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RESEARCH ESSAY |
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
***Where this particular essay is concerned, you are to use secondary (library) sources for your analysis. In this essay, you must state a clear, direct, underlined position (thesis) regarding a specific issue/situation/problem and the significance thereof (make absolutely certain that you develop your introduction according to the requirements for all essays), and defend that position (present arguments in defense of your position) based on your opinions verified by your research sources. You will have several options for this essay: you are to choose one of the topics and write a 6-8-page essay meeting the task requirements for the topic. No matter what topic you choose, you must document your arguments/ evidence according to the MLA. Do not use footnotes: only lead-in devices and parenthetical references are acceptable. If you are researching a piece of fiction as well, you will need to document any interpretive comments you make about the piece of fiction using the MLA method for documenting literary papers, and back up your interpretations with documented research sources. Consequently, whenever you quote directly, cite incidents, or make interpretive comments, you must document the evidence from the literature with which you are working (both non-fiction and/or fiction). You must also provide a Works Cited page. You can, of course, take a look at the example essays before writing your own, but be sure not to plagiarize anything from the examples. The prerequisites for the course require that you have experience with writing about fiction and non-fiction at any rate. Remember, this essay may have to be dropped off unless you can guarantee an e-mail attachment will open and hold the required format at this end, and no late essays will be accepted (see the Weekly Syllabus for due dates). NOTICE: YOU MAY NOT USE THE SAME TOPIC YOU USED FOR AN EARLIER ESSAY THIS QUARTER.
Remember, if you decide to send the assignment by e-mail, you are to do the required virus scan and elimination prior to sending the material. See the Class Policies page.
MAKE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN THAT YOU MEET ALL GENERAL ESSAY REQUIREMENTS AS WELL AS ALL SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS BELOW.
HAVE YOU CHECKED THE BULLETIN BOARD FOR ANY CHANGES IN THIS ASSIGNMENT?
SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS
1. The essay is to be 6-8 pages on length. That means a minimum of 6 full pages and a maximum of 8 full pages, beginning with the introduction and ending with the conclusion. The title page and the Works Cited page are not a part of this range.
2. The essay must have a title page and a separate, paginated, Works Cited page.
3. The essay must follow basic essay structure: a complete, properly developed introduction, based on the general essay requirements, a correctly documented body, and a conclusion that explains the significance of the research findings.
4. The essay must be documented according to the MLA method of documenting research essays, and a minimum of three (3) expert, published, research sources must be used to validate your comments.
5. The pages (including the Works Cited page) must be paginated, using Arabic numbers.
6. Documentation requirement: the first time you cite a source in the essay, you must use a complete lead-in device and parenthetical reference. After a source has been cited once with a complete lead-in, you may use a partial lead-in device and parenthetical reference for subsequent documentation if you choose.
7. Writing skills such as spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, usage, paragraphing, organization, development of detail, appearance, etc. must be correct and of college quality. NO HANDWRITTEN CORRECTIONS ARE PERMITTED ON THE FINAL DRAFT OF THIS OR ANY OTHER ESSAY.
ESSAY OPTIONS: CHOOSE ONE
1. Choose one author from 19th or 20th century American horror fiction and write a brief, critical biography. At least 1-1/2 pages must present a clear explanation of the themes the author generally uses, with examples, the contributions the author has made to the genre, and the author’s place in literary history. Remember to provide and document your explanations/illustrative examples/evidence appropriately.
2. Write a historical overview of one of the following subjects: American Gothic Literature during the Romantic Period, during the period of Realism, during the period of Naturalism, during the Modern Era of American literature, during the Post-Modern era of American literature. Gothic/horror in American Science Fiction, Literature of the World War I era, Literature of the Great Depression, Literature of the Harlem Renaissance, Literature of the World War II era, Literature of the Beat Generation, Literature of the Civil Rights era, Underground Literature of the 1960s, Literature of the Viet Nam era, Literature of the Hippie Generation, Literature of Generation X, Literature of the 1990s. The essay must include at least the date marking the beginning of the period, what was happening in America at the time, the philosophy of the time/movement, who its major representatives were/are, and what the important literary works were/are. It must include when and why the period/movement started to die out, the last/most recent representatives of the period/movement, and the date the period/movement is supposed to have ended (where applicable). Remember to provide and document your explanations/illustrative examples/evidence appropriately.
3. Choose either the American novel, the American short story, American Poetry, or American drama of the 20th century and write a brief overview of the development of Gothic/Horror literature in that genre. The essay could cover a specific genre and period (i.e. Underground novels of the 1960s), or it could trace the development of American Gothic/Horror Short stories from 1900-1950, or 1950-2000, etc. It could trace the development of the Gothic Novel from 1950-present, as another example. Remember to provide and document your explanations/illustrative examples/ evidence appropriately.
4. Research a 20th century topic like the growth of Technology, Genetic Engineering, Civil Rights, Women’s Rights, Creationism vs Evolution, the Generation Gap, the Sexual Revolution, Genocide, War, etc., and explain the effect the phenomenon had on the development of American Gothic/Horror literature in general or a particular genre of the time. You will need to provide the historical/social situation and explain the effects on the works of writers of the period. Remember, you will still need three research sources to back up your explanations and interpretations. Remember to provide and document your explanations/illustrative examples/ evidence appropriately.
5. If you have a viable topic you would like to research other than one of the four above, contact me about it, but do so as soon as you can. So long as the focus of the research and the resulting thesis statement and evidence in the body all directly deal with an American gothic/horror fiction related topic, it'll probably be ok.
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