Topic: All the King's men

All Students ENGL 430-001 Todd Hagstette Final Paper 15 January 2019 Assignment: Your Final Paper for this class requires you to expand your academic consideration of one or more of the texts we read this semester with the goal of offering an original view on it. You need to question, analyze, and make speculations about your chosen work(s) and form an argumentative thesis about it. Though focused on a smaller detail or fascination of a text, your reading should offer a gateway to understanding the work, the author, the period, or southern literature as a whole. Closely reading and critically responding to texts are important skills for most disciplines; your performance on this assignment depends on your successful demonstration of these abilities. Research: The Final Paper allows you to discuss your own curiosities on these works, but you also will need to seek outside opinions on these topics to support your argument. Your paper should show a familiarity with at least five rigorous, peer-reviewed sources appropriate to your topic. Because many online resources are of specious validity, they should be used sparingly and evaluated diligently if employed – you will be penalized for portions of your argument that rely on unqualified resources. Use correct citations and include a separate Works Cited, using MLA guidelines (8th edition). Conference (Due by April 4): All students must begin the work of this assignment with an individual conference with me, which will take place in my office, should last approximately 15 minutes, and needs to be scheduled to occur by no later than April 4. You may plan to drop by during my office hours or schedule something more formally, but you must meet with me prior to the deadline. 24 hours before meeting with me, please submit a typed document that contains the following:

• A proposed title for your paper. • Your thesis, stated exactly as you intend it to appear in your finished paper. • A short outline detailing your general argumentative plan for the paper. • An annotated bibliography of at least three sources you plan to use in your argument.

This research proposal will provide the basis of our meeting and will give an early indication of the potential success of your paper. Please take this step seriously and work on it diligently. Failure to meet by the deadline or produce an adequate research plan will result in a one-letter-grade reduction of your Final Paper grade. Please be warned that my schedule might not permit me to meet every student in a single week; if you wait until the last possible week to complete this requirement, you run the risk of my not being available and a subsequent grade penalty for not completing this assignment. Plan of Attack: Think hard about one or more of the texts from the syllabus that you find particularly inspiring or poignant. Question the material, interact with it, speculate about its deeper meaning, and look for textual clues to support your theories. Out of these observations and questions, develop a clear and specific argument about some concept or question arising from the material. You are welcome to bring outside works of the period into conversation with your argument. In support of your thesis, you must not only discuss some element of the text, but you must interpret it in depth. You must ask yourself hard questions about the meanings of these works, and then struggle valiantly to find answers. Evidence of that struggle in your writing will improve your grade. Conversely, lazy thinking will also be graded accordingly. Be detailed and persuasive; add something new to the discussion beyond the ordinary. As in all writing, properly organizing your argument is key. Paper Format: Your final project will be a formal 2,500-word paper reacting to and discussing an original argument about one or more of the texts of southern literature. Check the syllabus for information on the correct formatting for your paper. Format will count toward your final grade, so please do not ignore this step. Due Date (April 18): The final draft of your Final Paper should be submitted electronically by the end of the day on Thursday, April 18. Do not be late, as this assignment represents a critical 40% of your final grade, and I do not accept late work. Please begin on this project early and continue working diligently leading up to the due date. I am happy to review early drafts and meet with you to discuss your thoughts/plans throughout the process. Take advantage of this; leaving things until the last minute and/or blind submitting are both recipes for disaster. You have been warned.