COMPARISON CONTRAST ESSAY GUIDELINES

(10 percent of grade)

Resource list due ___________ (Typed, hard copy in class)

Rough draft due ___________  (Submit to TurnItIn.com)

Final draft due ___________     (Paper copy in class)

The Assignment

Pick two things you would like to compare/contrast.  These could be concrete items, such as cars, paintings, books, or stories, or they could be more abstract foci, such as one aspect of two philosophies or cultures, approaches to some activity, or even points of view regarding some issue.  Be original and avoid topics covered extensively in the media, such as abortion, gun control, the Iraq War, the death penalty, etc.,… Research the items you have chosen.  Write an essay comparing and/or contrasting these two items, detail for detail, whatever they might be.

· The essay should be 500-750 words.

· Write in full sentences.

· Put a Works Cited page at the end of your essay as a separate but numbered page.  Use MLA format for the page and citations listed (example Works Cited pages are on pp. 383-387/390-392 of your FR Writer handbook).  Be sure to alphabetize citations. Use only three internet resources and no encyclopedias.

Format Guidelines

· Essays will be typed, and in 12-point Times New Roman or Courier font.

· The left margin should be 1 ½ inches.  All other borders/margins should be 1 inch.

· Double space the essay.  (Don’t worry about how many pages your essay becomes.)

· Headers should appear as those shown for the MLA example paper that begins on page 374/381 of your FR Writer textbook.    It is okay to single space name, instructor, etc.,…

· Be sure to include your surname in the pagination header.  Pagination header should be ½ inch from the top of paper and 1 inch from the right edge (flush with the right margin).

· Give your narrative a meaningful title. Center the title above each essay and

Put It In Title Case

The Resource List

The Resource List is a list of the places you looked for information on your topic. Type the list. Format it as if it were the Works Cited page of your paper. It will become the Works Cited page for the final draft of your paper. It is due _____________.

Grades

Essays will be graded for coherence, grammar, punctuation, spelling, MLA formatting, and overall writing quality.  Addressing the reader as “you,” using contractions outside of citations/quotes, and/or using conjunctions to begin sentences will earn an “F” for the essay.  Failure to use MLA formatting and a Works Cited page will result in a "0." Rewrites of “F” papers will only be able to achieve a final grade of “C” for the essay.