Very soon your
assignment marks will be out, and before having a look at your assignment
marks, I would request that you spare a couple of minutes and have a look at
what I’ve got to say as regards my students’ assignments with me. [You may also
want to look up my other article on the same subject HERE]
Madras Christian
College has never compromised on quality. Yes, I underline the word NEVER. Be
it the legendary Professor Benet Albert or the revered Dr.Vishnu Bhat, or the
great Dr. Robert Burns, or the vibrant Prof. Rajani, or the scholarly Dr. Nirmal Selvamony, (literary giants who have always stood for high academic integrity that they possessed and practised) - teachers of the glorious past
who have laid a lovely paradigm for the
future as regards the quality of assignments – it is our sincere wish and
ardent desire that, this rich legacy is sustained through all the students
(trend setters) who pass through this sylvan conclave of excellence. That was
the commitment that motivated them, and that continues to motivate us even
today.
Indeed, we are
and always will be votaries of this excellence, and NO SECOND THOUGHTS ON
THAT!!
A good assignment
is basically a sustained inquiry into a particular subject of study. Your guide
would want you to systematically augment your thesis statement with effective
props to authenticate them. Your opinion of course matters a lot. But, what is
more important is the support statement that gives the required credentials to
your opinions. And, support statements offer a good deal of weightage when they
are propped up by the views of critics/scholars/giants in the respective field
of enquiry. In order to do this effectively, make sure your thesis statement is
convincing (not confusing!). Cathy Keller Brown, an expert on the subject says,
“Before you do anything else, make sure you have a clear understanding of what
your instructor expects from you”.
Other expert
Professors like Lynn F. Jacobs and Jeremy S. Hyman, who are with the University
of Arkansas observe in their enlightening article “The 5 Biggest Mistakes
College Students Make”:
“Problem No. 5: Going it alone. Many students shy away from going to see their professor or teaching assistant, either because they're too scared, they think the prof won't want to see them, or they think you should only go when you're in trouble. As a result, they end up blowing a test or paper when a few minutes with the instructor could have easily cleared up the problem.”
`
Always remember
that,you are expected to discuss with your guide (professor) as regards your
chosen topic, and your guide will in turn give you an issue of a standard
Journal [like our own Eclectic Representations], to help you get suggestions in
your adventure/tryst/journey with your research article. The guide normally
spends at least 30 minutes with you, giving you suggestions/ideas on writing
better, and helping you tackle your thesis statement as befits a students of
MCC.
Your guide is
usually available over email or personally in the Staff Room, during College Working Hours.
You can fix an
appointment with your guide a day in advance (by phone/email/in person) and
make sure you meet him/her at the specified time. Your guide, apart from giving
you guidance on getting good research material in the city’s libraries, may
also give you his/her own reference books to finetune your article better.
Check if you have
included an abstract in about 150 words.
Check if key
words have also been included along with your abstract. (words, and not
sentences!)
Check if you have
given a minimum of at least TEN print sources.
Check if you have
cited the page numbers for all the citations/quotations included in the
article.
Check if you have
followed the MLA Style Sheet format for quoting page numbers in your article.
Check if you have
abided by the MLA format for Research Papers in your ‘Works Cited’ section.
Check if you have
included a minimum of at least 18 paragraphs in your research article. (the
minimum is 18)
Check if you have
a word length of at least 3000 words. Your MS Word will help you identify the
approaching word length better.
Check for any
spelling mistakes/grammatical errors that might have inadvertently crept into
your article.
See to it that
you submit your assignments before the deadline. (e-assignments are just an
option given to students for publishing them later).
If you have done
all of the above, kindly question your guide if your grade is below 90!
Otherwise, stop
the lament and get back to the basics!
There’s no
compromise on quality AT ANY COST!
And to
bring out the best in you!
With all best wishes,
Course Teacher
