Midterm Paper Tips, Ethnic Studies 002, Fall 2013.

You can selectively draw from a depth and breadth of required readings by extracting and wielding precise, powerful quotations. Find sources in each weeks readings to use as secondary source evidentiary examples of different ways to answer the question. Paraphrasing means conveying an authors ideas in your own words, or summarizing an author without direct quotations. Take a stand, say what you think, but back it up with substantiation and author citation. We want to hear your voice and your ideas, in dialogue with those of the authors (Chicano and Chicana thinkers also includes muralists, artists, musicians, performers, and everyday people interviewed in documentaries). You do not need to list each of the authors you will be analyzing in your Introductory paragraph. You do not need to write out the full name and title of the assigned readings in the body of the papersave this for your endnotes. For examples of proper endnotes, see the Ramn Gutirrez and Ignacio Garcia readings in the course reader. To create endnotes in your Microsoft Word document, from the menu bar drag down Insert, click on Footnote, from the Footnote and Endnote window, switch to Endnotes, and switch Number Format from Roman to Arabic numerals. Consult the Writing Guidelines to Follow in the course reader. Be thorough and thoughtful. Write multiple drafts. Show us your stuff. Impress us. In general, your papers should completely answer the question and thoroughly address the assignment requirements, especially by sustaining an engagement with the course readings. The thesis equals your assertion, backed up by supporting claims that make the overall argument compelling. Your papers should contain an informative introductory paragraph with a focused thesis statement. Your papers should be convincingly and persuasively argued, with relevant evidence and quotations. These chosen examples and quotes should be insightful, they should be set-up/introduced and

incorporated smoothly, and their significance should be clear. You do not have to agree with the required authors, but you must engage with their points. In other words, even by disagreeing with the readings you can support your position and advance your argument. You may also counter or dispute the authors claims to make a point that is not represented in the required readings. Your papers should be logically organized, the paragraphs in the body should have topic sentences, the paragraphs should support the thesis, and there should be smooth transitions between paragraphs. Effective organization means that each part of the essay builds upon the next, guiding the reader through a thoughtful consideration of your themes and propelling the narrative forward. The conclusion should summarize and clinch the argument, but it may point to areas of future research or debate. A tight, powerful conclusion should be the logical consequence of everything that has gone before. The best essays develop related strands that the conclusion ties together. Your papers should be well written, so that it is easy for the reader to follow the argument, with fresh prose and strong, active verbs. Include more analysis than description and summary. Vigorous writing is concise. Strive for brevity, clarity, and precision. There should be no typographical or grammatical errors, or very few. Finally, you should follow technical requirements and directions regarding length of paper, proper citation of sources, title page, font style and size, spacing, pagination, etc. No parenthetical citations after sentences, and no bibliography/works cited/references page. Papers must have oneinch margins on all sides of each page.