Compare and contrast essay

Read the SIX sections of this guideline carefully! You are responsible for

the information contained in these pages—failure to follow the

guidelines set out in this packet is highly likely to negatively affect your

grade.

Assignment: Compare and Contrast Essay

RLG204 –Spring 2018

20% of total grade

SECTION 1: The Topic

Topic: Islam and Democracy

The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast two articles on the topic of Islam and democracy. Students are required to read the two articles carefully and formulate a critical position on the issue of Islam and democracy. For instance, Fukuyama sees the lack of freedom in Islam as the major obstacle to democratization, while Esposito and Voll argue that Islamic tradition contains a number of key concepts that support democracy.

Main Requirement

Compare and contrast the arguments made by Fukuyama and Esposito and Voll and critically analyze the most essential features of their debate.

Articles:

1. Francis Fukuyama, "Identity, Immigration, and Liberal Democracy," Journal of Democracy, 17-2 (2006): 5-20. 2. Esposito, John and John Voll. 2001. "Islam and Democracy. Humanities, November/December 2001, Volume 22/Number 6 http://www.artic.ua.es/biblioteca/u85/documentos/1808.pdf

Some useful areas for comparison include asking:

a) What are the authors’ primary arguments?

b) How do they go about making their arguments? c) What assumptions do they make?

d) What are the strength and weaknesses of their arguments?

e) What conclusions do they reach? f) Have they made a compelling case or not? g) What conclusions do I believe can be drawn from these

articles? h) Do I agree with them or not? If yes, why? If not, why not?

**You may only agree with one author, OR disagree with both, OR agree with some components in each argument. It is important for you to carve your position clearly, succinctly, and rationally; this means you need to provide reasons for your position visà- vis the two articles. It is imperative that you are substantial ideas as opposed to attacking the authors. Ensure that you keep any critique focused on their arguments and/or their approaches and not their personality, location, or name.

Important terms – Islamism vs. Islamicism vs. Islamic:

Esposito and Voll talk of Islamists, Muslims and Islamic thinkers in their article. Keep in mind the following definitions and distinctions (see page 245 of your textbook for details):

Islamist – a person or movement that advocates for a “political Islam,” and seek to integrate Islam into multiple spheres of life including law and government.

Islamicist – a scholar or movement that studies Islam academically

Islamic – characterized by the principle teachings or cultural influence of the religion of Islam

SECTION 2: ASSIGNMENT BASICS

-This paper is worth 20% of your final grade. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you give

yourself plenty of time to prepare for, draft, and edit this paper.

Requirements:

Your essay must have 6 to 9 pages. Introduction – The introductory paragraph must contain a clear thesis statement and a description of the method used in the essay. In other words, the introduction must have a statement that includes an argument related to the essay question and then describe, briefly,

how you will prove your argument. It must also include an overview of the similarities and differences you will address in the rest of your essay. Body paragraphs –Each body paragraph must focus on one particular issue/point. Each body paragraph must end with a concluding sentence that connects the content of the paragraph back to the main argument stated in the introduction. Conclusion – the concluding paragraph must restate what you have said in the essay. It is a blend of all the mentioned points. You are strongly discouraged from using sources other than the articles provided for the topic AND the course materials. If you use other outside sources, failure to choose those sources wisely and/or use them effectively is grounds for a deduction from your final mark. Any outside sources (including course materials) must be properly cited. Format Your essay must:

- Include a cover page with your name, student number, and date of submission. Papers lacking this information may not be graded and may be assessed deductions for lateness.

- Be in 12-point Times New Roman font with double-spacing and 1-inch margin. - Include a title. - each paragraph must be at least 5 sentences long and must not exceed 10 sentences. - Include citations and a bibliography that conform to the Chicago Manual of style (you can

use either author-date or humanities style, but be consistent). Your quotation and citation will be judged on the basis of a) how well you choose passages that are useful to your paper/identify relevant points in the text, b) how accurately you use that material and your fidelity to the original context, and c) whether it is possible for a reader to locate your quotations or cited points easily in the source material.

