SYLLABUS: ESSAY GUIDELINES

• Essay topics will be assigned one day before they are due. 
• Essays must be typed (Cambria 12), double-spaced, no less than three (3) pages in length, no more than five (5) pages in length, and with no less than three (3) primary sources. 
• Essays must include the student’s first and last name, assignment due date, instructor’s name in the top, and course title in left-hand corner of the page (all single spaced), then skip two lines and the essay title centered, all caps, and bolded. 
• A minimum of five (5) direct quotes from the literature must be included in the essay.  Direct quotes from the literature and any primary or secondary source(s), in total, should not exceed twenty percent (20%) of the total paper.
• Essay pages shall be stapled together in the upper left-hand corner.
• Essays are due at the start of class (i.e., at 8:00 AM) on the date due. 
• Each student will have the option to revise and resubmit one (1) essay in the hopes of receiving a higher score.  Revised essays are due the last day of class (i.e., Thursday, January 21, 2010).  The revised essay must be submitted with the original essay showing the professor’s comments and grade; revised essays will not be accepted without the original essay.
• Essay guidelines are also posted on the class blog /website.
• Essay due dates are as follows:
• February 3, 2010, at 8:00 AM: Evaluative Essay: “Birmingham Bombing”
• February 24, 2010, at 8:00 AM: Essay #1: “A Death in the Family”
• March 24, 2010, at 8:00 AM: Essay #2: “Archetype and Analysis of the Short Story”
• April 21, 2010, at 8:00 AM: Essay #3: “Tennessee Williams”
• Late, incomplete, or unstapled papers will not be accepted and the student will be given a score of zero (0) points. 
• Malfunctioning software, computers, and/or printers (whether at the student’s home or on campus or at any other location), or an inability to use computer software with the proficiency necessary and/or sufficiently to prepare a paper that meets the guidelines, is NOT an acceptable reason for missing deadlines.