MIT 372f “Witch Hunts in the Modern Era”
Outline for the Assignments, Fall Term 2006.

First Assignment:
	Media Analysis.
	Due 6th October, 2006.
	Please refer to the writing guidelines attached.
 	Minimum of 2-3 pages.  If you have more to say, write more, but be concise.

This assignment will serve me as a diagnostic tool to evaluate your skill in summarizing a source and providing a relevant exegesis of its contents.  In this assignment, you are to select a source (it can be an editorial, a film, a play, a novel, a collection of papers, a text book, a microfiche, anything but a website) and argue that its contents make it relevant to this course on witch hunts, using the indicators discussed in lecture, and/or the documents provided in the course pack.

You do not need to relate your document specifically to one of our readings or another, you do not need to quote documents from the readings if you do not require citations to make an explicit point, and you do not need to write subsequent assignments on the same broad topic you select for the first assignment, although it is to your advantage.

You do need to show the relevance of the source you have selected, and you do this by showing how its contents, or the subject about which it is a source, reflect the elements of a witch hunt discussed in class, and presented in the course readings.

Your grade will reflect the relevance of the source you have selected, and the manner in which you argue the case that it is relevant as a source for this course.  Be clear, concise, and complete in your argument.

This is not a book-report assignment, nor a film revue, nor a personal reflection paper.  You must show that it is relevant to our course of study, and you must argue to convince me of that.

Second Assignment:
	Multimedia Analysis
	Due 27th October, 2006
	Please refer to the writing guidelines attached.
	Minimum 4-6 pages.  If you have more to say, write more, but be concise.

See the description for the first assignment above.  Now, do that again – twice.

(Ahh - this is an example of messing with your footers – see the wasted space?  Don’t do this in your work.  Remember to prof read your work.)
Third Assignment:
	Prospectus and Annotated Bibliography
	Due 17th November 2006
	Please refer to the writing guidelines attached
 	Minimum 4-6 pages.  If you have more to say, write more, but be concise.

A prospectus is an explanation of what your research paper will be about, what you will argue, and what you will use to support those arguments.  In the prospectus you make the case for your project and argue the relevance of what you are setting out to do in the research paper.  It is, in a sense, an introduction to the project in which you advertise the features of your coming work.

An annotated bibliography is a list of sources that you provide, including the relevant documentation for finding those sources.  For each source, you are required to write a short paragraph explaining why this is a useful source for your project.  Do not rely on summaries written by others on each source.  You must argue the relevance of the source on specific points to your project, as an item for submission in this course.

Only one of the sources you include may be an online source.  Do not cite personal webpages for this assignment.

Each of these ought to be not less than 2 pages.  A total of about 6 is to be expected, and you may write more if you need to – but again, be concise.  Writing more is often no guarantee that you are adding anything of quality.  Be conscientious about this.

Final Assignment:
	Research Paper
	Due on the last day of the first term – consult the Registrar’s Office.
	Please refer to the writing guidelines attached.
	Minimum 15-20 pages.  You may not exceed 20 pages, not including the 	bibliography, without penalty.

Write a research paper with a clearly articulated thesis that is relevant to this course.  Argue in favour of your thesis, and address any counterarguments that are particularly relevant.  Tell me what you’re going to tell me, tell me, then tell me what you told me.  Write clearly, concisely, completely, and coherently.  Your grade will reflect your success or failure to do this.

EMAIL BLACKOUTS:  The night before an assignment is due is not the time to start asking questions.  Nor is the night before the night before an assignment is due.  An email blackout goes into effect 48 hours before an assignment is to be submitted.  Please inform me of emergencies or illnesses, but written feedback cannot be requested so close to a deadline.  I simply might not be able to get back to you in enough time for my comments to be of use, so in the interest of preventing angst about this for all concerned, it is not allowed.
Writing Guidelines:							Mulligan, 2006.

Assignments must have a cover sheet, on which the title of the paper, the number of the assignment, your name, my name, the course code, and the date submitted must appear.

All of the above information appears on the cover sheet, and is not to be included on succeeding pages of the assignment – it’s a waste of space.

All papers are to be submitted typed, using twelve point font, on double spaced pages.

Pages must be numbered.  The assignment should be stapled.  If this is a problem, buy a stapler.

If the assignment is meant to be 4-6 pages, for example, this means that the minimum standard for completion of the assignment is 4 (four) pages of text – that’s text, not four pieces of paper with 3¼ pages of text covering them.  Widening the margins, widening the headers and footers, adding extra spaces between paragraphs, using a larger font, including documentation of name, assignment, date, etc., at the top of each page will make it look only to the most causal of observers that there is more text present than there really is.  Please, don’t try these strategies.  Just write more.

If four pages is the minimum standard acceptable for the assignment, and the minimum grade to pass an assignment is 50%, any assignment submitted which is below the minimum standard acceptable cannot, in principle, receive a passing grade.  Assignments that do not meet the minimum required length will be penalized according to the extent of the failure to meet minimum standards for submission.

An ‘Author’s Note’ can appear on the title page, indicating the bibliographic information that supports quoted material in the essay.  This is acceptable for papers using not more than three or so sources.  Otherwise, a bibliography must be included.

All cited material can be documented using footnotes, or endnotes, or parenthetical documentation.  Your choice.

Assignments submitted late will be penalized 5% per day, each day or portion thereof that an assignment is overdue.

An electronic copy of the paper can be sent to my email address.  Assignments received up until midnight on the date due will not be penalized.  A hard copy of the paper must be submitted to be graded.

Be sure to use spell check, and then don’t trust it.  Proof red your work.  See?

Make sure you have something good to say.  Say it.  Make sure you have said what you meant to say.  Make sure you have done that clearly, concisely, completely, and coherently.  Your grade will reflect your success or failure to do this.