Literature

Your research paper should be an argumentative essay that makes a specific claim about one or more of the course readings. The claim should incorporate some specific school of literary criticism discussed in class. Support this claim and argument in a well-developed, well-written, and well- organized essay of at least 1500-1800 words of text (not counting the works cited page) and must successfully use at least 5 critical secondary sources (primary sources- the literary texts assigned from class- are not included as part of the research requirement) accessed through the GMC library. The bulleted list below provides general options for paper topics. The entirety of the class reading assignments can be found in the Course Syllabus, under “Course Schedule.” The list below provides general options for paper topics: A paper focusing on one of the texts from class (if only writing on one text, it must be a different text than the ones you wrote on for Response Papers 1 and 2). A paper focusing on multiple texts (no more than 3) by the same author A paper focusing on multiple texts (but no more than two) by different authors Tips and Reminders Re-read the text(s) on which you want to base your paper. Once you have decided on a topic, begin doing preliminary research (you will need to do a lot of research for this assignment anyway). Read what other literary critics have said. This will help you to further narrow down your topic, and even to find some of the sources you will end up using in the paper. Remember that you are a literary critic too—this means you should feel free to question and disagree with the interpretations you read. Make sure your thesis is an arguable one, something that readers might actually agree or disagree with. Don’t be afraid to take a leap and put forward a new, creative, and/or unique interpretation. Remember that any argument should be properly supported with reasonable textual evidence. Your paper must incorporate information from outside sources found through the GMC library. Remember that you have three methods for incorporating outside information into any paper: you can quote (use the source’s exact words), paraphrase (put the source’s words into your own words), or summarize (boil down information from a source to a 1-2 sentence summary in your own words). Avoid unnecessary plot summary and biographical information. Assume that your reader has already read the work you are discussing, and assume that your reader knows important information about the author’s life already. Remember that sources like Wikipedia, Sparknotes, and other open-web sources are not appropriate for this paper. Conduct your research through the library like a real researcher, rather than relying on Google to find open-web sources. MLA formatting for style, in-text citations, and works cited entries is a significant part of this paper. Review the sample essays in our textbook, and review grade feedback on past response papers for help with this. Organize your argument to maximize its effectiveness. Your introduction should include a thesis. Each paragraph of your paper should include a topic sentence that references your thesis. Each sentence in each paragraph should directly support that paragraph’s topic sentence. Finally, don’t forget the little things. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation should be perfect. Edit and revise your work. Manage your time efficiently to allow yourself the opportunity to read and reread your final paper multiple times.

Choose Charon’s What Does It Mean to be Human? to make an argument about the human experience and the ways we know, learn and evolve.

Explain the importance of feminist theory. What powerful female characters have we discussed in our readings?

Research Proposal

Write a personal letter to the Professor. DO NOT USE ANY RESOURCES. LETTER REQUIREMENTS: *Double-spaced *12-point font *One and a half (1 ½ FULL PAGES) *Explain how your view of literacy changed from the beginning of the semester to now (the end). *Explain what you learned about literacy and critical thinking and how you will use both in future classes, at future jobs, and in varying situations. *Tell me anything you want me to know (what you are doing over the summer; where you plan to be and what you plan to be doing next semester, what you learned; what you wish you would have learned or learned more about; how you have grown as a writer-because you have; etc.)

(Have to answer all 3 questions each has to be 500 words) 1. The novel is told from multiple characters’ points of view: Jojo, Leonie, and now Richie. Why do you think Ward chose to tell the story from these voices, and why do you think the other characters don’t serve as narrators: Mam, Pop, and Michael, for example? 2. When Mam insists that Leonie help her die, to “Let me leave with something of myself” (page 216), what makes Leonie hesitate? Why does she wish for Given to be there in that moment? 3. begin by reading Sheri-Marie Harrison’s article “New Black Gothic,” which was published in the LosAngeles Review of Books in 2018 https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/new-black-gothic/#! Once you’ve read it, view the music video for “This is America” by Donald Glover, a.k.a. Childish Gambino, which is referenced in Harrison’s article along with Sing, Unburied, Sing, and the film Get Out (2017) as an example of this “New Black Gothic.” CONTENT WARNING: This music video contains sudden and intentionally disturbing instances of gun violence. Glover, D. (May 5, 2018). Childish Gambino – This is America. Retrieved from YouTube. In light of Harrison’s article (and, perhaps, my notes on the Gothic), respond to the ways in which “the Gothic” as a genre appears in Sing, Unburied, Sing, answering all three of the following questions. You can feel free to discuss the ending of the novel as evidence of the Gothic, if you like. Why might so many 21st century Black artists be reaching for Gothic tropes, such as ghosts, ancestral curses, and the like to illuminate the African American experience? Do you agree with Harrison’s assessment that Sing, Unburied, Sing is a Gothic novel? Why or why not? Can you think of any media Harrison hasn’t mentioned in her article (music, TV, films, novels, etc.) that might also be categorized as “New Black Gothic?”

