The assignment
Each student must write an six page paper that (1) deals with cosmopolitanism, patriotism and global citizenship; (2) focuses on one of the global citizens covered during the semester; and (3) thematically integrates one of the following: (a) The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, (b) The Dangers of a Single Story, (c) The World House, (d) The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals or (e) Global Warming.
Content Criteria
Each student is required to write a final essay of no fewer than 6 pages in defense of a thesis statement that you have formulated. Your paper should take the form of an essay (Introduction, Main Body, and Conclusion), but with a few specific requirements:
The introductory paragraph is a thesis statement in which you specify your topic, your position on that topic, and the reason why you hold that position on that topic. The thesis statement MUST consist of three sentences only (no more, no less!):
Topic
Your Position on that topic
The reason why you hold that position on that topic. Important: the third sentence is usually the most difficult of the three because you must give a philosophical reason for your position, not a personal reason.
The main body of your essay MUST be a persuasive defense of your thesis statement; that is to say, you must demonstrate that the reason why you hold your position on your topic is valid. Do not write a commentary or a book report! You must formulate a coherent argument that best explains your thesis statement and conveys its validity.
In your conclusion, DO NOT summarize your argument, but specify how the reader (me!) benefits from your argument. Why is it good that the reader has been persuaded to your position?
Formal Criteria
The following set of criteria pertain only to the form of your paper (format, style, font size and the like). Keep in mind that points will be taken off if you do not adhere to the formal criteria of your paper assignment. In general, the point of the formal criteria is to ensure that you write a COMPLETE six-page paper that maximizes the number of your own words on each page.
Cover Page: This is not one of the eight pages of your assignment, but an independent page without a number. The cover page MUST include title, your name, the date, and the class title.
Indents: The paper begins on the top of page one with a ½ inch indent (every new paragraph must be indented ½ inch). For every line that you lower the start of your paper, two points will be taken off your final grade.
Pages: The end of an six-page paper, in order to ensure that you write six complete pages, is the top of page seven. I want at least one word, but there could be more than one word on the top of page seven.
Font Size:
12 font
Times New Roman
Double Spaced
Margins: Default Microsoft Word. Don’t mess with the margins!
Quotations:
Short Quotes: two lines and fewer. The quotation will be part of the main text with the same font size etc.
Example:
“Proponents of nationalism in politics and education frequently make a weak concession to cosmopolitanism” (Nussbaum 307).
Long Quotes: three to no more than six lines. This requires a “box quote” format.
Indent side margins another inch
Reduce font size to 10
Use the same reference style- i.e. parentheses, last name, page # – but in box quote format
Important: when the quotation is complete, return to the main text. For every line quoted beyond the limit of six lines, two points will be taken off final grade.
Beware of Quotation and Paragraph Abuse!!!!
Quotation abuse is when a student uses an abnormal amount of quotes to fill up space on the page. Points will be taken off for this depending on the level of abuse. For an six-page paper, you should have, at most, six or seven small quotes and two long quotes. Use your quotes wisely.
Do not begin a paragraph with a quote, but use quotes to confirm what you have already written.
Use quotes to emphasize the main point of your argument. Thus, quotes should be used wisely and sparingly.
Paragraph abuse is when a student includes an abnormal amount of small paragraphs in order to fill up space on the page. Points will be taken off for this depending on the level of abuse.