- Please familiarize yourself with the attached grading rubric that will be used in grading your essay.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is an academic offence and all its cases are taken very seriously. It is your responsibility to know and follow University rules and regulations including those that cover plagiarism, missed exams, etc. Plagiarism is quoting and even paraphrasing the work of an author without a proper citation. You should not submit any academic work for which credit has previously been obtained or is being sought. Please consult University of Toronto calendar, Section Six (“Rules and Regulations”) for further information. The following links provide information on plagiarism and citing resources: www.artsandscience.utoronto.ca/ofr/calendar/rules.htm

http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/using-‐sources/how-‐not-‐to-‐plagiarize

SECTION 3: RUBRIC

Essay Grading Rubric

A: Excellent B: Good C: Adequate D: Marginal F: Inadequate

Response to Task Contains all required elements. No formatting errors. No errors in source Documentation.

Contains most required elements. Few errors in formatting. Few errors in source Documentation.

Contains some

required elements.

Some errors in

formatting. Some

errors in Source

documentation.

Contains few required elements.

Many

errors in

formatting. Many

errors in source

documentation.

Does not address question or task. Fundamental errors in formatting. Fundamental errors in source

Documentation.

Analysis Insightful, original analysis.

Excellent use/

understanding of

theory. Essay

fully controlled

by precise, well-‐

defined thesis.

Strong analysis

that often

goes

beyond obvious

or surface

meanings.

Good

use/

understanding of

theory. Thesis

appropriate to

the essay,

but

may

lack some

precision.

Simple analysis that

at times goes

beyond obvious or

surface meanings.

Use of theory

adequate in some

ways, but not all.

General thesis or

controlling idea is

evident, but key

elements unclear.

Very little analysis. Some use of theory, but insufficient and/or incorrect in several ways. Thesis is vague or not

central to essay.

No analysis. Use of theory absent or wholly incorrect. No

discernib

le thesis.

Support/

Argument Fully supports all arguments with relevant evidence and well-‐

developed,

persuasive

reasoning.

Supports most arguments with relevant evidence and clear,

consistent

reasoning.

Supports some arguments with limited, but adequate evidence and reasoning (essay contains too much descriptio n; some arguments unclear or Unsupported).

Provides insufficient/ irrelevant evidence and/or poor reasoning to support several key arguments (essay in general tends towards description or subjective opinion).

Fails to support arguments with evidence or reasoning (essay consists almost entirely of description or subjective

opinion).

Structure/

Coherence Paper has

excellent

structure. All

body paragraphs

have a clear

focus

and are

coherent.

Paper is generally

well

structur

ed. Most body

paragraphs have a

clear focus

and are

coherent.

Paper has a weak but present structure. Some body

paragraphs have a

clear focus or topic.

Much of the paper is

disorganize

d and/or incoherent.

Many body

paragraphs

lack focus.

Paper has

no

obvious structure.

Most body

paragraphs

have no

clear focus.

Writing Writing is eloquent and clear. Absence of biased or colloquial language. Excellent diction and sentence structure. Excellent mechanics

and

punctuation.

Writing is clear with minor errors. Few examples of biased or colloquial language. Good diction and

sentence

structure.

Good

mechanics

and

punctuation.

Writing is competent with

some errors. Some

biased or colloquial

language Some

problems with

diction or sentence

structure. Some

problems with

mechanics and

punctuation.

Some major writing errors or numerous minor ones that impede understanding. Many examples of biased or colloquial language. Many problems with diction and sentence structure.

Major errors that make writing difficult to understand. Frequent use of inappropriate language. Serious problems with diction and

sentence structure. Significant problems with

mechanics and

punctuation.

SECTION 4: COMMON MISTKES MADE BY STUDENTS

- Your thesis is absent, underdeveloped or unspecific: See

UofT link on “Using Thesis Statements”

http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/planning-and-organizing/thesis-statements A

thesis will indicate the methodology of your argument.

A thesis should show awareness of difficulties and disagreement.

Remember: A thesis makes a definite and limited assertion that needs to be explained and supported

by argumentation in the body of your paper.

-Your thesis cannot be simply a restatement of the question: in other words, for this topic, a thesis

like “…and from this I conclude that there are serious disagreement among scholars on the root

causes of Islamic authoritarianism” is not an adequate thesis. In order to construct a strong thesis

statement, you must stake out a position: can the disagreement be resolved by an alternative

explanation, or not? How? And what are the implications if the disagreement can/cannot be resolved?

