General Instructions:
Utilize the framework of European Renaissance themes and see what scholars in the field are saying and doing. Look through articles you find during the course of your research, and see if one of them strikes a chord with you, and triggers an idea you wish to pursue related to this theme (and this theme only): RELIGION.
Your essay should represent new research into some aspect and should be written to an audience of experts in the field. You should have numerous direct quotes from the primary text to demonstrate that you’ve read and understood the assigned text.
You will need to use two journal articles in addition to the primary source for the essay. Articles should meet the following criteria: peer reviewed, recent (published within the last 10 years), directly related to the primary source, not book reviews. Scan journal articles to see what is currently being published. Engage in direct literary analysis of the primary source. Be very specific. Length of Short Analytical Essay should be: 800 words minimum (which should be 3-4 pages).
In your essay, you must have either in-text quotes or paraphrase (cited) from each of the articles, but they should play a supporting role to your own ideas. The focus should be on your argument and your ideas. Be sure to use MLA format ONLY. Be concise and focused, use proper essay format with introduction, thesis statement, body paragraphs, conclusion, and works cited. Use Turnitin and plagiarism software to make sure work is not being plagiarized.
All essays should be written in Times New Roman 12 point plain font. Essays are double spaced, include indented paragraphs with no extra space between paragraphs, and 1 inch margins on all (4) sides. Write in the third person objective voice, and prove/illustrate points with quotes and paraphrases from your primary and secondary sources, followed by the corresponding in-text and Works Cited citation. Avoid the first person “I” subjective voice in graduate level scholarly writing.
Use only scholarly articles and books found through databases in research libraries. As a general rule, keep quotes to 2-3 lines maximum in these relatively short papers, and no more than 10-15% of the total paper. Focus first on your primary source(s) to prove your thesis and related points, and never allow a secondary source to make your argument for you. Avoid using introductory, encyclopedic, and editorial material as a source in graduate level work. Avoid superficial and/or careless grammatical or content errors.
