Outline

Outline (due February 12 at noon, workshop February 13)

This two- to three-page, double spaced outline offers the sequence of ideas in the development and support of the larger argument being made in the paper. The outline should break the larger project into sections. The overall argument of the paper should be articulated in the outline, along with the supporting arguments of each section.

You don't need to follow a formal outline method for this assignment, but you do want to clearly identify your working thesis and major subsections. I'm including a rough template below that clearly indicates the working thesis, major components, and sub-arguments. You don't have to use precisely this format, or precisely this order, just make sure that your outline includes specific details that allow your reader to understand the essential components of the argument you intend to make at this point. All of this is, of course, subject to change as your research and writing progresses.

Here's an example of an outline Download Here's an example of an outline. This example is more detailed than yours needs to be, but you can get a sense of how to put an outline together from it.

And here's the template.

Introduction

• Background
• Working thesis statement

Historiography (this should be a list of the major scholars and/or bodies of scholarship with which you will engage and give me a sense of what you will say about them)

• body of scholarship A
  • discuss author A and their foundational work on...
  • author B
  • author C
• body of scholarship B
  • author A
  • author B

First Topic

• Point A
  • supporting evidence
  • supporting evidence
• Point B
  • supporting evidence
  • supporting evidence

Second Topic

• Point A
  • supporting evidence
  • supporting evidence
• Point B
  • supporting evidence
  • supporting evidence

Third Topic

• Point A
  • supporting evidence
  • supporting evidence
• Point B
  • supporting evidence
  • supporting evidence

Conclusion

• Summarize the main points of your argument and restate your thesis in a fresh way
• Make a strong/memorable final statement