-Do not assume that the two essays are diametrically opposed to one another. In many cases,

they will have interlocking and nuanced arguments—sometimes they will agree on some points and

disagree on others, sometimes their conclusions will be similar but their evidence will be

substantially different. A good writer will not attempt to make an author support their point of view.

- Recognize the difference between belief and opinion. Your opinion, a critically considered

and carefully evaluated position on the issue, is extremely important to a strong paper. Your personal

beliefs are unimportant and irrelevant in any academic writing.

- Your feelings and your opinions are not the same things. We do not care how you ‘feel’

about an argument, or how it makes you ‘feel’—angry, sad, amused, or overjoyed. We do care about

your opinion—whether the argument is unfounded, incorrect in factual or logical ways, particularly

clever, or leads to an insight. Your informed opinion matters. Your personal feelings do not. -

Excessive quotation. Excessive quotation indicates to your professor that you do not actually

understand the material. Appropriate alternative: read the passage that you would like to use, then

close the book and explain what the author has said in your own words—then MAKE SURE that you

cite the text and page number of the original paragraph.

-A good guideline: your quotations should almost NEVER be more than two sentences at a time,

and no more than 10% of your paper should be made up of quotations. Every time you quote,

take a deep breath and, following the end of your quote, write one or two sentences explaining why

that quote is important and why it explains your point. Quotations do not justify or explain

themselves. That being said, remember to cite the source when you are using material from the

book, even when it is not a quote—you may cite as often as you like but remember that your

restatement of the author’s position cannot mean simply re-arranging his or her sentences!!

- DO NOT TRUST SPELLCHECK OR GRAMMARCHECK. We cannot emphasize this enough.

Everyone uses these tools in Microsoft Word, and they are valuable. However, they are not foolproof

and they are not a substitute for carefully editing your paper! A miss-spelling of ‘Qu’ran’ could end

up as ‘query.’ REMEMBER: if grammatical and spelling errors are significant enough that they make

it difficult to understand what you are trying to say, you WILL be penalized.

- Think about what you are actually saying. You should be able to tell your fellow students,

in two or three sentences, what the topic of the paper is and, very roughly, what you intend to say

about it.

SECTION 5: General Guideline on How to Write a Compare and Contrast Paper

Throughout your academic career, you'll be asked to write papers in which you compare and contrast

two things: two texts/articles, two theories, two historical figures, two scientific processes, and so

on. "Classic" compare-and-contrast papers, in which you weight A and B equally, may be about two

similar things that have crucial differences (two pesticides with different effects on the environment)

or two similar things that have crucial differences, yet turn out to have surprising commonalities (two

politicians with vastly different world views who voice unexpectedly similar perspectives on sexual

harassment).

In the "lens" (or "keyhole") comparison, in which you weight A less heavily than B, you use A as a lens

through which to view B. Just as looking through a pair of glasses changes the way you see an object,

using A as a framework for understanding B changes the way you see B. Lens comparisons are useful

for illuminating, critiquing, or challenging the stability of a thing that, before the analysis, seemed

perfectly understood. Often, lens comparisons take time into account: earlier texts, events, or

historical figures may illuminate later ones, and vice versa.

Faced with a daunting list of seemingly unrelated similarities and differences, you may feel confused

about how to construct a paper that isn't just a mechanical exercise in which you first state all the

features that A and B have in common, and then state all the ways in which A and B are different.

Predictably, the thesis of such a paper is usually an assertion that A and B are very similar yet not so

similar after all. To write a good compare-and-contrast paper, you must take your raw data—the

similarities and differences you've observed—and make them cohere into a meaningful argument.

Here are the five elements required.

Frame of Reference. This is the context within which you place the two things you plan to compare

and contrast; it is the umbrella under which you have grouped them. The frame of reference may

consist of an idea, theme, question, problem, or theory; a group of similar things from which you

extract two for special attention; biographical or historical information. The best frames of reference

are constructed from specific sources rather than your own thoughts or observations. Thus, in a

paper comparing how two writers redefine social norms of masculinity, you would be better off

quoting a sociologist on the topic of masculinity than spinning out potentially banal-sounding

theories of your own. Most assignments tell you exactly what the frame of reference should be, and

most courses supply sources for constructing it. If you encounter an assignment that fails to provide a

frame of reference, you must come up with one on your own. A paper without such a context would

have no angle on the material, no focus or frame for the writer to propose a meaningful argument.

