American musical theater

Assignment Name: Research Paper Thesis and Outline

Due Date: Friday, Nov 6th, 2020 before 11:59pm

Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to prepare you for the writing of your 2500+ word research paper on a BIPOC in musical theatre history or a BIPOC-centered musical theatre show. Please refer to those guidelines in Canvas for specific information about the research paper. See below for an excerpt. Developing a thesis statement and an outline will make the writing of the paper more organized and fluid – and will provide you with a source to guide the flow of the paper.

Task: Create a single, defendable, thesis statement and a detailed research paper outline. A thesis statement is a declarative sentence that asserts the position a paper will be taking. This statement should be both specific and arguable. Generally, the thesis statement goes at the end of the first paragraph of your paper. The rest of your paper will support the thesis. A research paper outline is a useful tool to aid in the writing process, providing a structure to follow with all information to be included in the paper clearly organized. A quality outline can make writing your research paper more efficient by helping to organize your thoughts, understand the flow of information and how ideas are related, and ensure nothing is forgotten.

As per the guidelines for your research paper: You must develop a thesis statement for your research paper. This is one sentence that expresses the main idea of the research paper. From that statement, you must develop an outline that covers topics of research and your ideas you will present.

“Hamilton is a story about an immigrant who becomes a founder of our nation,” is not a thesis statement. That’s the start of a “book report” on the topic of a musical. That’s not what needs to be done.

“The success of Porgy and Bess greatly revealed an acceptance of burgeoning tolerance between white and black Americans in the 1930s.” is a thesis statement that I look forward to you arguing for 2500 words or so. Likewise, “Without Diosa Costello’s performance in Too Many Girls, we’d not have ever seen a Latina win a Tony Award,” is a thesis statement I’d like to see you prove over the course of several pages.

Criteria for Success: Your thesis is a single, arguable sentence. Your outline should be set up to help you defend your thesis.

Please see this site for an example of the versions of an outline: https://paperpile.com/g/research- paper-outline/

Recognize that your outline can change – you’re not locked in to any one idea. I don’t mind at all if your research pulls you in a different direction than what is stated in your outline. Your thesis can change, too, as you do your research. You might find a brilliant new idea to pursue!

Your submitted assignment should be typed and free of spelling and word choice errors. It can all be one document – the thesis is just one sentence but the outline likely will take up multiple pages (you might fit it on one). All of it should be a single submission via Canvas.

Plan ahead – allow time for this process. Rushed work is easily noticed. If you have questions or concerns, please contact your T.A. or professor WELL IN ADVANCE of the assignment’s due date.