Your task is to present a final essay on a particular topic in this class to your classmates and professor for consideration and discussion. This essay is a combination of a summary and analysis. You summarize a topic in the history of American popular culture from 1800 to recent times. Also, you analyze the significance of the topic in American culture. In other words, you are going to tell us about the topic, and you are going to tell us why it is important.
You need sources to support the main ideas in your essay. How many sources? This is always a popular question from students. You have at least five paragraphs of main points. You need to support your main points with sources. You need a variety of sources. So, this means you should have at least five different sources in your essay. You might have up to ten sources for a wider variety of viewpoints on a controversial topic, but you should have at least five sources to be sure you have researched your topic adequately.
How long does the essay need to be? This is always a popular question from students. The answer is at least seven paragraphs long. A typical paragraph in college is 100 to 200 words. Let’s say that your introduction and conclusion paragraphs are closer to 100 words, and your main point paragraphs are closer to 200 words. This means that your final essay should be approximately 1200 words. Let’s set the guideline as a range. Please keep your essays to between 1000 and 1400 words. Shorter essays probably mean you didn’t have enough to say about the topic. Longer essays probably mean that you chose a topic that was a bit too large.
Final Essay – Format
The heading of your new thread will be the title of your essay. Your name is already part of that heading because Blackboard already includes your name. Single-space your paragraphs, and put a blank line between each paragraph. Cite your sources as you use them in the main point paragraphs. Then, list your references that you cited at the end of the essay.
So, the format is very similar to what we have been doing throughout this class. This essay simply has more main points and more sources to support those main points.
A heading with the title of your essay.
An introductory paragraph telling us the topic of the essay and your thesis.
At least five paragraphs of main points, with APA-formatted citations whenever you use information from your sources.
A concluding paragraph to sum things up for your reader.
References in APA format listed after the conclusion.
Remember, have at least five sources and 1000 to 1400 words.
