Reply #14: I don't think the assignment was to write a paper

[alcibiades_mystery]

I think it was probably a "response paper." The students were given the article and asked to discuss how it illustrates some of the material they had been covering in class. That's the form it takes. Response papers are usually pretty short; they are primarily designed to get students to apply course materials or start making connections between course material and everyday life or professional life.