Writing Assignment #3 Personal Research Narrative Summary of assignment • Task: You will complete the following o Expand on the topic that you researched for writing assignment #2 by locating at least five more sources on the topic. o Take notes as you read through the sources. o Write a personal research narrative in which you not only comment on what the sources say but also comment on your research journey that led you to these sources. • Length: 1800-2400 words • Format: APA • Sources: 10 sources, six of which should be scholarly sources More details that explain each of these sections are provided below. Background to this Essay In many classes in the past, you might have been instructed never to use the word “I” in your writing. However, throughout this class, in both the response essay and the reflective annotated bibliography, you have been instructed that the use of the word “I” was totally acceptable, even encouraged. In this essay, this use of first-person point of view continues. This essay is a research essay in which you use the word “I.” Ken Macrorie, a professor at Western Michigan University, wrote a textbook in 1980 called The I-Search Paper. In the book, Macrorie criticized traditional research papers that students were often asked to produce in classes. He designed, instead, a type of research paper that asked students to use the first-person point of view (“I”) in their papers, encouraged them to explore topics that were of interest to them, and required that they comment on their research journey in finding sources and information on their topics as much as on any arguments or conclusions they were making on their topics. This writing assignment in WRTG 291 is informed by Macrorie’s approach, although it does not involve all elements of the research process he asked for. In your WRTG 291 class, you have been given access to a chapter from Linda Bergmann, “Writing a Personal Research Narrative.” Please access that chapter. In that chapter, please review “The Personal Research (‘I Search’) Paper,” starting on page 160. On page 160, Bergmann (2010) writes: Although an I-Search assignment calls for a personal narrative, like most academic writing it is written to communicate to a particular audience, not for the writer alone. Its purpose is to help you discover and communicate the personal and professional significance of your research to a particular audience. Moreover, pages 161-162 in Bergmann’s chapter list some steps to take in organizing and preparing to write your paper. Sample Personal Research Narrative Essay On pages 162-166 of Bergmann’s chapter is a sample personal research narrative essay. Another sample I-Search paper can be seen by clicking here, although this example has fewer sources and fewer scholarly sources than this assignment calls for. Moving from the Reflective Annotated Bibliography to the Personal Research Narrative For writing assignment #2, you wrote a reflective annotated bibliography. In that assignment, for each of the articles you found, you wrote not only a précis of the article but also some vocabulary, reflection, and quotes from the article. Hopefully through that assignment, you developed an interest in a focused aspect of your topic. The following describe some examples of focusing your topic: • You may have conducted research on whether Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are effective classroom environments. For writing assignment #2, you may have found 5-6 articles on MOOCs in general. Perhaps, as a result of your findings, you have now done more research and have focused on MOOCs for a particular field of study (e.g., computer programming or creative writing). You then found more articles related to not only MOOCs but also MOOCs for learning computer programming or MOOCs for learning creative writing. • You may have conducted research on cyber breaches in the health care industry. For writing assignment #2, you may have found 5-6 articles on various cybersecurity incidents in hospitals or other areas of the health care industry. Perhaps, as a result of your findings, you have now done more research and have focused on not only what breaches have occurred but what training practices are being implemented to avert such occurrences in the future. As a result, you found more articles that rounded out your research on this topic. • You may have conducted research on the CSI effect. For writing assignment #2, you may have found 5-6 articles on studies that analyze whether a CSI effect exists. Perhaps, as a result of your findings, you have now done more research and have focused on the various types of CSI effects that are shown in the literature. You then found more articles that expanded your knowledge of the CSI effect. It is this research experience on which you will write the personal research narrative. Examining the Sample Personal Research Narrative in Bergmann’s Chapter: Note how, in the sample student personal research narrative on page 162, the student begins by providing the background that gave him interest in the topic. He then discusses his first steps in researching the topic. As he describes his steps in the research process, he uses expressions like, “I was astounded by…” or “This idea seemed valid to me, but…” or “…let me to wonder…” or “At this point in my exploration I have come up with a slight dilemma.” For your personal research narrative, you want to follow the same pattern. Describe to the reader what you thought when you started researching, what you already knew about the subject, what interested you in the subject, etc. Then describe your various steps, commenting on what surprised you, what ideas did not seem valid to you, what research articles you may have questioned, etc. You might consider your response essay, which was the first essay you wrote for this class. The personal research narrative is, in some ways, an expanded response essay. In the personal research narrative, you may be responding to several authors while providing a narrative of your thought process and learning process throughout your research journey. Length and Other Requirements: Your paper should be 1800-2400 words. It should include at least ten sources, six of which should be scholarly. The sources are to be cited and listed in APA format. In addition, the paper should be formatted according to APA style (e.g., you should include a running head with page numbers, have appropriate margins, etc. in accordance with the video tutorial you observed in class, How to format your paper according to APA style.) Additional resources: In our class, in the e-reserves section, we have a chapter from the book by Graff, G. and Birkenstein, C, They Say / I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing with Readings. The chapter mentions various techniques to apply in stating what an author said and your response to the author. As was recommended for the response essay, it is recommended that you read through that chapter so that you might apply these techniques to this essay. Submitting the assignment: Please post a rough draft of your Personal Research Narrative essay as your instructor directs you by the due date your instructor provides. After receiving feedback on your response essay, please use the comments from your instructor to help you to assess your own rough draft. Please post your subsequent draft of the Personal Research Narrative as your instructor directs you. The number of drafts you write will depend on your instructor’s arrangement as well as your timeliness in submitting the assignment.

