This is a W class, and one way that we fulfill that
attribute is by writing a paper.
The paper we will write will be on a topic related to the book Flatland by Edwin
Abbott Abbott.
For this, I urge creativity.
Flatland:
The book Flatland is a classic that has piqued the imagination of readers for 130
years.
I want you to write a paper inspired by Flatland; there are many
possible and legitimate directions to take.
Simplistically (for the purpose of this paragraph), Flatland is both a social satire
and an exploration of the meaning of space and dimension.
One direction that you could take is to compare it to other well-known satires, either
modern or classical, or both.
You could explore the parallelism between the experiences and fate of A. Square and
historical figures, such as Galileo Galilei or
Giordano Bruno.
You could explore its mathematical aspects, or mathematics that it touches on (geometry in
higher-dimensional space).
Flatland has inspired many other works, including other books, movies, and
articles, you could write about some of these, or about its affects on how people think.
It is possible to argue a line from Flatland to special and general relativity.
You could write additional chapters/sections for Flatland.
The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.
I will expect multiple sources in addition to the book Flatland, and solely on-line
sources will not cut it, unless you can make a good argument.
A list of some paper titles from past years, including some of my suggestions, may be
found here.
Guidelines:
- This paper should exceed five pages and 1500 words.
You will need at least this much in order to do your topic justice.
In past semesters, I have found that shorter papers are often too sketchy to
receive high marks. If you happen to do an excellent job with fewer words,
I could lighten this requirement, the standards will be quite high for that.
- Papers will be marked out of 160 points, with 10 points for timely and complete
submission of topic and sources, 30 for the rough draft, 20 for the peer-review,
and 100 for the final product.
- Topic and sources: Give a (preliminary) title, and
a short (2 sentences to 1 paragraph) description of your topic, e.g. an abstract.
Historical/Expository require multiple sources,
several of which must be longer than the paper itself.
I want to see at least one source that is not a web page.
Remember that items on the web usually have authors and titles, not just URLs, and need to be
cited accordingly.
(Giving the date of access is also considered desirable, since the Web
changes constantly.)
Mathematical papers or those that
involve the creation of new prose need not have sources, if the paper is
self-contained, but
they would be improved by your knowing something of the context.
In fact an important part of a mathematical paper will be its introduction (for
context if that is warranted) and the clarity/justification of any definitions.
- Draft: This will be handed in to Frank, who will look at them and
make some comments. While they need not be in final form, they should be complete,
and will be marked on that basis.
- Peer Review: We will spend one day of class time working in small groups to read
and discuss your writing.
Your drafts must also be handed in to members of your group.
- Here is an approximate breakdown:
| Criterion | Expository | Mathematical |
|---|
| Choice of topic | 5% | 5% |
| Correctness and depth | 25% | 50% | |
| Exposition | 35% | 20% |
| Mechanics (punctuation, etc.) | 25% | 20% |
| References | 10% | 5% |
- Don't expect perfect scores. In serious writing the threshold of
perfection is infinite.
- A note on Plagiarism:
Finding information in books or on the Internet is praiseworthy; lying (even
by silence) about where it came from is academic dishonesty.
Whenever you copy from, or "find the answer" in, some other source,
give a footnote or reference. Otherwise, you are
certifying that it is your own work.
- Guidelines for Authors.
This is borrowed from Steve Fulling
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