SCS requirement
An essay grading page appears as the last page of this syllabus – it should be removed from thesyllabus and attached as the
last page of your essay (failure to do so will lead to a deduction of 1point).
a – Academic Referencing and Bibliography (9/30)
Students must rely upon at least six (6) independently sourced academic books or journal articlesthat are appropriately
integrated and referenced into the body of the essay and citied properly in abibliography, under a separate heading entitled
“Academic Sources”.
Provided that a student has met the basic source requirements outlined above, other types ofsources may be relied upon as
desired (i.e., non-academic materials). These could include
newspapers, magazines, press releases, information emanating from corporations or governments,internet sources, films/videos,
etc.All sources must be properly cited in the bibliography, but academic and non-academic sourcesmust be cited separately.
When a source is relied upon, it should be cited in the body of the essaywith the last name, year of publication, and, if
quoting or paraphrasing the source, a page number –for example: (Sadik 2015:64). Do not use footnotes or endnotes.You are
reminded that proper citations are essential in all academic work. The point of citations isto ensure that other peoples’
work is not plagiarized or used without credit, and to allow a readerof your essay to follow-up on each and every source
cited. This must include citing page numberswhere direct quotations are used and when paraphrasing someone else’s work/idea –
this is anessay requirement. Plagiarism is a serious offence that can lead to expulsion from the faculty.
b – Essay Format and Expression (6/30)
Essays must be written using proper grammar and spelling and should be printed on standard8.5×11 paper with a single white
cover page and all pertinent identifiers (i.e., title, name & studentnumber, course, professor, and date). The essay should
be held together with a single staple at theupper left-hand corner (do not use folders, covers, clips, etc.).
The essay must: (1) be typed; (2) be double-spaced; (3) use a one-inch margin all around the page;(4) be printed consistently
in a black 12-point font; (5) have page numbers; and (6) have a body thatis 8 pages in length (excluding cover and
bibliography). Headings and subheadings should be usedonly to the extent that they contribute to the effectiveness of your
paper (i.e., they are optional).Excessive blank lines, spaces or blank pages should be eliminated throughout the body of the
essayexcept at the end of the essay where the bibliography should begin on a new page.Students can use any of the common
formats for academic work in the social sciences (e.g., APA,Chicago, etc.) provided that they meet the requirements set out
above and are applied consistently.Students lacking experience writing essays in the social sciences can consult the Faculty
of SocialSciences’ Writing and Style Guide for University Papers and Assignments (1998)
(visithttp://aix1.uottawa.ca/~fgingras/metho/guide-en.html). Use of the first person (e.g., “I believethat…”) should be
avoided in academic work.
c – Writing an Effective Essay (15/30)
This essay should not simply describe an issue developed from a question in the Flew & Smith(2014) text, but must focus on
critically examining an issue based on additional independentreadings that you complete. To do this, ask yourself the
following questions about the readings thatyou carryout (but do not use these questions to structure your essay, they are
provided to assist inthe development of your thinking):
1. Who is the intended audience of this book/article? Who might this exclude?
2. How has this book/article been framed? Put another way, what alternatives are there to
this particular framing?
3. What sorts of claims are being made about the issue you are examining? Are there other
relevant claims or circumstances that have been left out?
4. What other information is available about this issue? That is, is there other relevant
information that should have been included?
5. What interests are at stake with respect to the issue/question you are examining? What
other interests might exist that are excluded from consideration?
6. What meaningful linkages can be made to issues explored in this course?
Your ability to develop insight into an issue based on a question from Flew & Smith (2014) is the keyto writing a solid
essay. Do not just regurgitate the information that you have read – draw on yourown insights to develop an analysis that
makes it clear that you have thought critically about whatyou have read and are able to draw linkages and make connections
between important issues andrelevant ideas relating to the course.
