• Extra credit papers allow you to cover one of those topics in a more comprehensive fashion
  
  
  • This can be:
    • cultures
    • sites
    • regions
    • countries
    • Periods / Stages / Time Line
    • or a comparison of the individual you wrote your Case Study on with another individual from Middle America
      
      
  • your extra credit paper can be:
    • comparative
    • descriptive
    • analytic
      
      
• You may write on any topic related to this course, but your paper must reflect work and include materials not considered a normal part of this course
  
  

If you have not had a lot of experience writing term papers, this option provides an excellent opportunity to develop your writing skills. It also usually results in a higher grade for the course.

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This is basically an introductory course in which we will cover a broad spectrum of topics in a limited manner. Extra credit term papers allow you to cover one of those topics in a more comprehensive fashion.

You may write on any topic related to this course, but your paper must reflect work and include materials not considered a normal part of this course.

Extra credit term papers can receive up to 100 points (8.5 % of final grade) -- if they are turned in on time:

• A-grade papers receive up to 90 - 100 points
  
  
• B-grade papers receive 83 points
  
  
• C-grade papers receive 73 points
  

"The Curve"

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Extra credit term papers:

• must be turned in with all of your notes and drafts
• will not be accepted if they are late, unless you have received prior permission to hand in the paper after the deadline
• must be word-processed or typed
• must follow a college writing handbook such as Andrea Lunsford and Robert Connors,' The St. Martin's Handbook. 3rd ed. New York: St. Martin's, 1995.

  
  

  • For your footnotes, "bibliography" ("Works Cited" or "References"), and other matters like that, use either the APA (American Psychological Association) citation style, the MLA (Modern Language Association) style, the CMS (Chicago) style, or the CBE (Council of Biology Editors) style. Don't make up your own.

Follow this schedule:

• Weeks 1-5: Select a question which interests you. You do not need to know much about the subject at this point.

   

  • If you want to do a paper, pick out a "specific question" that interests you and stop by my office sometime. I will personally go over your ideas with you.
  • Have subject area okayed

• Week 5: Narrow and state subject area in terms of a "problem" or assertion. Prepare a bibliography of at least four items, and state problem in one or two sentences. Have bibliography and problem statement okayed.

• Weeks 6-7: Submit a one- or two-sentence statement of what you have found out and five reasons (bits of evidence) why the statement is credible.

• Week 10: Complete a close-to-final draft of your extra credit paper. Write all drafts of your extra credit paper using a word processor.

• Weeks 11 - 14: Work on revising your drafts.

 

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Handing in Extra Credit Papers

• Include the following information on your paper:
  
  
  • name
  • course number
  • quarter
  • "Extra Credit Paper"
  • draft version number
    
    
• turn in paper to WebDrop
  <https://webdrop.d.umn.edu>