GUIDELINES: ANALYTIC ESSAYS
An essay paper is required of all students. These papers should be about five pages (12 point font, 1” margins). Conventionally, an essay states a reasoned, supported opinion. An analytic essay is an exploration of a work or works in terms of what the author/ commentator has illuminated. In such an essay you indicate your assessment of the author/commentator’s achievement and then explain the reasoning behind your assessment.
For this assignment you should address something the author has accomplished. Using analysis, reason, examples, informed authority, and/or personal experience, you should explore that accomplishment and evaluate it using standards you chose. Make a case for or against the author as a thinker whose work explains the phenomenon of war or one of its components. The paper should show your reader the consideration of clarity easy readability, and proper reference to any sources you've used.
Evaluation will be on the basis of:
The essay is a very standard and key form for structuring ideas in a clear communicable form. It has conventions in terms of the structure that are articulated in all freshman composition courses. If you don't know the formal conventions of the essay, you need to learn at once. See me ASAP.
Model Essays from earlier Roots of War Seminars
Here are some titles of essays from earlier iterations of this seminar:
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EVALUATION: ANALYTIC ESSAY
Student:
Paper title or subject:
Dimensions of Evaluation - (0 = unacceptably flawed, 1 = major and minor flaws limit success,
2 = one major or numerous minor flaws, 3 = perfection spoiled by minor flaws, 4 = superb)
Overall, in Sum
Narrative Response:
For this assignment you should address something the author has accomplished. Using analysis, reason, examples, informed authority, and/or personal experience, you should explore that accomplishment and evaluate it using standards you chose. Make a case for or against the author as a thinker whose work explains the phenomenon of war or one of its components. The paper should show your reader the consideration of clarity easy readability, and proper reference to any sources you've used.
Evaluation will be on the basis of:
- The clarity and energy of the expression of the intent of the essay (thesis).
- The effectiveness of the paper in making a convincing case (support).
- The logic or reasonableness of your argument (critical thinking).
- The technical clarity of your writing (presentation, structure sentence, paragraph, continuity)
- Citation (Use the style manual that professionals in your major use. If you have not decided on a major use the MLA - Modern Language Association conventions). If you use a citation generator, use the one available at the UNM Library web site. Here is another link. (Note: There are other citation generators available on the web. They are not as reliable as Zotero but may be easier to use. If you use them, check the results carefully. Here is one. Here is another.
The essay is a very standard and key form for structuring ideas in a clear communicable form. It has conventions in terms of the structure that are articulated in all freshman composition courses. If you don't know the formal conventions of the essay, you need to learn at once. See me ASAP.
Model Essays from earlier Roots of War Seminars
Here are some titles of essays from earlier iterations of this seminar:
- A Farewell to Arms
- “Rust in Peace Polaris” (Megadeth)
- War Poems of Vivanco and Rosales
- Let the Taliban have Afghanistan
- How Darwin sees War
- Desensitizing One Brain at a Time
- Stupid Movies based on the Iliad
- Full Metal Jacket
- Doolittle and the Blind Man’s Mission
- War Trauma – Child Soldiers
- The Brutality of Football
- The Virtual Battlefield
- Pan’s Labyrinth
- Lassie or Lamby (Grossman/Grandin)
- A Tale of Two Cities
- Eros and Thantos
- The Destructive Force of War in The Hunger Games
- Nationalism and Narcissism
- To Grok (Heinlein)
- Nazi Fashion
- New Mexico, Laboratory for War
- How Murder is Sanitized for “our side” in war films (Star Wars)
- War in Watchmen Comics
- What is a Warrior vs What is a Soldier – Achilles
- The Accuracy of Trauma in ENDERS GAME
- The Tragedy of Walter White
- Sheepdogs and the Justification for War
- P is for Perception (Vendetta)
- WMD - Weapons of Mass Deception
- Football and War
- The Weight of War (The Things They Carried)
- Conditioning to Kill
- War and Meaning
- Justifying Murder in Sci-Fi and Fantasy Films
- Drugs of Choice in War
- Viva la Muerte (film)
- Catch-22
- War, Civilization, and Disappointment - Freud and the War on Terror
- The Anatomy of Killing in a Musical - Hamilton
- Maslow and the Ideologues - Psychologists look at War
- I'll See Your Freedom and Raise You Death - The Prisoner's Dilemma and Modern War
- The Women of War - Iliad
- McNamera's 10 Lessons and Trump's Policies
- War as Portrayed in a 4th Grade History Book
- Three Poems from Americas Wars of the 20th Century
- Phil Ochs (songwriter - Viet Nam era)
- Three Photographs from Abu Ghraib
____________________________________________________________________________________
EVALUATION: ANALYTIC ESSAY
Student:
Paper title or subject:
Dimensions of Evaluation - (0 = unacceptably flawed, 1 = major and minor flaws limit success,
2 = one major or numerous minor flaws, 3 = perfection spoiled by minor flaws, 4 = superb)
- Clarity and Vigor of the statement of focus/thesis (15%)
- Presentation (includes titling, cosmetics, and mechanics - 5%)
- Sentence and paragraph structure (15%)
- Architecture (overall structure) (15%)
- Insight and analysis (20%)
- Effectiveness - the extent to which the paper is convincing based on reasoning, and support (20%)
- Citation of sources (10%)
Overall, in Sum
Narrative Response: