For your final formal writing assignment for this class, you are invited to complete a 2,500 word research project on a topic of your choosing related to a work of literature. *The Works Cited page does not count toward your word limit.
As long as the project is both a scholarly research project and also related to a work of literature, you may take any direction that interests you.
Here are some ideas:
• To investigate the life of an author we’ve read (Faulkner’s life was fascinating, as were the lives of many authors we read in this class)
• To find major themes in the work of a poet (so instead of analyzing one poem by Gwendolyn Brooks for your short paper, to look at many of her poems for the longer research project)
• To explore a literary movement (the Harlem Renaissance springs to mind)
• To analyze an issue in a literary work (looking at the roles of people of color in Gone with the Wind might be interesting)
• To argue a topic that springs up from a literary work (abortion in "Hills Like White Elephants")
• To research a literary genre (the graphic novel seems to be gaining appeal – and we read one example in “The Shabbat”)
I encourage you to start with a topic and to focus that into a research question. I further encourage you not to solidify your thesis, though, until you have done some preliminary researching, thinking, and even writing. At that time, you may find that what exactly you would like to say is more crystallized.
Source Requirements:• A minimum of 5 appropriate, academic sources (scholarly books, chapters of books, peer-reviewed journal articles, primary sources, etc.)
• Careful documentation of borrowed words and ideas should be followed at all stages of the writing process
• All borrowed information should be accurately and appropriately incorporated into your prose – with correct parenthetical documentation and no dropped quotes
• Any non-academic source should be carefully evaluated for bias and reliability, and will serve as a supplement to your academic sources – not as the primary bulk of your fact-finding
• A meticulous Works Cited (and optional Works Consulted) page will be prepared
Timeline
Topics Due ~ Come to class on Thursday, September 5th with a tentative topic (or topics). 5 points. (Via email before class the next Tuesday if you change your mind.)
Prospectus ~ Due Thursday, September 19th. The prospectus is exploratory writing that explains your proposed topic for the final project. You should articulate what it is exactly what you want to write about and why, letting the instructor know what you’ve done and what you know so far as well as what questions you have and what questions you’d like to explore for the project. If it’s not immediately obvious, you should justify how the proposed project will meet the tenants of the assignment (relate it to literature, show how and where you’ll find scholarly sources). 1 page. 10 points.
Annotated Bibliography ~ Due Thursday, September 26th. The annotated bibliography lists your sources in correct MLA format and gives a useful synopsis/summary of the source. You should show a good variety of scholarly, academic sources (not all articles from the same journal, for example) that define a narrow scope for your project. If there is an applicable peer-reviewed scholarly journal for your topic, you should include at least one article from it. After your careful summary, give an explanation of exactly how you’ll tie the source into your project. 5 sources x 10 points each = 50 points.
Rough Draft ~ Due Tuesday, October 1st. The rough draft should not be a polished product – it is, after all, an unfinished rough paper by definition. However, the more writing, researching, writing and thinking you have done by the time the rough draft is due, the more useful peer editing in class will be. You will also receive a score for the quality of your peer edit feedback. 10 points.
Final Draft ~ The final draft of your research project is due on Thursday, October 3rd at the beginning of class. You should submit it in a folder with all of your final project materials (your prospectus, your bibliography, any rough drafts – including those done outside of class, and printed-out versions of your sources if at all possible). 200 points.
*On your syllabus, you'll note the research project is worth approximately 300 points. 275 points are listed here - there may be some additional in-class activities (a response to your prospectus, an MLA workshop for the annotated bibs, etc.)
