Hi Students, I have graded your oral presentations and have some tips for your final papers.

1) Make sure you state your thesis early in your paper. What will you argue?

2) Make sure you address your opponents arguement. You must familiarize yourself with all sides of the issue.

3) Make sure this is not an informative paper. That means you must argue or persuade the reader your point of view is the right one by providing evidence to support your arguement.

4) Make sure this is not just an opinion piece. You can have an opinion, but you must back up your point of view with evidence. That’s part of being educated, you show that you have read all the opinions and formed your own based on an educated mind, rather than one influenced by peers.

5) Make sure you sources are vetted and that you cite them correctly. This is your final paper. You should show everything you have learned in this course and apply it to this paper. MLA, Grammar, Structure, Organization, Incorporating Quotes, Analysis. All of it. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks. Professor Laffont.