HIST 1130:
Discuss the reasons why the Chinese Communist Party was able to defeat the
Koumintang in the Chinese Civil War.
Essays
Thesis Statement
– Single sentence in your Introduction
– Topic (what are you writing about?)
– Approach (what are you saying about your topic?)
– Argumentative
– The BOX that contains all of your ideas!
– If a single word of your paper doesn’t relate directly to your thesis, CUT IT!
Introduction:
– Contains THESIS
– A PREVIEW of your main ideas
– Good intro = “Bird’s eye view”
Body Paragraphs:
– Topic Sentence
– About one thing/one point of comparison
– Contains evidence & citations
– Clearly related to thesis statement
Conclusion:
– Restate THESIS
– Review your arguments
– “As I have convincingly argued…”
– Perhaps additional evidence / Anecdote
Plagiarism
CITATIONS:
What do I cite?
– Quoted (direct) words
– Paraphrased (indirect) words
– Ideas
– Analyses/interpretations
– Facts
– Statistics
– Sound and video recordings
– Visual documents (photos, paintings, maps)
– ANYTHING that didn’t come from your brain
What don’t I cite?
– Your own analyses / interpretations
– Common knowledge
Style
Clear not obscure
Grammar = Very Important!
Common Problems:
– SVA (subject verb agreement)
– its = possessive pronoun / it’s = it is
– VT (Verb tense)
– Run-ons: “I am here you are there.”
– Fragments: “There are many problems. Such as unemployment and popular
resentment.”
Passive Voice / Active Voice
The cookies were eaten. / Sean ate the cookies.
Repetition
VARY your sentence length!!