MUSC 302W: Musicianship VI: Writing Your Paper

Preliminary Thesis Paragraph

Due Tuesday, March 7, 2023 by midnight

(5 points)

At this stage, you will submit a rough draft of your thesis paragraph for the paper.  The paragraph should accomplish the following four things, most likely in this order:

• Sketch out the essential background for understanding the research question or problem
• Clearly articulate the research question or problem at hand (even if you don’t actually phrase it in the form of a question)
• Outline how you are going to explore that question or problem
• Forecast what you will conclude about the question or problem

Turn this in on Canvas, under "Assignments" (left-hand menu), in MS Word or PDF format, as a discussion board post.

Further instructions can be found in the Instructions document on the homepage.

Revised thesis paragraph

Due Thursday night March 9, 2023 by 12 midnight

(10 points)

• Now that you’ve received feedback from other students on the first draft of your thesis paragraph, you will immediately revise those drafts for review by me and receive further feedback.
• To receive full credit for this stage of the project, you must show significant improvement on the original draft of your paragraph. 

Turn this in on Canvas, under "Assignments" (left-hand menu), in MS Word or PDF format.

Further instructions can be found in the Instructions document on the homepage.

Outline of Paper

Due Thursday night, March 23, 2023 by midnight

(10 points)

At this stage, you will submit a document with the following items, in the following order:

• Revised thesis paragraph
• Blow-by-blow outline of the body of your paper, explaining the function of each paragraph in developing or supporting your thesis, and making reference to your sources when relevant
• A revised list of all your sources, cited properly (minimum 5)

Turn this in on Canvas, under "Assignments" (left-hand menu), in MS Word or PDF format.

Further instructions can be found in the Instructions document on the homepage.

Rough draft of paper

Due Wednesday night, April 5, 2023 by 12 midnight

(15 points)

At this stage, it's time to convert your outline into a rough draft of the paper.

• Minimum 2000 words of the total 2500 words

Turn this in on Canvas, under "Assignments" (left-hand menui), in MS Word or PDF format.

Further instructions and the grading rubric can be found in the Instructions document on the homepage.

Final Version of Paper

Due Thursday night, April 20, 2023 by 12 midnight

(200 points)

Your 2500-word paper should have a title, but it need not have a cover page. You should also have a bibliography of all consulted sources at the end of the document. Papers will be graded according to the following scheme:

• Content and substance of evidence and argument: 115 points
• Clarity and transparency of writing: 35 points
• Organization and structure of ideas: 35 points
• Proofreading (including proper citation of sources): 15 points

Turn this in on Canvas, under "Assignments" (left-hand menui), in MS Word or PDF format.

Further instructions and the grading rubric can be found in the Instructions document on the homepage.

The Writing Center provides writing instruction and support for students and faculty, including:

• One-on-one assistance for academic papers, professional applications, résumés, Web sites, presentations, and other projects.
• Help with writing from all disciplines and all stages of the writing process.

• Workshops, class visits, writing resources, and support for instructors wanting to incorporate effective writing pedagogy into their classes.