“Global Sports and National Cultures”

Paper Guidelines

During this course, you will write five short papers. Each paper should be 350-400 words long, or
approximately 1 to 1 1/2 pages double-spaced.

You should upload your paper on ICON.

You will be given a list of topics for each paper; you may either choose a topic from the list, or
propose one of your own and write about it (although you may want to e-mail your instructor to ask
for approval first, just to be sure that it’s appropriate).

For each paper, your focus should be to show that you have performed an original analysis of the
topic, and to demonstrate your critical thinking skills. You are not necessarily required to do
research, but if you do consult websites or other sources (such as those discussed in class) be sure to
reference them properly.

Each paper should have a title, an introduction, a body and a conclusion. Even if you choose one of
the topics given, be sure to find a title for your paper that accurately reflects the content and draws
the reader’s interest. In your introduction, lay out the issues at stake, as well as any historical, cultural
or political context. You should also have a clearly stated thesis and outline for the rest of the paper.
The paragraphs of the body of your paper should generally begin with topic sentences, and include
specific, relevant examples. In the conclusion, you should summarize your argument and suggest
future directions your analysis could take. In the bibliography, you should list any sources that you
cite, using Chicago, APA or MLA format.

Formatting guidelines: write your name, the date and your instructor in the upper right-hand corner;
include a title in the center of the first page; use 12 point, Times New Roman font; and make sure
your margins are 1.25” on the right and left, and 1” at the top and bottom. There will be a 10%
deduction for every one of these guidelines that is not met.

In terms of writing style, you should try to express your ideas as clearly as possible, while still
maintaining an academic tone. Since many students (especially those just beginning their college
careers) have some problems identifying academic or formal modes of expression, the parts of the
papers that fail to maintain a consistent academic tone will be marked by writing “too familiar,” “too
colloquial,” or “try to maintain an academic tone.” The expectation is that the first 2-3 papers will
have a more colloquial tone, but by the time we reach the fifth paper, you will have achieved an
academic style of writing, and will be capable of using it consistently. Similarly, although the first
few papers may reflect some problems with structure and argumentation, it is expected that you will
improve throughout the semester, such that the last few papers are well argued and organized.

Papers will be graded with half the grade given for form (writing, spelling, structure, organization,
etc.) and the other half for content (originality of ideas, analysis, critical thinking, etc.). See the
grading rubric for more information. Since students are expected to respond to feedback and improve
their writing style and argumentation, grading will become progressively harder, such that a higher
quality is necessary to earn an A on the last paper than on the first.