In this message I am providing the term paper guidelines and encourage you to plan ahead to get started on it when you have a chance. It is due December 9 11.59pm. There are many fascinating angles you can take on this assignment. I want to encourage you to explore directions that most interest you. The basics are that you are writing a documented persuasive term paper (5 pages of your argument plus a list of Works Cited==6 pages total, 12pt font, double-spaced) on the depiction of a nonhuman animal in a humanities primary source (literature, art, music, or philosophy), integrating at least three peer-reviewed sources, which can be about the primary source or they can be relevant science. A primary source is an original humanities work from one of those disciplines (e.g., a poem, an opera, a painting, a novel, a memoir, a philosophical argument, a story); a secondary source is a criticism of a primary source (e.g. a book or an article about the novel) or related research. The secondary sources should be current (optimally, within the last five years, but no older than ten years, unless significant historically). It is an evidence-based persuasive paper, integrating primary material and secondary peer-reviewed material. Take a position about the primary source and defend it with evidence. You are expected to engage critically with the material and to integrate only peer-reviewed secondary sources into your argument. These would be peer-reviewed articles, chapters, or

books; look for the peer-reviewed logo in the DH online library. Avoid non- peer reviewed sources, such as websites ending in .com. For instance, read The Eye of the Elephant, which is a personal account of the poaching problem in Africa, and build a cohesive argument based on the evidence from the source and secondary material. Integrate science on the endangered status of elephants and relate that to the representation of the elephants in the narrative. Work on demonstrating analysis and synthesis rather than summary. FYI: this book is available through the internet archive. Open an account and log in to access it. This is a free service. https://archive.org/details/eyeofelephantepi00owen The paper must focus on one humanities primary source, which has not been assigned in class. This source cannot be a Youtube video, a news video, a documentary, or a cartoon. If you seek to use audio-visual material as a primary source only a full-length feature fiction film is acceptable and it should be engaged critically, not accepted as necessarily accurate. Integrate at least three peer-reviewed sources; you can integrate science as suits your argument. This exercise is designed to help you develop your capacity to conduct research independently; therefore, you are not allowed to reuse sources assigned for this course as sources for this project. The focus should be on the humanities material rather than material from other fields. You should identify the humanities primary source(s) in the introduction and integrate your perspective on its main ideas into your thesis. You should plan to search, analyze, and integrate the humanities primary source directly, yourself; relying on someone else's summary or an extract is not acceptable. This paper is not a summary of secondary sources. Focus on analyzing the humanities primary source in your own words. For the organization of the paper, etc., please see the guidelines below. Discussion Board is designed to transition you into the term paper in a

Term paper guidelines: 1. Formulate a research question that you wish to pursue. You are responsible for demonstrating you are aware of published materials relevant to the topic. You will need to consult, summarize, and assess some of these sources. Demonstrate critical thinking about them. What are their strengths, their weaknesses? Is there a neglected angle, subtopic, method that should be pursued? Is there inaccuracy in the published work on the topic, or omissions, bias? Work through this body of publications and develop a dialogue with it. Where do you stand with respect to these sources? What is your argument about this topic? Develop a two-sided argument that integrates references to published works about the topic. Think this through in outline form before you continue. Always outline before you start a paper. 2. After you have considered the various sides or positions in print about the topic of your paper, formulate your own position. This is your thesis. Your thesis should be an educated response to the current publications on your topic, advancing the subject or issue in a new direction. State your thesis in the introduction to your paper. 3. What is the title of your paper? Make it predict your thesis. Present it on the first page of the paper (see sample MLA format paper on Content). 4. Introduce the topic of your paper clearly, defining key terms (with documentation). Raise a research questionyour thesis will be your answer to this question. 5. At the end of the introduction, briefly preview the main topics or points, in order, that you will be discussing. This can take the form of--the first section of this paper discusses X. Or, in the first section of this paper I raise......In the second section, I will ....... This will be followed by.........In the

fourth section I will ...........and so forth. Then you are ready to develop the body section of the paper, after the introductory preview. 6. The body of the paper will defend the thesis. Outline before you start. Make sure you have collected sufficient details through analysis of your materials in order to substantiate the thesis. Break the defense down into sections, sub topics. You can continue to dialogue with the published material throughout the body, but the focus is on your argument. A paper of this length should quote no more than fifty (50) words. 7. Follow MLA form precisely. Points will be deducted if MLA is not followed precisely. No cover page. Document all sources fully. Anytime one quotes or summarizes someone else's work, document the source. Over-documentation is better than under-documentation. If you have to document each line, do so. Above all, digest sources in your own words [and document if the idea is not yours], rather than quoting directly. The list of works cited should be a complete list of all sources you have used. Wikipedia and comparable on-line sources, especially ending in .com, are not acceptable. Use peer-reviewed periodicals and books by academic experts. Check the electronic indexes through the library for your keyword. If necessary, use Interlibrary Loan. 8. Conclude by synthesizing your main points and clinching your argument. 9. Finish with a list of all the works cited, using MLA format. 10. Revise and polish, repeatedly. Always set your work aside and come back to it with a fresh outlook, then revise. Become your own, rigorous critic. The following website has useful information that can help you learn how to avoid plagiarism: https://wts.indiana.edu/writing-guides/pdf/plagiarism.pdf You will submit the paper electronically to the link in Assignments. This link will open a couple of weeks before the deadline. Be sure to submit your final version. You cannot resubmit. No late papers acceptable.