of a one day extension on the essay.

So here is what the DUS replied to this request for an extension:

            If your computer crashes and you don't have an UP-TO-DATE back-up on another medium (web-storage, CD, MULTIPLE FLOPPIES), you failed to take the most simple safety precautions.  (If you were "in the real world," and had an important presentation to give, do you think your boss would take "I didn't back it up" as a valid excuse?)

What do we learn from this: BACK-UP, BACK-UP OFTEN, and BACK-UP to MULTIPLE LOCATIONS!  (And, no, a floppy disk is not enough. Floppies go bad very easily).  While we are at it, use the “Ctrl-S” shortcut to save your work while you are writing (ever lost this perfect crisply written paragraph at four A.M. because your cat jumped onto the key board?).

Just for your blood-pressure: The poor student did recover her data.  The computer ‘miraculously’ booted up again.  But then, please contemplate the following email…

“A gray messenger bag, containing a laptop with the only copy of my senior essay, was lost on Tuesday during Spring Fling. . .” BACK-UP, BACK-UP OFTEN, and BACK-UP to MULTIPLE LOCATIONS.

Plagiarism
A word to the wise, to avoid this thorny issue:

• Be organized and stay organized in your research.  When taking notes, distinguish between your own thoughts about the article/issue, and the thoughts of the author you are reading, and the thoughts of the person this author is talking about.
• You can use different colored pens or the beautiful “comment” function in your word processing program. Remember the bubbles?

The Yale College Rules and Regulations handbook has actually some helpful things to say about the issue of plagiarism.

“Plagiarism is the use of someone else's work, words, or ideas as if they were your own.  Thus most forms of cheating on examinations are plagiarism; but in ordinary academic parlance the word applies to papers rather than to examinations.  Whereas all students know pretty well what they may or may not do on examinations, many are less sure concerning papers, and so it is conceivable that an honest student might plagiarize out of mere ignorance.  It is therefore up to you to learn the standard practices of documentation. The Dartmouth College pamphlet Sources: Their Use and Acknowledgment has been given to you, and you are expected to have familiarized yourself carefully with its contents.  Above all you should realize that failure to acknowledge specific indebtedness to others is not simply a writing error but a form of theft - possibly unpremeditated, but not probably, and culpable in any case, since it is your responsibility to know and to indicate what is yours and what is not yours.  The absence of a clear intent to deceive may mitigate an offense, but is certainly not likely to absolve it altogether.  Read sources carefully and thoroughly.  Yale College distributes it as a supplement to the Undergraduate Regulations, and you are as responsible for knowledge of its contents as you are for knowledge of the provisions of the Undergraduate Regulations.  You may also find sources on the Web at www.dartmouth.edu/~sources.

Some further points:

1. Take clear notes in which you keep your own thoughts distinct from those you derive from your reading, so that you do not inadvertently submit the words or ideas of others as your own.

2. Remember that you should acknowledge unpublished as well as published sources. This includes the work of other students and ideas that you may have derived from lectures and conversations.

3. Do not suppose that because your instructor is an expert in the field, he or she needs little or no documentation in your work. An essay must stand on its own and not as a form of conversation with the instructor. In preparing a paper, it will help you to assume a larger audience than your instructor.  Imagine everyone in your class, for example, reading your paper for this will give you a surer sense of what to document and what to take as common knowledge.

4. Mark and identify all quotations, give the source of translations, regularly acknowledge specific ideas, and give the source of facts not commonly known.  If you are in doubt as to what may be "commonly known," that is a signal that you should document it, even at the risk of appearing overcautious or simplistic.

“Submission of an entire paper prepared by someone else is an especially egregious form of plagiarism, and is grounds for the imposition of a particularly serious penalty, even for expulsion from the University.” (http://www.yale.edu/yalecollege/publications/uregs/appendix/cheating.html)

Overcoming Writer's Block

Brought to you by the Purdue University Online Writing Lab at http://owl.english.purdue.edu
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For more advice on getting started writing, see the Purdue OWL handout ‘Coping with Writing Anxiety’ at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_anxiety.html
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Specific Strategies
These specific strategies in overcoming writer's block will prove more helpful when you're drafting the paper.  If you're having trouble coming up with a thesis or generating details, see a Writing Lab tutor or the handout "When You Start to Write" at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_plan2.html

 

Begin in the Middle
Start writing at whatever point you like.  If you want to begin in the middle, fine.  Leave the introduction or first section until later.  The reader will never know that you wrote the paper "backwards."  Besides, some writers routinely save the introduction until later when they have a clearer idea of what the main idea and purpose will be.

