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Small Theory Papers

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 two Proofs (a screen shot of the Details from the EFSC database article and a screenshot of the part of the article you are quoting) in a second Word document.
  • You MUST also submit the pdf of the article.
    • If the source you found does not have a pdf on the databases for you to download, then choose a different source.
  • 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 WITH the paper).
  • The screen shot document must be labeled like this: LastnameTropesProofs.docx
  • Rename the pdf like this: LastnameTropesArticle.pdf
  • If you use a peer-reviewed journal article, it must be from the EFSC's databases, and you'll need to send the two proofs of that article (see above) and the actual pdf of the article.




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




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"




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.