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Small Theory Papers

Structure of the Theory Papers

• Paragraphs should be each 1/2 the length a page.

1st paragraph: Immediately discuss the theory

• Do not use the words "defined" or "definition"
• Include who created the theory or to whom the theory is attributed
• Quote a scholarly work (see above in the Sources sub-head) to help you discuss what the theory means (See below for how I want you to set-up quotes).
• Give some examples of the theory (but not in regards to your film); the aim is to have your reader understand the theory in relationship to some part of life.

2nd paragraph: Analysis Paragraph

• Think that what you are doing in this paragraph is to help someone understand the theory better by showing that person how the theory relates to your film
• Also, depending on the theory, you might be using a specific scene as an example, or perhaps the whole film, or possibly the audience's relationship to the film.
• Avoid 1st person discussions; if the theory and film connect to you in a personal way, then assuredly a few others have felt that same connection, so say "some people" instead of "I" or "me"

MLA Format Criteria:

• Review the Formatting Tutorial for proper formatting
• Font-type: Times New Roman
• Font-Size: only 12 point
• Indents: first line of each paragraph of the body indents 1/2" (not five space bar clicks)
• Spacing: Double space every line in the paper (no more, no less)
• Margins: 1" from all sides (page number header will be within that inch, and that is ok.) From the top, your masthead must be 1"
• No Bold
• No Underlines
• No exclamation marks--EVER!!!!!!!!
• A paragraph should be no less than 1/3 the size of a page and no larger than 1/2 the size of a page.
• Word sets extra spacing after paragraphs; highlight all, right click, choose paragraphs, and set spacing after paragraphs to zero

General Guidelines

• One page in length.
• Do not exceed one page.
• Page 2 is for the Works Cited page only
• You can use Purdue's Online Writing Lab OWL or my color-coded version on Inverseintuition.org
• If you use a citation maker, or any other source than the two listed above, and the citation does not match one of the two sources above, the citation is incorrect.
• If I mark something wrong on your Works Cited, but you think it is correct, your only defense is to show me how you followed a page on OWL or on InverseIntuition.org

Sources

• You must have one source that helps you discuss the theory
• Sources cannot have a publication date older than Jan 1, 2022.
• Do not use the sources that are hyper linked on the assignment page.
• Do not use dictionaries or encyclopaedias or quote aggregators. If you are unsure, ask.
• Your source must come from the EFSC databases.

Proofs of sources

• You must submit three files when submitting your assignment
  1. The paper, as a word document
     • File Name: LastnameAssignmentname.docx
     • See the course schedule for the name of each assignment
  2. The Proofs (see below) in a word document
     • File Name: LastnameAssignmentnameProofs.docx
     • See the course schedule for the name of each assignment
  3. The pdf of the article from the database
     • File Name: LastnameAssignmentnameArticle.pdf
     • Don't give the article name, just put the word "article" in the filename.

• How to make the proofs
  • You MUST submit two Proofs, together in one Word File
    1. a screen shot of the Details section from the EFSC database article
    2. a screenshot of the part of the article you are quoting
  • One proof must be a screenshot of the Details Page: Example
  • The second proof (put into the same document as the above proof) needs to be a full screen screenshot of the area you are quoting in the paper. HIGHLIGHT the quoted passage before taking the screen shot.
  • The screen shot must be a full screen shot--of your whole screen; do not crop it.
  • The screenshots must be pasted into a second Word document (that must be submitted in the same email with the paper).
  • The screen shot document must be labeled like this: LastnameTropesProofs.docx
• Submit the pdf of the article.
  • If the article you found does not have a pdf on the databases for you to download, then choose a different source.
  • Rename the pdf like this: LastnameTropesArticle.pdf

Pus Words

• List of Pus Words
• You only can have 2 pus words in each paper.
• Must highlight pus words in yellow.
• Be mindful of contractions that hide pus words, such as it's or he's.
• Do NOT use becomes or remains as a pus replacement; they do NOT mean the same as the pus words

Using Quotes in a paper

below, the bold and underline is merely to show parts; do not use bold or underline in your papers.
• A full sentence giving the first word, usually the author's name, from the works cited citation and the general idea of the quote that will follow: "the actual word-for-word quote"
• Alan Crowe in his article "Doggy Friends" suggests that when dogs first meet, they should do so in a place new to both of them: "Introduce the dogs in a neutral location that is unfamiliar to both dogs, such as a park."

Note: there is no need for the author's name in (parentheses) after the quote since you will say that author's name in your lead-in sentence.