Writing an Essay for Humanities Courses
You might get to college and think, “I have this whole essay thing down pat. I did well in high school.” Unfortunately, this is often not the case with many students. Taking advanced placement and honors classes in high school might have taught you the basics, but nothing can prepare you for the scholarly research that every paper requires in college, no matter the major. Every essay will require some format, informed research, and a clear thesis. While paper lengths vary drastically per course and major, humanities courses require a certain amount of content to be deemed sufficient. This article will attempt to walk you through how to write a successful paper for humanities courses. Even if you do not plan to major in something humanities-related, most college students must take humanities courses to fulfill general education requirements.
By Britney Cox — July 21, 2022
You might get to college and think, "I have this whole essay thing down pat. I did well in high school." Unfortunately, this is often not the case with many students. Taking advanced placement and honors classes in high school might have taught you the basics, but nothing can prepare you for the scholarly research that every paper requires in college, no matter the major. Every essay will require some format, informed research, and a clear thesis. While paper lengths vary drastically per course and major, humanities courses require a certain amount of content to be deemed sufficient. This article will attempt to walk you through how to write a successful paper for humanities courses. Even if you do not plan to major in something humanities-related, most college students must take humanities courses to fulfill general education requirements.
Surprisingly, the first step to writing an essay for a humanities course has nothing to do with writing. The first step is to complete all your readings for the essay you are writing. Likely, you will have been assigned an essay based upon a selection of readings your professor has assigned. I suggest marking specific quotes and passages as you read to save yourself later. By marking quotes and passages you find interesting as you read, you will save yourself time instead of flipping through hundreds of pages of reading later. Once you collect some quotes and passages, you might notice a theme emerge from those markings. That can then serve as the topic of your essay. If not, you can brainstorm some topics for your essay and see how the passages you have marked fit into those topics.
Once you have read the required readings, marked quotes and passages, and found your topic, you can begin writing the paper. The first step will be to check the format your professor asks for in the assignment instructions, often included in the rubric. Formats for humanities courses are often MLA (Modern Language Association), APA (American Psychological Association), and Chicago style. Each style will have a different way to head your paper, address footnotes, and cite your sources. You will likely write in APA if you are writing a paper for a psychology, sociology, or social science class. If you are in a history course, you will likely write in Chicago style. And finally, and probably most noticeably, if you are in a composition or literature course, you will likely write in MLA format. Many websites on the internet can help you with these formats, but the one I recommend is Purdue Owl, from Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab.
Also, when it comes to formatting, you should keep in mind the length of the paper. While some professors will give you specific page requirements, others will not. However, if they give you page requirements, you should stick to them. Do not go over or under. You might feel the need to impress your professor and write as much as possible, but many professors knock your grade for not following directions. If they do not give page requirements, go by what feels right, or maybe you should ask for an estimate. Do not fall back on the 3.5 paper high school may have taught you. It will not give you the depth that any paper needs.
Once you start writing your introduction, you should form a clear coherent thesis statement, usually included in your introduction paragraph. Your thesis statement should state the point you are trying to make in your paper. It is often longer than a sentence but should not exceed a paragraph. The rest of your essay will set out to prove your thesis. You should write a preliminary thesis statement and keep refining it as you write your paper. Your thesis can often change and morph as you write your evidence in the following body paragraphs, which is completely fine! Thesis statements often take the most thought and work out of any part of your paper. It will probably be the focus of your professor as well.
Body paragraphs include supporting evidence of your thesis. These paragraphs will utilize the quotes and passages you marked in step one. You should look at each quote and passage and make that the sole focus of your paragraphs. You will explain why each quote and passage is important to your thesis and proves why your thesis may be correct. Without any supporting evidence, your thesis might as well be just a random opinion. As you quote things from the text, whether directly or indirectly, you will need to cite them according to the format of your paper. Incorrectly citing or forgetting to cite counts as planarization and will cause you to get into academic trouble, possibly even suspended. If you are unsure how to cite something from your texts, ask your professors or search the internet for help. Citation machines on the internet are often incorrect or missing important information. You will have to include in-text and full citations at the end of your essay.
The essay process can be daunting at first glance. However, once you frequently start writing essays, you will get the hang of them. If you do not do as well as you hoped, listen to your professors’ feedback and ask questions about how you can improve. Writing is never a perfect process, even for the most experienced writers. Editing is always needed to get the piece of writing you want, and it will rarely be perfect. Please keep in mind this article is for humanities essays and may not apply to fields such as STEM or Business.
Britney Cox
Britney Cox is a writer from Huntington, WV. She has two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Literary Studies and Creative Writing. She is currently working on her Masters in English, and she plans to pursue her doctorate eventually in hopes of becoming a professor (though her longtime dream is to work in the entertainment industry). Her passions include reading, writing, theatre, and listening to Taylor Swift.
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