textual evidence in favor

Each topic will begin with an assertion, which will sometimes be further explained in a following sentence or two. You will provide an extended argument either supporting that assertion or challenging it. Your argument must include (a) textual evidence in favor of the thesis you put forward, (b) one or two objections which an opponent might make to your claims, and (c) either or both of (c1) objections you make to the opponent’s position or (c2) rebuttals of the opponent’s objections. End the paper with a brief summary of the outcome of this back-and-forth. An excellent essay will cover all these points, but not necessarily in a ‘by-the-numbers’ fashion; it will be concise and elegantly structured, and it will briefly consider what implications the stand taken on the particular point in the question has for the overall interpretation of the work in question.  Topic: The ordeal of the iron rod in The Romance of Tristan and Iseut chapter 12 shows that God approves of the adulterous union between Tristan and Iseut and of her concealing it by swearing an equivocal oath.  1. Papers are to be typed, double-spaced, with at least 1″ margins all around; font no smaller than 12 point. Please do not use any folders or binders; there is no need for a title page. Be sure that your name appears on the top right-hand corner of the first page but do not include your ID number or any other possibly sensitive identifying information. Papers should be 1200 to 1500 words long; please include a word count in your paper at the end.

2. The papers are to be submitted electronically through the Blackboard website, which uses the Turnitin filter. In addition to the electronic submission your TA may request that you simultaneously submit a paper version. 3. The papers in this class are not research papers. If you do, however, make any use of the work of others in preparing your paper, be sure fully to document this. Documentation consists of a research log, listing the URL of every website and bibliographical citations for every print source you consulted together with the notes you took. Failure to document the use of sources may constitute plagiarism;  Each topic will begin with an assertion, which will sometimes be further explained in a following sentence or two. You will provide an extended argument either supporting that assertion or challenging it.

Your argument must include

(a) textual evidence in favor of the thesis you put forward, (b) one or two objections which an opponent might make to your claims, and (c) either or both of

(c1) objections you make to the opponent’s position or

(c2) rebuttals of the opponent’s objections. End the paper with a brief summary of the outcome of this back-and-forth. An excellent essay will cover all these points, but not necessarily in a ‘by-the-numbers’ fashion; it will be concise and elegantly structured, and it will briefly consider what impli- cations the stand taken on the particular point in the question has for the overall inter- pretation of the work in question.

Some further tips:

· You must provide textual evidence for your thesis, but avoid relying too heavily on direct quotations. To demonstrate your understanding, it is better to try to summa- rize what the text says in your own words, using short quotations only as necessary.

· Whenever you refer to a specific passage in one of the assigned course texts, whether or not you quote it directly, provide an exact citation by work and page (and line number if applicable). There is no need to provide a bibliography for course texts.

· The paper topics ask you to write about a proposition that is controversial; this means that there will be strong and interesting arguments both for your position and against it. To make the best case for your position, you’ll need to identify the strongest arguments against it, and then offer the most convincing counter-objections or re- buttals that you can. Don’t underestimate the other side.

· Makesurethatyoucompletealloftherequiredsteps,includingsteps(a),(b),and(c),as well as a brief summary of the outcome of this back-and-forth at the end, and a brief consideration of the implications for the overall interpretation of the work.

· You don’t necessarily need to cover all of the steps in a “by-the-numbers” fashion, but at the same timea by-the-numbers approach is totally fine. If you are unsure how to organize your paper, just follow the steps above, in order.

· Use headings and clear transitions to make the structure of your paper crystal clear to the reader.

· These are not research papers. Consulting outside sources is not recommended. (But if you do consult outside sources you must submit a research log, as described in the paper instructions.)