HNRS 3301 Research Paper Prompt

You will need to set up an appointment with me during regular office hours to discuss a rough draft. Sign-up days and times will be provided in class. When you come to your appointment, you should bring two clean typed copies of your paper. You should also come with a list of questions ad concerns about the paper.

Disciplinary Approaches

(taken from the Honors Guide to Critically Engaged Reading and Writing)

Keep in mind that different kinds of papers assume different approaches to the topic at hand, as well as different approaches as to what constitutes good evidence and a convincing thesis:

History papers, for example, are concerned with constructing an organized, often narrative, account of past events and often their potential causes, too. They want to answer with confidence the question, "What happened?" Thus, their claims are often based on primary sources from the period, be they writings, objects, statistical information, archeological discoveries, etcetera, as well as secondary sources already written about the period in question. History essays pay close attention to the reliability of their sources and seek to check their consistency and corroboration. All history is to a certain extent an interpretation of what the past is like; thus, it must seek to prove a particular view by mustering convincing evidence.

Literature papers can address a number of questions or issues involving works judged literary in nature. Typically, these include poetry, drama/script, fiction, and creative essays. In general, literature as a field is concerned with the interpretation of literary texts as objects of world, national, and regional history, as socio-cultural expressions of various persons and time periods, and as works of beauty and even truth. There is however no agreement in the field of literature over how to go about this; rather, the field is dominated by about a dozen or so competing approaches to textual study and appreciation. In general, one can say rather broadly that a literature paper is either concerned with telling your reader something about the context of a work and how this shapes one's understanding of it or about the formal way the work is constructed--its language and story, as well as their impact on readers. Regardless, they seek to prove their point by mustering evidence from history, culture, and/or the text itself to justify their particular understanding of a work. Similar things can be said about works that analyze visual art, theatre, music, and film.

Philosophical papers are involved with philosophical questions. They seek to criticize, defend, support, call into question, or apply philosophical claims. As a result, they examine the logic of ideas, they offer reasons for believing or disbelieving a thesis, they seek to clearly define their terms, and exclude anything that seems irrelevant to their position. At times, a paper that is examining a historical philosophical position may be more interested in establishing the past thinker's position than in debating its merits as philosophy. Philosophy is concerned with questions such as:

Social Science papers include the fields of psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, and political science, to name the more common ones. Each has its own particular area of focus, but all seek to explain human behavior by observable, testable means. This means they tend to focus on social and or psychological factors that can explain or predict human behavior. They often rely on deep description of case studies, but more often they seek to build from statistical surveys that yield potential correlations between factors and behavior. The higher the percentage of correlation, the more likely there is a relation between the things in question. This is not the same as clearly establishing a cause as one might in the hard sciences. Nevertheless, the social science paper will include examples of its instruments and methodology. Papers that seek to ask social science questions of historical data often apply current theory to past occurrences; this leads to something like a hybrid of history and social science.

Theological papers share much in common with the above methods. They often seek to examine theology or religion in general from a historical, cultural, philosophical, or sociological perspective, but they also appeal to the sources that count as authoritative in the faith in question: the sacred scriptures, creeds, church councils, liturgical texts and practices, witness of past lives of the faithful, theological experts, as well as the accounts of personal experience to a lesser extent. Within the Christian faith, for example, areas in doctrine alone include:

• ·         The doctrine of God—his character, nature, and divine attributes

• ·         The doctrine of Christ—his two natures, his cosmic role, the purpose of his life and ministry, his relationship to the Church

• ·         The doctrine of the Holy Spirit—his role in creation, Biblical revelation, the Church, and the world

• ·         The doctrine of the Trinity—their ontological and economic relationship, their unity and diversity, their role in each aspect of creation, salvation, etc.

• ·         The doctrine of creation—its origin, order, substance, and relationship to God, human beings, and other creatures

• ·         The doctrine of humanity—their origin, make-up, purpose

• ·         The doctrine of sin—it origin, impact on creation and humanity

• ·         The doctrine of redemption—its cosmic, corporate, and individual elements

• ·         The doctrine of the Church—its universal nature, relationship to God and the world, its government, its purpose and mission, its sacraments/ordinances

• ·         The doctrine of angels and demons

• ·         The doctrine of last things—heaven, hell, judgment, the second coming of Christ, the new heaven and earth

Theological papers are often concerned with the correct understanding of scripture, doctrine, canon law, or other texts and ideas considered authoritative by the faithful. Equally, they are often concerned with arguing for the correct application of a doctrinal understanding in the life of the faithful.

 Of course, one should keep in mind that all of these disciplines once they enter the realm of historical texts will be concerned with matters of history, just as the historian will call on matters of literature, religion, economics, and so on as needed. Nonetheless, despite the overlap between the disciplines, one can still trace a decided difference in emphasis.

 Consider, for example, how each of our fields might engage a single subject: the medieval saint Godric of Finchale (c. 1069-1170). Godric is of interest to scholars in different fields because he lived the first part of his life as a merchant, sea captain, pirate, and pilgrim to Jerusalem . While he lived to deeply despise his early course of life and gave it all up to become a hermit, he recorded in some detail the events of his early mercantile life. A history paper would be deeply concerned with tracing back the course of Godric's life and comparing his writings against other known descriptions from the period. The paper might be interested in testing Godric's descriptions of his pilgrimages, for instance. A literature paper, on the other hand, might be much more interested in the strong florid metaphors and typological imagery Godric uses in the narrative of his life, exploring how Godric's hatred for his past shapes his strong pictures of good and evil. A philosophy paper might use Godric as an example of the medieval ethic regarding usury and trade law, and perhaps conduct a philosophical examination of the view's strengths and weaknesses. An economics paper might be interested in Godric as clue to medieval growth in trade and shipping in order to argue that the seeds of capitalism were not only present by this time but in full flower. The theology paper might be interested in critiquing Godric as an example of the problematic dualism in some medieval theology of work and vocation. Each would have its own chief areas of focus, as well as therefore, what it regards as acceptable evidence.

Documentation & Plagiarism

All documentation must conform to MLA guidelines for both the Works Cited page and parenthetical citation of page/line numbers.  If you are unaware what MLA style requires, be sure to review the necessary information in a current writing handbook or online. (MLA Style Citation of Sources)

Remember that DBU's Honor Code says the following about plagiarism and collusion:

• Plagiarism shall be defined as the appropriation, theft, purchase, memorization, or obtaining by any means another's work, and the unacknowledged submission or incorporation of that work as one's own offered for credit. (Appropriation includes the quoting or paraphrasing of another's work without giving credit therefore.)
• Collusion shall be defined as the unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing work offered for credit. A student is not guilty of collusion if he or she merely discusses with another a matter relevant to the work in question.

Any student found guilty of plagiarism and/or collusion in regards to the research paper (or any other major assignment) for this course will be subject to one or more of the following: a failing grade for the assignment, no credit for the assignment, and/or a failing grade for the course itself. [Click here for more information on plagiarism and collusion.]

You should also include a copy of the final draft on a computer disk along with the print version when submitted to me.

The essay will require some secondary research. The amount depends upon the topic in question and how much that has been written on it. You may find and look at many additional sources in the process of research. Dictionaries and encyclopedias (both print and electronic), while helpful in beginning research, do not constitute a required source. Likewise, introductory sources such as Cliffs Notes, Sparks Notes, Monarch Notes, etc. may be useful to consult for ideas, but they may not be included as one of your sources.    Research will be used to help support your point, to show you are aware that others disagree with your position, to provide helpful background information, or to help expand your understanding of your topic.  Again, a critical research paper is primarily your primary source-supported argument; it is not a review of what others have said.

Additional Information

The Honors Guide to Critically Engaged Reading and Writing, which honors students received upon entering the program, contains additional information on a number of topics related to the research process and to quality academic writing. Extra copies are available in the UHP office to review.

Sample Papers