Project

Research Project

Research Project: 50% Of Grade

Starting as soon as possible, I would like you to begin your own scholarly work on a research project to extend throughout the semester. I encourage you to begin working immediately so that as you write your critical review and complete your electronic technology tasks, you will also be working on your research project. Ideally the area you select to research should be one that you would like to pursue in your Master's thesis, or one that emerges from your most passionate intellectual concerns and involves the interpretation of texts in some way. (Here I take a broad interpretation of "text," for your work may involve a literary or non-literary text or some other medium of communication--films, cultural artifacts, historical documents, popular media, etc). My advice is to seek out something you love--some interest that emerges from deep within you. It is my conviction that the best scholarship comes from those hidden depths within us where the things we most care about reside. The best scholarship is something we need to write.

The Research Project Will Reflect a Process Consisting of the Following Components:

§ Working Bibliography (Due 11/1)

An extensive bibliography encompassing several categories of texts pertinent to your study including: primary texts, secondary criticism, theoretical works, and contextual materials or collateral areas (such as history, literary history, sociology, art, music, philosophy, anthropology, theology, etc., etc, etc: part of the challenge of scholarship is discovering new contexts within which to examine your subject). You will need to go beyond merely looking at what other critics have said about your subject, though you must be fully aware of other critics. Needless to say, MLA documentation form must be meticulous. For a fuller explanation of this part of the project and some pointers on how to proceed, click on working bibliography and annotations.

§ Annotated Bibliography (#1 Due: 10/25; #2 Due: 11/15)

Annotations on some of the readings from each category of pertinent texts on your working bibliography. Part of the purpose of this portion of the project is to afford you the opportunity to experiment with the best method of analyzing your sources and recording your thinking about them. In an extended and extensive project such as this, you must devise some method (beyond merely Xeroxing and highlighting) to organize, analyze and keep track of the mass of material that confronts you. Annotations must use proper MLA form and must be meticulous in their use of specific page references to your sources so that you can find material easily and can provide precise documentation when you write your final paper. There is no one correct way to do this, but every serious scholar engaging in work that extends over a period of time finds a method that works, is accurate and meticulous in its documentation of sources, and uses some kind of writing to begin analyzing materials in view of a question. For a fuller explanation of this part of the project and some pointers on how to proceed, click on working bibliography and annotations.

§ First Draft of Scholarly Essay (Due 11/29)

§ Second Draft of Scholarly Essay (Due 12/6)

§ Final Draft of Scholarly Essay (Due during final exam)

The final essay may take one of two possible forms: Either 1) a conference paper along with an abstract of the essay and a letter of submission to a specific conference; OR 2) a scholarly article along with a letter of submission to a specific journal.

Needless to say, MLA format must be used and should be flawless no matter which option you choose.

§ Oral Presentation on Your Project

In conjunction with the research project, I will ask you to prepare a 10 minute oral presentation so that all of us can learn from the experiences of each individual.

Submission of Final Project

When you submit your research project, please include in a large portfolio folder the working bibliography, your annotations, your progress report, the first and second drafts of your essay, and the final draft. Be sure to attach a works cited page to your essay.

Option #1 for Scholarly Essay: Conference Paper

1. A conference paper is a fully researched essay in which you defend and demonstrate a thesis about your subject. The text should be about 10 pages, exclusive of endnotes and works cited. The content endnotes generally run 1-2 pages in a well-researched paper of this length. A works cited page should follow the endnotes. You should try to use about 15-20 sources.

2. You must have a target conference in mind, which you have found either on the Internet, through listings in scholarly publications, or from some other source for calls for papers (word of mouth, flyers posted in the English Office, etc.)

3. You must submit a 250-500 word abstract with your paper.

4. You must include a letter to the organizer of the conference or chair of the session for the target conference to which you wish to submit your piece.

5. The working bibliography for your whole project;

6. The annotated bibliography for your whole project.

Option #2 for Scholarly Essay: Journal Article

1. A fully researched essay in which you defend and demonstrate a thesis about your subject. Text, content notes and works cited pages should be about 18-25 typed pages.

2. You must include a letter of submission to a specific journal. You should have a target journal in mind, and your essay should conform to the page length required by that journal. Consult the stated editorial policy of the journal to which you will submit your essay. Most journals state their editorial policies in the beginning of each issue.

3. The working bibliography for your whole project;

4. The annotated bibliography for your whole project.