PURPOSE
The first two papers required simply close readings of literary texts, but the third paper introduces you to literary research and the processes of engaging in a critical conversation as you formulate an argument about a text.
ASSIGNMENT
For this paper, you will construct an argument related to any of the texts on the syllabus—one of the short stories, any of the poems, or the play. Your argument should focus on a significant issue or question raised by a particular author, work, theme, motif, etc., and you should present textual evidence that supports your argument’s answer to that question. Once you have chosen a text and topic for the research paper, you will then need to read critical articles and/or books on the text and topic to see what has been said in the critical conversation.
Your paper should focus on your own interpretation and analysis of the literature in question, which you need to present to your reader as a coherent argument, but you will also need to explore the various critical positions regarding your question in order to place your discussion of the literature within a current critical dialogue and to use the arguments of other critics to support your argument. Throughout your reading, continue to ask yourself what position you take on the question you ask and make your own position the main point (the thesis) of the essay.
Your final paper will be a well-organized, grammatically correct essay:
– Open with an introduction that gets the reader’s attention and introduces the literary text(s).
– State a clear, well-formulated thesis as the last sentence of the introduction, announcing your purpose in writing and the argument you will make about the text(s) you have chosen.
– Include quotations from the text(s) and offer in-depth analysis of those quotations to support your argument.
– Include quotations and paraphrases from five critical sources to support and contextualize your argument.
– Organize body paragraphs effectively with useful topic sentences and logical transitions between ideas.
– End with a conclusion that summarizes/synthesizes your argument and explains the significance or the implications of your argument to your reader (the “so what” of your essay).
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LITERARY RESEARCH
You will need to consult and use at least five critical sources found through the library research resources (e.g., the library catalogue, MLA Bibliography, Literature Resource Center, etc.). You may not use any abstracts, book reviews, or world wide web sources without asking me about the source first; this means you may not use wikis, blogs, sparknotes, bookrags, ehow, or any such sources. Copies of all sources must be included with your final paper.
The essay must be 1500-1750 words, not including the Works Cited page. The paper should be typed in 12-point Times New Roman font, be double-spaced, and have 1-inch margins. You must follow MLA format for the heading, pagination, internal (parenthetical) documentation, and the Works Cited page.
Late submissions of the hard copy will earn no higher than a 50 if turned in within 48 hours of the due date and will not be accepted after 48 hours. Papers not submitted to Turnitin/eCampus will not be graded.
An essay that does not meet word count will receive a grade no higher than a 60. Avoid the following in your paper: Broad generalizations Clichés 1st- and 2nd-person point of view Excessive summary World Wide Web sources
TOPIC PROPOSAL DUE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8
ON ECAMPUS
In a full paragraph, you should state your intentions for this project. You will present your research question and what you think the answer to that question might be, or your interpretation of the text with regard to the issue of your question. Your answer can, of course, still change as you read other critics’ interpretations and, especially, as you write your paper. Your proposal should include at least the following information:
– the author and title of the literature you will be analyzing
– the topic you are interested in investigating or the question you want to answer/explore
– the answer/argument you think you will offer (a working thesis)
If you want to write about a text not on our syllabus, you should email me before the topic proposal is due, explaining to me why you want to write about a different text. Remember that recycling papers written for a previous class is a form of scholastic dishonesty.
IN CLASS
Type a working bibliography of the 5 sources you will use in your paper to turn in during class.
ROUGH DRAFT DUE WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4
Bring two typed copies of a complete draft to class.
FINAL ESSAY DUE FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6
Submit the following in a folder on the due date:
– Final Essay (including a works cited page)
– Copies of all sources used in the essay
– Graded bibliography
– Peer review & peer-reviewed drafts
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