Your research essay will focus on a topic that we will agree upon in individual conference, should center on one of the assigned texts for the class, and be based on original ideas and research. Please arrange to meet with me about your seminar topic by Wednesday of the sixth week of class (2/24), and to consult with me regularly as you work on your essay. A 5-page prospectus, plan of research, and bibliography is due by March 26. The completed essay is due on May 5 and should be 20-25 pages long.
Formal writing (done outside of class) must use correct and current (7th ed.) MLA format, be word-processed, free from mechanical errors, double-spaced, and printed in "best quality" using a standard 12-point font and 1-inch margins. Students are encouraged to get (and give) feedback on the research essay with a classmate. Be sure to keep a copy of any work you hand in.
1. Preliminary Conference
Must be completed by Wednesday, February 24
2. Proposal and Annotated Bibliography for Research Essay
Must be turned in to my mailbox in H 420 by Friday, March 26, 2:00 pm
- The proposal should be typed, double-spaced and about one to one-and-a-half pages (or 300 words) in length. An annotated, working bibliography of at least ten current, scholarly sources will comprise an additional two to three pages or so (these ten sources do not include the "primary" text(s) your paper will analyze. I will be looking at the quality of your sources as well as the relevance to your project. Please be sure to look for the most current sources on your chosen topic.
- The proposal will discuss your preliminary or "working" thesis. The proposal should effectively "sell" the reader on not only the inherent interest of your topic but on your ability to follow through with your project. Generally this is done by placing your topic/thesis in the context of debate in the field (based on the research and reading you've done) and by providing the reader with at least a rough idea of how you will carry out your project (your methodology).
- I may request revision of topics I don't think will lend themselves to scholarly research, so suggest that you consult with me before you get too far into your project and let me know what you're interested in. Also consult the MLA Style Manual (7th ed.) for help with composition, documentation, and format.
- The bibliography should strictly observe the Modern Language Association (7th ed.) format for various kinds of research material in all of its ten (or more) entries. See the MLA Style Manual for how to construct a Works Cited page. No more than three of these may be scholarly Web resources; the rest must be scholarly text sources (academic books and/or articles published in academic journals or books). Be careful to choose the most relevant and current sources available.
- All of these entries must be annotated by the inclusion of two to three sentences (or approximately 100 words or so) of concise summary and analysis. That is, the annotations should summarize the focus and content of each source (What are the main arguments? What is the point of this book or article? What topics are covered?) and evaluate its usefulness for your project (How was this source helpful to you? How does it help you shape your argument? How can you use this source in your research project? Has it changed how you think about your topic?).
- UMD's library will not have many of the texts you will need for your research in this course. You will therefore need to use the interlibrary loan (ILL) service. Through this service, you can order books and articles you need that are not contained in the UMD library collection. To use the this service, go to the UMD library's on-line ILL page and fill in the required information there, but be sure to do so early as ILL generally takes at least a week to get the materials, sometimes longer.
3. Research Essay Final (revised and corrected) essay
Due at the beginning of class Thursday, May 5,
Requirements:
- Length: 20-25 pages. Please see the class syllabus for specifics about formal requirements and policies regarding turning in work.
- Although there are several different options described below, you're encouraged to develop your own topic. Any topic you choose should apply some of the theoretical and conceptual materials from the course to explore an aspect of one (or at the most two) of the assigned texts.
Sample Approach
(I will provide more in the coming week):
1. "(S)He Who Knits Together"
The idea of authorship comprises many separate threads: a diverse set of ideas and attitudes about authority, language, subjectivity, and knowledge which stretch and change over time. Choose one author/work from our reading list to describe how that particular figure combines and synthesizes some of these threads. How does approaching this figure in this way provide insights that contribute to current, critical discussions of this author?
Resource
American Literary Scholarship (annual)