A Federalist representative democracy requires both personal responsibility and social responsibility of its citizens through personal involvement in the democratic process and the understanding that there are many interests to consider in a democracy. Both personal responsibility and social responsibility may be reflected in the process of voting. Please write a 2-page essay discussing whether and how a) the act of voting is the personal responsibility of every citizen, and b) citizens have a social responsibility to consider how his or her individual vote will affect the diverse interests of the broader community. The essay should be written in Times New Roman, 12-point font, one-inch margins, double-spaced, with college level grammar, structure and spelling. Please upload to the appropriate link under the ‘assignments’ tab on eCampus.

Extra

British Literature Medieval Essay Topics Write an essay that deals with ONE of the questions below. Your essay should have a strong thesis statement, topic sentences for each body paragraph, evidence from the text (quotes citing line # only), and your own analysis. A good undergraduate literature paper should be concerned primarily with a careful and detailed analysis of a particular character, theme, or passage in a particular work or works. Your paper should pose some kind of argument about your topic, in the sense that it should advance an idea that someone might disagree with. You are not required to use secondary literature for this paper. Your primary aim should be construct a meaningful reading of some aspect of a work that stays close to the text as it develops. You should support your claims with quotations, but you should also carefully analyze those quotations. Don’t assume that the meaning is transparent. Explain why the quotation supports your claim. Please refer to the MLA Style Manual or OWL.purdue.edu for proper citation forms and other formatting issues. If you decide to use secondary literature, do not use it as a replacement for your own analysis. Secondary literature is best used as a point-of-departure for amplifying a particular point, or for introducing an idea that you plan to argue against. Topics for paper #1: Compare the Beowulf poet’s treatment of Grendel and the dragon. How do these monsters contribute to our understanding of the ethical or social values of Anglo-Saxon society? Use MLA Style, 1” margins, Double-spaced, Arial or TimesNewRoman 12 pt font. Due Date: Tuesday, 29 June 2020 Length: 4 pages