Research Paper

This projects requires you to write a literary research paper that not only analyzes a piece or set of literature, but that expands that analysis out to some broader point of connection or meaning. For example, if I find in analysis that the author uses specific types of symbols, then in my research paper I might expand that out to an investigation or assertion about why the author uses those symbols. If I analyze a character in a short essay, I can expand in a research paper about how that character connects to a broader section of humanity, perhaps for specific reasons (eg: mental illness, addiction, grief, other character traits or choices that teach us something about “all of us.”)

Revisit your first analytical essays (drama, fiction, or poetry) to come up with a research question and topic. Using your research question as a guide, you will use the library databases to find a minimum of three (3) secondary sources that support your position on your selected research topic.

Your research paper will be 5-7 pages long and will reveal critical thinking about the literary situation and its connections in other disciplines, in broad sections of humanity, or elsewhere in the world. Format your essay according to MLA guidelines (like this sheet):

· MLA-style paper heading, pagination

· Times New Roman, 12-point font

· Double-spaced lines with no extra space between paragraphs

· Appropriate citation of all quoted material

· MLA-style works cited page for any cited sources

I will not grade any essay that does not observe MLA conventions; if you turn in an essay that is not MLA appropriate, I will reject it and reduce your grade by 10% for every day that it is late until you have it correctly formatted and resubmitted. The assessment rubric for this paper is based on a maximum possible score of 100 and the following scoring areas:

*Under Sources: you only need 3 sources, all peer-reviewed. Under Citations: You are using MLA, not APA.

You should submit your research paper to Blackboard on or before April 21, 2019, no later than 11:59pm. You must not procrastinate, and you must think ahead to avoid technological problems. I will not offer a grace period. Beginning at 12:00 on April 22, I will deduct 10% of your grade for every day that the paper is late.

Any instance of plagiarism, whether accidental or intentional, may result in a grade of zero for this assignment and will be reported to the Office of the Dean of Students. I want to hear your voice and your unique, original perspective on the literature that you select.