THIS I BELIEVE ESSAY GUIDELINES

Rough Draft due ______________(submit it to TurnItIn.com)

Final Draft due ______________(paper copy due in class)

Spend some time thinking about some belief that you hold that was not dictated to you via religion or dogma, but is something that you learned through your experience in the world.   Why do you believe what you believe?  Was there a series of events that led you to believe this one thing to be true?  If so, how did the events, one-by-one, develop in you this strong belief?  How does this belief influence the way you see and interact with your world? How have you tested this belief and found it to hold true?   Using the guidelines below, write an essay based on your life experiences about something you believe very strongly.  Explain how you came to believe this to be true.  Be sure that there is a clear link between the events that led to the belief and the belief stated.  (Please do not write about sports or religious conversion).  For ideas on how to approach this topic, please visit the PBS website This I Believe at: http://www.thisibelieve.org/dsp_Browse.php to browse categories and similar essays.  Consider submitting your essay to their website.

Format Guidelines

· The essay should be between 750-1000 words.

· 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 each essay.  (Don’t worry about how many pages your essay becomes.)

· Headers should appear as those shown for the MLA example paper that is on page 321 of your Writer’s Resource handbook.    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 essay a meaningful title. Center the title above each essay and

Put It In Title Case

Other Considerations

Essays will be graded for coherence, grammar, punctuation, spelling and overall writing quality.  A more detailed rubric will be distributed for more detailed guidance.  Addressing the reader as “you” will result in a “0” for the assignment, as will beginning sentences with conjunctions and/or using contractions outside of quoted material.  Rewrites for “F” papers will only be worth a “C,” at best, as a final grade on the essay. Review use of commas in the Writer’s Resource handbook (pp. 523-535/523-529) and use them correctly in the essay.