Wolfgang Bein
------------------ Essay Requirements (1) Essays should be at least 5 pages long and usually do not exceed 10 pages. A page at regular font size and normal spacing should contain about 400 words. This does not include the references or cover pages. An essay that is much shorter than this, is unlikely to receive an A. Essays must not be hand-written. (2) The references are important in determining your grade. An essay without any references will likely be a C or worse. Giving many references that are *relevant to the topic* shows that you have done your research. All references must be used in the essay in some way and cannot just be put in the references section without ever being quoted. Your research might include a trip to UNLV's library, your local public library, as well as a well stocked local book store You may use any common reference style, as long as that scheme is used consistently. You may use Internet references, in which case, a standard style should be used. However only a maximum of 50 % of your references can be Internet references, the other 50 % must be regular. Ideally there are a dozen references. (3) Additionally the essay should have at the beginning a short concise abstract of about 100 words. (4) An essay may contain sections that express your opinions about the topic. However the essay must not just be a verbose summary of your opinions and feelings. Rather is must investigate the topic from different angles. (5) You may quote sources verbatim, but these quotes should be short. Long quotes do not count towards the 5 page requirement. All quotes must be referenced. (7) You must not quote anything without referencing it (that means you must not take entire sections from, say, Internet sources, and pretend you wrote them. Such behavior would in effect be considered cheating. (8) You should not repeat yourself, all points you discuss should be clear and concise. (9) Your essay must be well written. (10) Essays are due in class right before your 15 minute presentation. Presetation Requirements 1. Was the presentation balanced? 2. Did the presentation provide an adequate overview of the topic? 3. Did the presentation reflect a reasonable history behind the topic/issue? 4. Did the presenter "talk over" the slides (vs. read them)? 5. Did the presentation fit into the allotted time? 6. Was the presentation professionally made? 7. Was the presenter in command of the material? Silde Preparation 1. 15 slide minimum 2. Good slide layout 3. Good Slide design 4. Appropriate depth of material 5. Effective format of slides 6. Effective use of graphics 7. Effective use of slide building techniques