YOUR PAPERS
Here are a few guidelines that may assist you as you prepare your paper for Thursday. (Keep in mind, however, that these are only suggested guidelines: you are free to design and write a paper in whatever way your feel best supports your cause.) First of all, your paper should be 2-3 pages long, but if you need to go over that amount, you are welcome to do so. My recommendation with regard to the form of your paper is that you put it into a speech-type format, beginning with an address (“Fellow Athenians”), an introduction, then a statement of your position, your argument/s for your position, and ending with a conclusion that summarizes what your main point/s have been. The following are the grading criteria that I will use to evaluate your papers:
1. Persuasiveness of your paper (most heavily weighted). You should remember above all that you are attempting in this and every paper that you write to persuade others of a particular position that you favor. According to Aristotle, Greek orators used three main forms of appeal in their attempts to persuade their audiences. First, they used appeals to reason; that is, they attempted to present logically persuasive arguments for the positions that they favored. Second, they used appeals to emotion; that is, they attempted to manipulate their hearers by summoning their emotions through appeals to deeply felt prejudices. Third, they attempted to persuade others by appeals based on their own character: that is, a Greek orator would attempt to present himself (as he delivered his speech) as an eminently reasonable and fair individual who had in mind only the best interests of his audience. Minimally, your paper must make use of an appeal to reason: it should have a position and solid arguments for that position. Feel free to make use of the other modes of persuasion as well, however.
2. Historical and ideological accuracy or plausibility of your paper. Your paper must be historically accurate or plausible, and it must reflect the particular ideological background that your character is supposed to have. A simple way to put this is just to say, “Know what you are talking about!” In order to do that, you must research your topic as thoroughly as possible before you sit down to write on your position. If you are not sure about something, don’t write on it.
3. Creativity exhibited in your paper. Your paper should reveal that you have creatively constructed a character for yourself and that you have worked hard in imagining how he would think about his world and the issues that are brought up in the assembly.
Again, I want to stress that the most important part of your paper is that it contain a position and arguments in support of this position. I am not asking for a five-paragraph essay (by Hera, please don’t give me a stack of those!); the form is up to you. Just make sure that you are arguing for a position.
On a side note, I would like to let you know that it will take me a little longer to return these papers than I would like, because sometime over the next few days my wife will be giving birth to our second child. I’m sure you Athenian males will understand my need for extra time with my new son, time I need for telling him in private of the crimes and evil ways of hoi triakonta!
Eric
Here are a few guidelines that may assist you as you prepare your paper for Thursday. (Keep in mind, however, that these are only suggested guidelines: you are free to design and write a paper in whatever way your feel best supports your cause.) First of all, your paper should be 2-3 pages long, but if you need to go over that amount, you are welcome to do so. My recommendation with regard to the form of your paper is that you put it into a speech-type format, beginning with an address (“Fellow Athenians”), an introduction, then a statement of your position, your argument/s for your position, and ending with a conclusion that summarizes what your main point/s have been. The following are the grading criteria that I will use to evaluate your papers:
1. Persuasiveness of your paper (most heavily weighted). You should remember above all that you are attempting in this and every paper that you write to persuade others of a particular position that you favor. According to Aristotle, Greek orators used three main forms of appeal in their attempts to persuade their audiences. First, they used appeals to reason; that is, they attempted to present logically persuasive arguments for the positions that they favored. Second, they used appeals to emotion; that is, they attempted to manipulate their hearers by summoning their emotions through appeals to deeply felt prejudices. Third, they attempted to persuade others by appeals based on their own character: that is, a Greek orator would attempt to present himself (as he delivered his speech) as an eminently reasonable and fair individual who had in mind only the best interests of his audience. Minimally, your paper must make use of an appeal to reason: it should have a position and solid arguments for that position. Feel free to make use of the other modes of persuasion as well, however.
2. Historical and ideological accuracy or plausibility of your paper. Your paper must be historically accurate or plausible, and it must reflect the particular ideological background that your character is supposed to have. A simple way to put this is just to say, “Know what you are talking about!” In order to do that, you must research your topic as thoroughly as possible before you sit down to write on your position. If you are not sure about something, don’t write on it.
3. Creativity exhibited in your paper. Your paper should reveal that you have creatively constructed a character for yourself and that you have worked hard in imagining how he would think about his world and the issues that are brought up in the assembly.
Again, I want to stress that the most important part of your paper is that it contain a position and arguments in support of this position. I am not asking for a five-paragraph essay (by Hera, please don’t give me a stack of those!); the form is up to you. Just make sure that you are arguing for a position.
On a side note, I would like to let you know that it will take me a little longer to return these papers than I would like, because sometime over the next few days my wife will be giving birth to our second child. I’m sure you Athenian males will understand my need for extra time with my new son, time I need for telling him in private of the crimes and evil ways of hoi triakonta!
Eric
posted by Eric | 6:24 PM
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