Grounds for Comparison. Let's say you're writing a paper on global food distribution, and you've

chosen to compare apples and oranges. Why these particular fruits? Why not pears and bananas? The

rationale behind your choice, the grounds for comparison, lets your reader know why your choice is

deliberate and meaningful, not random. For instance, in a paper asking how the "discourse of

domesticity" has been used in the abortion debate, the grounds for comparison are obvious; the issue

has two conflicting sides, pro-choice and pro-life. In a paper comparing the effects of acid rain on two

forest sites, your choice of sites is less obvious. A paper focusing on similarly aged forest stands in

Maine and the Catskills will be set up differently from one comparing a new forest stand in the White

Mountains with an old forest in the same region. You need to indicate the reasoning behind your

choice.

Thesis. The grounds for comparison anticipate the comparative nature of your thesis. As in any

argumentative paper, your thesis statement will convey the gist of your argument, which necessarily

follows from your frame of reference. But in a compare-and-contrast, the thesis depends on how the

two things you've chosen to compare actually relate to one another. Do they extend, corroborate,

complicate, contradict, correct, or debate one another? In the most common compare-and-contrast

paper—one focusing on differences—you can indicate the precise relationship between A and B by

using the word "whereas" in your thesis:

Whereas Camus perceives ideology as secondary to the need to address a specific historical

moment of colonialism, Fanon perceives a revolutionary ideology as the impetus to reshape

Algeria's history in a direction toward independence.

Whether your paper focuses primarily on difference or similarity (or both), you need to make the

relationship between A and B clear in your thesis. This relationship is at the heart of any compareand-

contrast paper.

Organizational Scheme. Your introduction will include your frame of reference, grounds for

comparison, and thesis. There are two basic ways to organize the body of your paper.

• In text-by-text, you discuss A, then B. [NOTE: Be VERY careful with this option. If you choose do this you will need to be selective and conscientious in your discussions— while you must provide some summary of the article, restating every single one of the authors’ points is not an acceptable way to write a text-by-text paper.] • In point-by-point, you alternate points about A with comparable points about B.

If you think that B extends A, you'll probably use a text-by-text scheme; if you see A and B engaged in

debate, a point-by-point scheme will draw attention to the conflict. Be aware, however, that the point-

by- point scheme can come off as a ping-pong game. You can avoid this effect by grouping more than

one point together, thereby cutting down on the number of times you alternate from A to

B. But no matter which organizational scheme you choose, you need not give equal time to similarities

and differences. In fact, your paper will be more interesting if you get to the heart of your argument

as quickly as possible.

Thus, a paper on two evolutionary theorists' different interpretations of specific archaeological

findings might have as few as two or three sentences in the introduction on similarities and at most

a paragraph or two to set up the contrast between the theorists' positions. The rest of the paper,

whether organized text- by-text or point-by-point, will treat the two theorists' differences. You can

organize a classic compare-and-contrast paper either text-by-text or point-by-point. But in a "lens"

comparison, in which you spend significantly less time on A (the lens) than on B (the focal text), you

almost always organize text-by-text. That's because A and B are not strictly comparable: A is merely

a tool for helping you discover whether or not B's nature is actually what expectations have led you

to believe it is.

Linking of A and B. All argumentative papers require you to link each point in the argument back to

the thesis. Without such links, your reader will be unable to see how new sections logically and

systematically advance your argument. In a compare-and contrast, you also need to make links

between A and B in the body of your essay if you want your paper to hold together. To make these

links, use transitional expressions of comparison and contrast (similarly, moreover, likewise, on the

contrary, conversely, on the other hand) and contrastive vocabulary (in the example below,

Southerner/Northerner).

As a girl raised in the faded glory of the Old South, amid mystical tales of magnolias and

moonlight, the mother remains part of a dying generation. Surrounded by hard times, racial

conflict, and limited opportunities, Julian, on the other hand, feels repelled by the provincial

nature of home, and represents a new Southerner, one who sees his native land through a

condescending Northerner's eyes.

Copyright 1998, Kerry Walk, for the Writing Center at Harvard University

SECTION 6: Important Note on Plagiarism

Please review University of Toronto statement of policy concerning plagiarism:

http://life.utoronto.ca/get-smarter/academic-honesty/