I. You may choose for your topic any aspect of Greek and Roman mythology. See me if you would like suggestions, or consult the list of possible paper topics.
II. Follow the guidelines on style, structure, and other matters you followed for the other papers.
III. I expect you to consult at least five secondary works; you will probably want to use more. These works should be listed in a bibliography at the back of your paper. At least four of these works must be books or articles (i.e., not web pages).
IV. Although these secondary works are important, your paper should by no means be a work of "cut and paste," in which you merely compile what others have said. Your paper should reflect your own thoughts about the topic you have chosen and should be built around a thesis of your own creation. Also remember that any information or ideas you derive from another author, whether or not you quote the author directly, must be cited in a note.
V. Pay particular attention to structure, which is even more important here than it was in your smaller papers. Outline carefully before you begin writing, and be sure to summarize your arguments in both your introduction and your conclusion.
VI. For the form of notes and bibliography, consult a guide to style such as The Chicago Manual of Style or the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, both of which are available in the reference rooms of UGL or PCL, or the online guide to the MLA format. It is not important to me that you follow any one particular system, but it is important that you be clear and consistent. Bibliographical entries should contain complete publishing information: author, title, publisher, place and date of publication for books; author, title of article, name, volume and year of journal, and page numbers for articles. Notes should always make clear to what page in what work you are referring. Please do not use ibid. or op.cit..
VII. I expect that you will have questions as you proceed, so be sure not to put this off until the last minute, and consult me about any concerns you have. Reference librarians in PCL and UGL will also be able to offer you good advice on doing research, as will the folks at the Learning Skills Center (471-3614) and the Undergraduate Writing Center (471-6222).
VIII. By October 6th send to the course email list one paragraph on what you plan to discuss in your research paper. In the weeks following October 6th, please come to discuss your topic with me.
Your grade will be determined as follows
Content of arguments: 30%
Evidence of research: 20%
Accuracy in citing Greek or Roman myths: 10%
Structure: 10%
Clarity: 10%
Style, Grammar, and Spelling: 10%
Clarity and consisitency of notation (notes and bibliography):
10%