RELT10311 Essay: Source Report
You are required to submit one essay of approximately 1,500 words in length. In this assignment you will choose a secondary source which interests you. You will then answer questions about this source following the format below. This process will help you actively read and engage with a scholarly text which will be expected of you in your essay. You may review any secondary source (whether book or article) from the course unit supplemental bibliography, or another of your choosing with the permission of the instructor. Please note that no online reference material will be accepted (i.e. Wikipedia). You must submit 2 copies of each of this essay in type-script to the School Office (Samuel Alexander Building A6) by 4pm on Tuesday, 11 November
Please use the following questions to guide your analysis of the source. I would encourage you to structure the assignment explicitly around these questions, perhaps typing them in as headings in your text:
- What is the author's main thesis? (N.B. Be sure you know what a thesis is, before you answer this question!) What, exactly, is the author trying to argue? Is his/her argument convincing? Is it easy to identify?
- What are the steps in the author's argument? Is the sequence logical? Where appropriate, does s/he raise and counter possible objections thoroughly and fairly?
- What primary sources does the author bring in as evidence to support his/her points? Do you think the use of sources is fair, or could one just as easily use the same material to argue an opposing view? Does s/he have enough evidence to support his/her case?
- What theories and methodologies does the author draw on? What secondary literature has influenced him/her? What is unusual or distinctive about the approach?
- Does the essay meet the author’s stated aims successfully? What, if anything, would you have asked the author to do differently, if s/he had shown you a draft before publication, in order to meet these aims?
To aid your success in writing this essay a number of guidances and helpful PDF documents have been created.
- To view the marking criteria which will be used to grade your essay please click here.
- Guidance on Using Sources can be found by clicking here.
- Guidance on Writing Essays can be found by clicking here.
- For examples of past student essays the following marked essays with tutor feedback have been provided: essay 1, essay 2, essay 3, essay 4.
- Finally, Plagiarism is strictly forbidden. For the University of Manchester's guidance on how to avoid plagiarism please click here