Posted: April 4th, 2015

Development of the “short story” as a genre, as opposed to “tales”

Development of the “short story” as a genre, as opposed to “tales”

Order Description

Research Paper Specifications: ? 1500-1800 words, roughly 5-6 pages (not including Works Cited page) Do not quote long passages (over 3 or 4 lines of text). Standard 1” margins 12 point Times New Roman font Double spaced ? Pages numbered in upper right corner. Last name page number. Don’t number first page. (Insert-page number-right top. Add your last name. Click different first page.) ? Use MLA style for citations of sources. (Author page #),or for poetry (Author line #).
Works Cited should follow MLA style and include: One or Two Primary Sources (The literary work(s) in your text) Three (or more) Secondary Sources (Scholarly sources – GALILEO: Databases A-Z: Bloom’s Literary Reference Online, Lit Reference Center, Lit Resource Center, Project Muse, JSTOR, Academic Search Complete etc.)
Research Paper Tips: ? This paper will be graded based on the rubric in your syllabus. (See Content at iCollege.) ? This paper should be primarily YOUR ideas, augmented by your research. ? Learn how to smoothly incorporate quotes into your writing. See RP module at iCollege. ? Avoid first person “I/we” and second person “you.” Maintain the academic voice: third person “he/she/they/the author/readers/the audience/critics/contemporaries/etc.” ? ANALYZE – DON’T SUMARIZE! Avoid plot summary. Although you may find it necessary to discuss certain aspects of the plot of your work, do not fall into the plot summary trap.

ENGL 2131 – American Literature I G. Flowers
RESEARCH PAPER ASSIGNMENT
(30% of course grade) See iColege calendar for due dates.
Topic/Pronged–for now–Thesis (Daily Work grade): Topic must be approved before moving forward.
Thesis/Outline/Annotated Bibliography (Dropbox) (10%)
Final Draft (Hard copy and Dropbox) (20%) Turnitin.com will be used through Dropbox.
Topics are chosen by students and must be approved in advance by the instructor. Papers on unapproved topic will not be accepted. Use traditional literary criticism involving genre, theme, tone, point-of-view, character, setting, symbolism, rhetorical analysis, etc. and/or analysis of social issues such as gender, ethnicity, class struggle, history, religion or politics. Your topic may be treated in an expository, descriptive, or argumentative manner, using example, expanded definition, comparison/contrast etc. Use both text and GALILEO research to support your ideas. Avoid excessive biographical information on the author; focus on analysis of the literary work.
Possible topics include: Development of the “short story” as a genre, as opposed to “tales” Trailblazers: Works that established a unique identity for American Literature (did not merely copy European form). Do not make this into a biography. Focus on the lit work(s). Lyric poetry of Anne Bradstreet, Phyllis Wheatley, Walt Whitman, and/or Emily Dickinson (or other poets). This may be a comparison/contrast format. “American” consciousness, Franklin to Douglass to Whitman (or three other authors that follow a distinct stream of thought–must be narrowed) Use an “early” (before 1820) work as a critical lens through which to discuss a later (1820-1865) work. (i.e. Is Franklin’s treatment of money reflected or refuted in Alcott or Melville; use Bradstreet’s Puritan theology to contextualize Hawthorne’s short stories, etc.) Historical, social, religious, or political in-depth analysis of a single literary text Comparison/contrast of one work BEFORE 1820 and one work AFTER 1820 in the context of a common theme (i.e. religion/spirituality, role of women, nature, the imagination, slavery, making money/economy, American identity, individualism, etc.)
This will not be an exhaustive discussion; that would be beyond the scope of this assignment. Focus your discussion and dig deep.
After doing your reading and some preliminary research, create a focused thesis statement that contains a strong argument. You are the literary expert in this paper.
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Flowers 2
Research Paper Specifications:
? 1500-1800 words, roughly 5-6 pages (not including Works Cited page)
Do not quote long passages (over 3 or 4 lines of text).
Standard 1” margins
12 point Times New Roman font
Double spaced
? Pages numbered in upper right corner. Last name page number. Don’t number first page.
(Insert-page number-right top. Add your last name. Click different first page.)
? Use MLA style for citations of sources. (Author page #),or for poetry (Author line #).
For MLA format, see http://www.gpc.edu/library/citations.html or easybib.com or purdue.edu OWL.
? Works Cited should follow MLA style and include:
One or Two Primary Sources (The literary work(s) in your text)
Three (or more) Secondary Sources (Scholarly sources – GALILEO: Databases A-Z: Bloom’s Literary Reference Online, Lit Reference Center, Lit Resource Center, Project Muse, JSTOR, Academic Search Complete etc.) Begin at iCollege’s GALILEO button. Databases A-Z. Also feel free to contact the GPC library http://depts.gpc.edu/library/ask.htm#.Umc0u3A3u5I if you have any research questions. They live to serve. Really.
Research Paper Tips:
? This paper will be graded based on the rubric in your syllabus. (See Content at iCollege.)
? This paper should be primarily YOUR ideas, augmented by your research.
? Learn how to smoothly incorporate quotes into your writing. See RP module at iCollege.
? Avoid first person “I/we” and second person “you.” Maintain the academic voice: third person “he/she/they/the author/readers/the audience/critics/contemporaries/etc.”
? ANALYZE – DON’T SUMARIZE! Avoid plot summary. Although you may find it necessary
to discuss certain aspects of the plot of your work, do not fall into the plot summary trap.
Plot summary = D.