 

Talk the Paper
"Talk" the paper to someone--your teacher, a friend, a roommate, a tutor in the Writing Lab. Just pick someone who's willing to give you fifteen to thirty minutes to talk about the topic and whose main aim is to help you start writing.  Have the person take notes while you talk or tape your conversation.  Talking will be helpful because you'll probably be more natural and spontaneous in speech than in writing.  Your listener can ask questions and guide you as you speak, and you'll feel more as though you're telling someone about something than completing an assignment.

Tape the Paper
Talk into a tape recorder, imagining your audience sitting in chairs or standing in a group. Then, transcribe the tape-recorded material. You'll at least have some ideas down on paper to work with and move around.

Change the Audience
Pretend that you're writing to a child, to a close friend, to a parent, to a person who sharply disagrees with you, to someone who's new to the subject and needs to have you explain your paper's topic slowly and clearly.  Changing the audience can clarify your purpose. (Who am I writing to when I explain how to change the oil in a car?  That guy down the hall who's always asking everyone for help.)  Changing the audience can also make you feel more comfortable and help you write more easily.

 

Play a Role
Pretend you are someone else writing the paper. For instance, assume you are the president of a strong feminist movement such as NOW and are asked to write about sexist advertising. Or, pretend you are the president of a major oil company asked to defend the high price of oil. Consider being someone in another time period, perhaps Abraham Lincoln, or someone with a different perspective from your own on things--someone living in Hiroshima at the time the bomb was dropped. Pulling yourself out of your usual perspective can help you think more about the subject than writing about the subject.

(Many of these ideas are from Peter Elbow's Writing with Power, [Ch. 8; 59-77] and Mack Skjei's Overcoming Writing Blocks.)

 

Planning (Invention): When you start to write

Brought to you by the Purdue University Online Writing Lab at http://owl.english.purdue.edu
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For more information and suggestions for planning your paper, see these handouts:
Planning (Invention) at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/673/01/

Planning (Invention): Thought Starters (Asking the Right Questions) at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_plan3.html
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You can try the textbook formula:

I. State your thesis.
II. Write an outline.
III. Write the first draft.
IV. Revise and polish.

. . . but that often doesn't work!

Instead, you can try one or more of these strategies:

Ask yourself what your purpose is for writing about the subject.
There are many "correct" things to write about for any subject, but you need to narrow down your choices.  For example, your topic might be "dorm food."  At this point, you and your potential reader are asking the same question, "So what?"  Why should you write about this, and why should anyone read it?  Do you want the reader to pity you because of the intolerable food you have to eat there?

Do you want to analyze large-scale institutional cooking?

Do you want to compare Purdue's dorm food to that served at Indiana University?

Ask yourself how you are going to achieve this purpose.
How, for example, would you achieve your purpose if you wanted to describe some movie as the best you've ever seen?  Would you define for yourself a specific means of doing so? Would your comments on the movie go beyond merely telling the reader that you really liked it?

Start the ideas flowing
Brainstorm.  Gather as many good and bad ideas, suggestions, examples, sentences, false starts, etc. as you can.  Perhaps some friends can join in.  Jot down everything that comes to mind, including material you are sure you will throw out.  Be ready to keep adding to the list at odd moments as ideas continue to come to mind.

Talk to your audience, or pretend that you are being interviewed by someone -- or by several people, if possible (to give yourself the opportunity of considering a subject from several different points of view).  What questions would the other person ask?  You might also try to teach the subject to a group or class.

See if you can find a fresh analogy that opens up a new set of ideas.  Build your analogy by using the word like.  For example, if you are writing about violence on television, is that violence like clowns fighting in a carnival act (that is, we know that no one is really getting hurt)?

Take a rest and let it all percolate.

Nutshell your whole idea.
Tell it to someone in three or four sentences.

Diagram your major points somehow.
Make a tree, outline, or whatever helps you to see a schematic representation of what you have. You may discover the need for more material in some places.

Write a first draft.
Then, if possible, put it away. Later, read it aloud or to yourself as if you were someone else. Watch especially for the need to clarify or add more information.

You may find yourself jumping back and forth among these various strategies.

You may find that one works better than another. You may find yourself trying several strategies at once. If so, then you are probably doing something right!

Non-Sexist Language

Brought to you by the Purdue University Online Writing Lab at http://owl.english.purdue.edu
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The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) suggests the following guidelines:

Generic Use
Although MAN in its original sense carried the dual meaning of adult human and adult male, its meaning has come to be so closely identified with adult male that the generic use of MAN and other words with masculine markers should be avoided.

