1.Purpose:Noncommissioned Officers are required to write two Essays while in ALC; one paper on a Cultural Awareness topic and one paper on Branch History and heritage in order to complete the ALC TRADOC requirements for each of these areas IAW writing and correspondence.  The essay projects will enable NCO’s to develop their research and writing skills to become more effective leaders.  This guidance will outline how each of these papers will be written and detailed instruction on those topics and ideas.

2.Essay Guidelines.Prepare two essay papers, 1000-1500 words in length, using the Modern Language Association (MLA) format/writing style.  The essay papers will include the following in this order:

1.     

Title Page

2.     

Formal sentence outline (your outline must contain at least four supporting ideas with at least two subtopics for each supporting idea)

3.     

Final draft

4.     

Works cited page (at least four different sources.)

5.     

Clarity index (see clarity info page)

General Guidelines

• Printed on standard white 8.5 x 11-inch paper.
  
• Times New Roman, double-space, and 12 pt font.
  
• Leave two spaces after periods and one space after other punctuation marks (unless otherwise instructed by your instructor).
  
• One (1) inch margins on all sides.  Indent the first line of a paragraph one half-inch (five spaces or press tab once) from the left margin.
  
• Use either italics or underlining throughout your essay for the titles of longer works and, only when absolutely necessary, providing emphasis.
  
• If you have any endnotes, include them on a separate page before your Works Cited page.
  

 

ATSF-WB

SUBJECT:Essay Guidelines

Formatting the First Page of Your Paper (not the Title Page)

1. In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructor’s name, the course, and the date. Again, be sure to use double-spaced text.
   
2. Double space again and center the title. Don’t underline your title or put it in quotation marks; write the title in Title Case, not in all capital letters.
   
3. Use quotation marks and underlining or italics when referring to other works in your title, just as you would in your text, e.g.,
   
1. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as Morality Play
   
2. Human Weariness in After Apple Picking
   
4. Double space between the title and the first line of the text.
   
5. Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that includes your last name, followed by a space with a page number; number all pages consecutively with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin.
   

3.  Clarity Index. 
Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;”>When Microsoft Word finishes checking spelling and grammar, it can display information about the reading level of the document, including the following readability scores. For your research and theme paper, your documents should contain no more than 10 percent passive sentences in order to receive a satisfactory rating. The Flesch Reading Ease score rates text on a 100-point scale; the higher the score, the easier it is to understand the document. For your document, the standard is a score of approximately 40-60 in order to receive a satisfactory rating. The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score rates text on a U.S. grade-school level, for example, a score of 8.0 means that an eighth grader can understand the document. For your documents, the standard is a grade level of approximately 10.0 to 13.0 for a satisfactory score.

Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";”>a.      

Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;”>COUNTS

Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";”>1)  

Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;”>Words__________

Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";”>2)  

Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;”>Paragraphs______

Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";”>3)  

Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;”>Sentences_______

Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";”>b.     

Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;”>AVERAGES

Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";”>1)  

Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;”>Sentences per Paragraph__________

Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";”>2)  

Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;”>Words per Sentence______________

Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";”>c.      

Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;”>READABILITY

Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";”>1)  

Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;”>Passive Sentences_______________

Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";”>2)  

Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;”>Flesch Reading Ease_____________

Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";”>3)  

Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;”>Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level_______

4.  Evaluation.  Your essays are evaluated on Introduction and Thesis, Body Focus, Organization, Writing and Style, and Conclusion. There are additional deductions for MLA formatting errors.

ATSF-WB

SUBJECT: Essay Guidelines

[Excellent or Superior] rating is a letter grade (A) = 100-90 percent. [Good or Satisfactory] rating is a letter grade (B) = 89-80 percent. [Fair or Satisfactory] rating is a letter grade (C) = 79-70 percent.  Needs Improvement or Unsatisfactory rating is a letter grade of (D) = 69-60 percent.

Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;”>5.  Information can also be obtained from A Guide for Writing Research Papers Based on Modern Language Association to assist in writing your essays:

Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;”>(MLA) Documentation
http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/mla/index.shtml
Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;”>

Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;”>Writing a Research Paper
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/01/
Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;”>

Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;”>Guidelines for Research Papers
http://www.auburn.edu/~burnsma/papers.html
Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;”>

6.  Attached to this memorandum is a MLA Sample Paper.

7. 
The following assignments are due on the listed dates:

a.   

Branch History and Heritage Paper (Group project); turned into SGL on Day 8 of your course.

b.  

Cultural Awareness Paper (Individual project); turned into SGL on the Thursday prior the STX/LFX week.  These dates are final and non-negotiable, so plan accordingly. All papers are due to SGLs NLT 0800 of the relevant day. Plagiarism could result in negative counseling and removal from Honors consideration, as well as being removed from ALC. Any questions regarding plagiarism should be addressed prior to final submission of any work.

8.  Branch History and Heritage Essay. 

a.      

The goal for this essay is to assist in the goal of Instruction of Military History (IMH) IAW TRADOC Regulation 350-13 in order to focus students on branch history and heritage of their branch.  The context for the essay illustrates the applications of military history to training and leadership and a sense of branch significance.

b.     

Objectives. 

§ 

Provide Soldiers with a program of basic military heritage and history instruction that is sequential and progressive, including tools which may be used for continued professional development.

§ 

Stimulate an interest in continuous study of military and branch history beyond the classroom through individual reading programs, to assist future leaders in forming mature judgments about the profession of arms.

ATSF-WB

SUBJECT: Essay Guidelines

§ 

To know and understand the evolution and historical contribution of the NCO in the U.S. Army; the role of the NCO during the evolution of combined arms warfare; and the uses of history in military leadership.

a.      

 

b.      

 

c.      

Guidelines for a Branch History & Heritage Essay Paper.  The following serves as a guide in which to research, outline, draft and type your final paper.

§ 

Write anessay on a topic concerning a battle, event, or unit within your branch discussing the history and/or heritage of that topic and how it relates to the evolution and contribution towards today’s military operations and bring a historical perspective to contemporary military problems and leadership.

9. Cultural Awareness Guidelines and Topics.

a.   

The goal for this essay is to meet TRADOC and the Fires Center of Excellence Commanding General’s intent of implementing Cultural Awareness training into NCOES using the following goals as set by TRADOC:

§

Cultural Expertise – Culture professionals and leaders who possess an advanced level of cross-cultural competence pertaining to a specific geographic area.  These Soldierswill be able to evaluate and synthesize terms, factors, concepts, and regional information into plans, programs, and advice to commanders.

§ 

Cultural Understanding – Soldiers and Leaders, who will be able to apply relevant terms, factors, concepts and regional information to their tasks and missions, as well as analyze situational requirements.

§ 

Cultural Awaren