Skidmore College: Liberal Studies 1
Fall 2004

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Paper #1

Due Date:

Length: 3 full typed pages maximum

Assessment: Graded; 5%

Topic:

LS 1 Paper Guidelines: LS 1 papers are formal academic papers. As such, they should reflect rigorous critical thinking and present your ideas in your best expository writing. As part of the process and product of critical thought, LS 1 papers should

• show a mind actively engaged with a problem
• make an argument
• bring something new to the readers
  

Furthermore, your LS 1 papers must

• be grounded in ideas presented in LS 1 readings, discussion, large group presentations
• engage LS 1 materials through explicit inclusion in your paper with appropriate citation
• offer a coherent thesis statement to your readers
• present ideas in an organized fashion
• be written clearly and correctly

First and foremost, LS 1 papers are to be thesis-driven essays. A thesis statement is a guiding statement for an essay that presents the subject of the essay and the writer's point-of-view (or comment) on the subject. As such, a thesis-driven essay has a point to make; it is a pointed essay. All of the ideas and information in the paper drive that point home to the reader. To support your thesis, you will draw from ideas presented in LS 1 readings and large group presentations, using direct quotations or paraphrases, as well as from class discussion. You should follow the appropriate style for documentation and citation outlined in the Appendix of the LS 1 reader and The Skidmore Guide to Writing. Depending upon the paper topic, you may also need to draw upon personal experience to support your thesis.