Length: 1,500 words minimum
Requirements: You must discuss at least three different ancient Greek and/or Roman authors or texts in your paper and use at least three reliable sources for your research, one of which must be an academic journal article.
Your final paper of the course will have you choose a topic of your choice related to several of our course’s readings or topics (see some suggested topics below) and do two things:
• Integrate good research about your topic into your paper, and
• Support a carefully crafted argument or point about your topic that is supported by your research AND by your own close textual analysis.
You can begin your paper in several ways:
You may decide to research your topic first to see what other experts say about it. If you like, you can argue against an expert’s opinion: this idea would then become your paper’s main argument. Or you can agree with an expert’s opinion but add onto it with your own idea(s), which would become your paper’s main argument. You would then use specific quotations and examples from the texts to support your argument and continue to use research points that you can refute or use to support your argument.
Or
You may decide to closely review your chosen texts first to see what kind of argument you can create. Then, after you have crafted an argument, you can use expert’s research to help support it.
Regardless of how you start your paper, it is essential that you include a healthy balance between research and your own ideas. Do not just write a paper that is a summary of research; likewise, do not just write a paper that has only a few research points; engage with research and use it to advance your own ideas. Aim for about a 60-40% balance between research and original ideas.
