Assignment 1 Short Paper
Topic: Choose one of the myths of Traditional African Religion, Hinduism, or Judaism and discuss in more detail.
Papers which do not adhere to these stated topic parameters will not receive a passing grade.
Rubric and directions are below.
Sources and Length: 50 points
The length of the paper is to be no less than 4 pages and no more than 6 pages, excluding title page, notes, and bibliography.
The paper must use at least 4 sources. Any of the reading selections assigned for class may be used. All outside sources must be of the following types only:
- Primary sources, which in this instance refers to translations of sacred texts of the religions or myths of Africa, Hinduism, of Judaism.
- Select intermediate or upper-level secondary sources. Secondary sources are scholarly publications that represent academic interpretation of the evidence base. The types that may be used in our class are those written by professional historians for other professional historians or for serious students of history. Specifically these are: an academic book written at the intermediate level or beyond, or an article from a peer-reviewed, academic journal (not a book review or a magazine) found in JSTOR, EBSCO Academic Search Premier, or ProQuest (which are the journal databases in our APU library).
What should not appear in your submitted work? Introductory level materials, material directed at the general public, student work of any kind, and tertiary sources. A tertiary source is a source which summarizes other people’s research and/or provides an overview of the primary sources for a given topic and examples would include an encyclopedia, dictionary, or an open web article.
Lecture materials, videos, or audio recordings assigned for class may also be used in the paper but do not count toward the required number of sources.
Structure and Content: 30 points
Structure: The paper must make it clear at the outset which lens it to be applied and to which text. The paper should have distinct “legs,” or talking points, each of which relates back to the overarching thesis. Each leg of the argument should be taken up in turn. There should be a concluding paragraph.
Content: The paper should demonstrate deep engagement and a high level of analysis. The paper should demonstrate a good understanding of both the method applied and the text selected for analysis. Each main point should be supported with illustrating details and examples.
Writing style and citation formatting: 20 points
Chicago Manual of Style, notes-bibliography formatting, is the required citation method. We have the latest Chicago Manual of Style in our library. There is a Quick Guide online at: https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html
The paper should have one-inch margins all around and the font should be Times New Roman 12-point font, double-spaced for the body; for the footnotes: 12-point, single-spaced within entries, double-spaced between entries. Indent each paragraph.
The paper should be formal in style and wording: no first or second person, no thinking/feeling language, no hyperbole, personal anecdotes, or “in-house” references to our class. Correct English grammar and spelling are also required.