Guidelines for final paper

Final paper: Integration of ideas related to leadership, change, and communication.

This course requires critical thought about the course readings and class discussions in order to critically understand and develop your own sense of what leadership means, so the mid-term and final papers will focus on your perspectives on leadership and communication, drawing from the course readings and outside supporting materials. The paper will be evaluated according to the evaluation form at the bottom of the paper assignment sheet. The final paper should be 8-12 pages in length.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate understanding of leadership concepts, to compare and contrast theories and ideas, and to apply these concepts to contemporary leadership to better understand the function and nature of leadership in relationship to communication

You should explain and reflect on at least THREE key ideas that you would like to carry forward in your workplace and/or in your life. You may use the readings questions, reflections, and analysis exercises to help you formulate the main ideas from this course. Ultimately, this paper should highlight the most important elements that you have learned from the course, and how you would apply them in your workplace and/or life. This is a reflection paper, so outside research is required, but include appropriate references to course materials. (See last page of syllabus for more information). You may, of course, site outside material if it helps build your argument.

Title for final paper
Write a title for your paper. It should be specific and descriptive; it should explain what your paper is about. The reader should know what your paper says just by reading the title. You do not need a separate title page.

Introduction and thesis statement for final paper
Your introduction should be well written and catch the reader’s attention, include your thesis statement, and forecast what you will say in the rest of the paper. You should develop a central argument and thesis statement, and then use the paper as a way to support your argument. Your thesis statement should be a statement of argument and should appear somewhere in your introduction.

Transitions and paragraph structure
You will need to use transitions between paragraphs and each major section of the paper. Subheadings can help you effectively move from one major section of the paper to another, so make sure to use them in your final paper.
Paragraph structure for academic papers should be longer than for a journalistic style of writing. Generally, paragraphs should be between ½ to ¾ of a page. Paragraphs should start with a claim, and then use evidence to support that claim. Do not start paragraphs with your evidence or the authors that support your claims. Rather, start with your argument, and then use the evidence to support and illustrate your argument. Summarize by argument rather than by author or evidence. Use your own examples to illustrate your point or argument, but also make sure to use supporting materials as well.

Organization of paper
Organize your papers by ideas, rather than by author. For instance, you may be tempted to summarize in each paragraph a different author or piece of evidence. A stronger way to organize your papers is to focus on the ideas rather than the authors. Make sure to connect each idea with transitions.

Conclusion for final paper
Your conclusion should address what you have learned about leadership, change, and communication practices.

Internal citations and evidence
You should use the texts to support your arguments and make sure to appropriately credit authors. Cite authors, years, and page numbers (if it is a direct quote). Use quotes if you need to, but they should not be too long. Important: make sure to use appropriate citations of texts. If you are using more than three words in a row from an author, you should use quotation