Examples	Alternatives
mankind	humanity, people, human beings
man’s achievements	human achievements
man-made	synthetic, manufactured, machine-made
the common man	the average person, ordinary people
man the stockroom	staff the stockroom
nine man-hours	nine staff-hours

Occupations
Avoid the use of MAN in occupational terms when persons holding the job could be either male or female.

Examples	Alternatives
chairman	coordinator (of a committee or department), moderator (of a meeting), presiding officer, head, chair
businessman	business executive
fireman	firefighter
mailman	mail carrier
steward and stewardess	flight attendant
policeman and policewoman	police officer
congressman	congressional representative

Pronouns
Because English has no generic singular--or common-sex--pronoun, we have used HE, HIS, and HIM in such expressions as "the student needs HIS pencil."  When we constantly personify "the judge," "the critic," "the executive," "the author," and so forth, as male by using the pronoun HE, we are subtly conditioning ourselves against the idea of a female judge, critic, executive, or author.  There are several alternative approaches for ending the exclusion of women that results from the pervasive use of masculine pronouns.

a. Recast into the plural.

Example	Alternative
Give each student his paper as soon as he is finished.	Give students their papers as soon as they are finished.

b. Reword to eliminate gender problems.

Example	Alternative
The average student is worried about his grade.	The average student is worried about grades.

c. Replace the masculine pronoun with ONE, YOU, or (sparingly) HE OR SHE, as appropriate.

Example	Alternative
If the student was satisfied with his performance on the pretest, he took the post-test.	A student who was satisfied with her or his performance on the pretest took the post-test.

d. Alternate male and female examples and expressions. (Be careful not to confuse the reader.)

Example	Alternative
Let each student participate. Has he had a chance to talk?  Could he feel left out?	Let each student participate. Has she had a chance to talk?  Could he feel left out?

Indefinite Pronouns
Using the masculine pronouns to refer to an indefinite pronoun (everybody, everyone, anybody, and anyone) also has the effect of excluding women.  In all but strictly formal uses, plural pronouns have become acceptable substitutes for the masculine singular.

Example	Alternative
Anyone who wants to go to the game should bring his money tomorrow.	Anyone who wants to go to the game should bring their money tomorrow.

 

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CHAPTER FIVE - SENIOR ESSAY CALENDAR

 

Fall 2008

Sept. 2-17	Register for RLST 491a, The Senior Essay
TBA	Mandatory Meeting 1 (HTBA)
TBA	Mandatory Meeting 2 (HTBA)
Sept. 24	CHOOSE AN ADVISOR BEFORE September 29th DUE to the DUS – Statement of Intent, signed by your advisor.
Sept. 29 – Oct 20	Attend one mandatory Library Research Colloquium, run by Emily Horning, the Religious Study Liaison.  Schedule an individual research meeting with Ms. Horning, tailored to your needs.
TBA	Mandatory Meeting 3 (HTBA)
Oct. 27	DUE to your advisor, with copy to the DUS: 2-page Research Plan.
Nov. 3	DUE to your advisor, with copy to the DUS: 3-page prospectus.
TBA	Mandatory Meeting 4 (HTBA)
Nov. 14	DUE to your advisor, with a copy to the DUS: Annotated bibliography.
TBA	Mandatory Meeting 5 (HTBA)
Dec. 8	DUE to your advisor, with copy to the DUS: 10-page draft or DETAILED outline.

PLEASE NOTE: THESE DUE DATES AND DEADLINES ARE SET BY THE DUS: YOUR ADVISOR MAY DEVELOP ADDITIONAL DEADLINES AND ASK FOR ADDITIONAL WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS.

Spring 2009

Jan. 12-23	Register for RLST 491b.
Jan. 12 – April 27	We will meet weekly for 75 minutes, for student presentations based on the senior essay. Describe your project, the methods employed in your research to-date and preliminary conclusions. We will meet 11.30–12.45 on a day to be decided.
Feb. 9	DUE to your advisor and the DUS: one chapter of your essay.
Mar. 27	DUE to your advisor: first draft of completed essay.
Apr. 13	FINAL DEADLINE for completed senior essay.  Three copies – one to the advisor, one to the second reader, one to the DUS by 5pm. NOTE: It is your responsibility to make and distribute the three copies of the essay.
Mid-May	Pick up reader’s reports from the Religious Studies Department.

PLEASE NOTE: THESE DUE DATES AND DEADLINES ARE SET BY THE DUS: YOUR ADVISOR MAY DEVELOP ADDITIONAL DEADLINES AND ASK FOR ADDITIONAL WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS.

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