A thesis that is specific, debatable, and conveys the “so-what” or importance factor,
providing a clear road map for your essay.
– Three main reasons to support your position on your topic, which make up your body
paragraphs. (In the student paper example, those three were: 1. violate individual
identities, 2. cause conflict, and 3. spread false information.)
– Sufficient evidence for each reason (these are your examples, quotes, and citations).
These should be vivid illustrations within each body paragraph to help support your three
main reasons above.
– Those examples and quotations must be properly cited with MLA format. Looks like:
(Author page#). No comma between the author and page #, and be sure the punctuation
goes outside the closing parenthesis.
– Coherent transitions between paragraphs and between sentences. (Remember: moving
from the “old” information to the “new” to bring the reader along with you.)
– A counterargument to help round out and address potential critiques of your argument.
– Elimination of most “to be” verbs, using complex sentence structures throughout the
paper. (See chapter 17 of The Craft of Research for more ideas on how to vary up your
sentence structure.)
– Inclusion of one source from the syllabus (flexible)
Joe Brainard, from I Remember
Nicolas Carr, “Is Google Making Us Stupid”
Teju Cole, from Blind Spot
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, excerpt from Flow
Don Delillo, “The Itch”
Annie Dillard, “Seeing”
Ross Gay, excerpts from The Book of Delights
Thich Nhat Hanh, from The Miracle of Mindfulness
Xavier de Maistre, from Voyage Around My Room
Marion Milner, “Two Ways of Looking”
Jenny Odell, “How to Do Nothing”
Pauline Oliveros, from Deep Listening: A Composer’s Sound Practice
Georges Perec, from Species of Spaces
Laurel Schwulst, “Ways to Pass Time Inside this Room”
Rebecca Solnit, from Wanderlust: A History of Walking
Daniel Spoerri, from An Anecdoted Topography of Chance
Marina van Zuylen, excerpt from The Plenitude of Distraction
– Inclusion of at least two scholarly sources (not flexible).
– A title that is specific to the paper’s content and is creative.
– A bibliography with all sources in the paper, cited with MLA format. Purdue OWL and
the student paper example can show you how to do this if you are still unsure, but also
feel free to ask me if you are unsure! Remember to alphabetize your sources.
– 12pt font in Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri. Standard margins.
– If you choose to only write seven pages, that seventh page must be a full page.
– Heading with your name, and numbered pages.
– An introduction and conclusion.