Topic
For this assignment, you will write a term paper that analyses one of the course novels, employing significant secondary research. The secondary research should explore some relevant aspect of the novel in a way that sheds light on how to best interpret the text. Do not focus on research on the author or on the text itself. Find some interesting and important facet of the novel (eg relating to mythology, history, the sport itself, or some other body of knowlege) that provides a context for your analysis.
That research should underpin your thesis and argument. Nevertheless, the main point of the essay is still to analyse the novel. Do not simply provide research on a related topic. Moreover, the novel should be quoted and cited selectively but consistently and repeatedly throughout the essay. Close attention to the specific details of the novel will be necessary to make your case.
You should be in contact with your instructor from an early date in the term to discuss which novel you may want to choose and what you might be thinking of for a research topic.
Notice that you will already be thinking through your topic for your in-class presentation — so take advantage of that to try out some ideas as you go along.
Length
The essay must be 2500 words long (plus or minus 10%) not including footnotes and front matter.
Format
Use a twelve-point sans-serif font such as Arial or Calibri.
Include a title centred over the main text but no title page.
Put your name, student number, and the course number at the top left hand corner of the first page.
Citations
Citations must be done in Chicago style using footnotes and no bibliography. That means the full bibliographic information the first time you cite and source and then the short-form notes after that.
All citations must have a working DOI or URL so that I can check your use of sources.
All citations must include page numbers of other similar numbers. This means you provide the specific page numbers that you are citing, not the entire page range of the source. If page numbers are not available, paragraph numbers or some other clear identifying number must be used.
Citations must be done so that it is clear what exactly is being drawn from where. Citations must not be vague references to unspecified parts of sources. Put another way, citations must not be done so as to appear that the source has been cited only to give the impression of research having been done.
Dalhousie’s Academic Integrity Policy applies to this and all parts of the course. As for all aspects of this course, no machine-produced or machine-revised text may be used in your paper.
Novel analyzed: Quarrington, King Leary (1987)
The thesis of the essay is: “Paul Quarrington’s ‘King Leary’ employs the motif of the sports hall of fame as a lens to delve into the complexities of athletic heroism, legacy, and identity, scrutinizing societal values and the construction of public recognition in the sports world and beyond.”
