Your research paper will be a detailed analysis of a particular piece of literature, using one of the theories discussed in class to formulate a thesis.
Topic:
The first thing to do is to decide on a primary source – the piece of work you want to analyze. Here are a few suggestions, though as always you are free to choose whatever you want. The only rule is that it must literary in nature (a story, play, poem or novel), not a piece of non-fiction:
- A picture book – Analyze both the text and the illustrations, as we did with “Where the Wild Things Are”.
- A fairy tale – find a written version of the fairy tale to analyze, or compare and contrast two versions of the same fairy tale.
- A particular author – You could pick one of the author’s pieces that have special significance to you. You might also compare and contrast two pieces by the same author. The author should be fairly well known so you can find some sources on that person.
- A favorite poem, short story, play or novel – again, the work should be well known enough to have some sources available for you to consult.
- A particular theme – You might pick a theme that caught your interest this semester (any of the universal themes would do: birth, death, sex, love, friendship, violence, nature, and family come quickly to mind). Compare and contrast how two different authors handle the same theme in their work. Or, compare and contrast how a single author treats that theme in two or more works. Please follow the guidelines for 3 and 4 to be sure you can find sources.
Theories:
Next, choose an approach to analysis. Any time you analyze a text, you use one of the theories, and often you’ll use a combination. I include the theories we’ve studied and discussed just to refresh your memory about the different approaches to analysis. Review them, and choose an approach that interests you, or that seems particularly appropriate for your text.
- Formalism – an analysis of the various elements of a work, including plot, character, theme, point of view, setting, symbolism and tone and style.
- Biographical – an analysis of how the author’s life influenced the work
- Historical – an analysis of the work in the context of the time, place and social climate of its original publication.
- Psychoanalytical – an analysis of how the work, as a piece of art, reveals insights about human psychology
- Mythological – an analysis of the mythological elements of the work, and the role of those elements in the work.
- Sociological or Cultural – an analysis of the power imbalances in the work, and an interpretation of the author’s views on that imbalance. Includes feminist theory, race theory, Marxist theory, queer theory and colonial theory.
- Reader Response - an analysis of the effect of the work on its readers, past present and future.
Secondary Sources:
You’ll need to find at least 4 secondary sources in addition to your primary source. Secondary sources are articles, books or websites that contain information about your topic or primary text. What sources you find will depend on the topic you’ve chosen to analyze, as well as the theory you’re using to analyze it. General suggestions:
- Research what others have said about the work you’ve chosen.
- Research facts about the life of the author you’ve chosen.
- Research historical facts from the time of the work’s publication.
- Research more information on the theory you’ve chosen.
The secondary sources do not need to contain a lot of information about your topic. Your own ideas will be the main focus; the research will back up your ideas, not vice versa.
Timeline:
All steps must be followed in the proper order. You will not receive credit for one assignment until the preceding assignment has been turned in.
Monday, April 28 – Proposal Due. (10 points)
What is your topic and/or primary text? What theory will you use to analyze the text? What are some of your ideas for a thesis?
Monday, May 5 – Annotated Bibliography Due. (40 points)
Find at least four secondary sources either in print or on the net. To locate sources, visit the library website (www.gavilan.edu/library). Try some of the databases and search engines. You could also visit the library in person and speak with a reference librarian. Click here for instructions on how to write an annotated bibliography, and for examples.
Wednesday, May 7 - Thesis, Outline/Draft Due (10 points)
What is your thesis? How will you organize your information? Write an informal outline and/or draft that gives an overview of the main points and structure of your paper.
Monday May 12 - MLA Exercises (35 points)
Go to the Diana Hacker website. Create an account by clicking on "Student" under "Register" on the right of the screen. It will ask you for an email address, your name, a password and your instructor's email address. Use ecrook@gavilan.edu. Please type this in carefully; any mistake will re-route your results, and I will never see them. Return to the Hacker homepage by clicking "continue" and then click on "Research Exercises", then"MLA" . Complete all 18 exercises. Use the red arrow to navigate from question to question. In order to receive credit for these exercises, you will need to get at least 80% on each one. You can do the exercises as many times as necessary to get the required 80%.
Wednesday, 5/14 – Final Draft Due (100 points) |