Choose one literary work from the American Literature from our anthology (or you can choose one outside of the anthology with instructor approval, but it must be American Literature and it must fall with the time period we are studying–1865-Present.
Then summarize and synthesize at least two scholarly, peer-reviewed articles (or book chapters) that offer different interpretations of the work. These interpretations do not have to be opposing, just different (though they can be opposing).
Finally,
EITHER
argue for one of the interpretations from the scholarly articles
OR
argue against one of the interpretations from the scholarly articles.
Submissions/Due Dates
The due date for the paper is in this Module. The due date is the deadline. However, to give some grace and mercy that we all need at times, there is a three day grace period, including weekend days, after the due date in which you may submit the paper without penalty. There is no grace period for the grace period, so if you treat the end of the grace period like the deadline and for any reason do not get the paper in by the end of the grace period, you will receive a 0. No exceptions.
You may submit a rough draft by the due date indicated in the Module if you would like to receive feedback. The rough drafts must be submitted by the due date in order to allow for adequate time to read, think through, and comment on them. Even if you do not submit a rough draft by the deadline for feedback, it is strongly encouraged that you still complete one on your own since your final draft needs to truly represent your best work, and without completing and revising a rough draft, your final draft will most likely not do so. You are also strongly encouraged to complete an outline before composing your rough draft.
Plagiarism Reminder:
Any plagiarized papers will receive a zero, and this may be grounds for receiving a zero for the entire course. Remember, too, that collaborating with anyone else on this assignment counts as plagiarism as does using any of your own writing that you have produced for other courses.
Length, Formatting, and Style Requirements:
The essay should be between 1500 (minimum) and 1800 words and be written in MLA Style and Format. This includes 12-point Times New Roman font, double spaced pages, 1-inch margins, a proper heading, and a running head that includes your last name and page number. This also includes MLA in-text citation as well as a Works Cited page. The word count does not include the words on the Works Cited Page. In other words, the 1500-1800 words have to be met by the paper itself–you cannot add on the words on the Works Cited Page to help make the word count.
The essay should also be written in third-person point-of-view and in present tense (literary present).
The essay should have an interesting title and introduction, and the final sentence of the introduction should be your thesis statement and essay map (an essay map is a brief statement of the main points you are going to use in the paper to develop your thesis).
The essay should also include a satisfying concluding paragraph that not only restates your thesis and essay map in different words, but that also leaves your reader with something to think about after he or she has finished your paper.
Source Requirements:
–Two outside sources must be used and both must either come from the Coastal Alabama Library databases ( databases such as MLA International Bibliography), or from the Alabama Virtual Library. Use of sources from other places will result in a zero on the paper.
–The articles or book chapters MUST be scholarly, peer-reviewed literary criticism on the literary work you have chosen. DO NOT use biographies of the authors, review articles, summaries, or “Topic Overview” or “Work Overview” type articles. You also must have the full text of the article (not just an abstract, which is a type of summary)
–Don’t just use the first two articles you find on your work–read over the first couple of paragraphs to make sure the article is accessible to you, ie, that you can understand it and that it interests you. Some literary criticism can be too specialized for the general undergraduate student. You will not be able to summarize an article that you cannot understand.
–You can read a Masterplots (Salem Press) article, summary article, a “Topic Overview” or “Work Overview” on your work to help you get your bearings and to help you comprehend the work a bit better, but you CANNOT use any of these as one of your two articles in the paper.
Research/Writing Process:
1. After choosing the literary work, use the Coastal Alabama Library, the literature-based databases provided by the Coastal Alabama Library found on the Library Services Page on Canvas, or relevant databases available in the Alabama Virtual Library (AVL) to research at least two different interpretations of your literary work. These interpretations must come from scholarly, peer-reviewed sources (articles or book chapters) from the Coastal Alabama Library, Coastal Alabama literature-based databases, or AVL. No other sources will be accepted, and you will receive a 0 on the paper if you use any other sources. ALSO, the articles or book chapters MUST be scholarly, peer-reviewed literary criticism on the literary work you have chosen. DO NOT use biographies of the authors, review articles, summaries, or “Topic Overview” or “Work Overview” type articles.
2. You should start with the following databases: MLA International Bibliography, Bloom’s Literature, Bloom’s Literary Criticism ebook Collection (all found in the Library Services Canvas Page under Online Library Resources), and Gale Literature (found in AVL). You can reach Alabama Virtual Library (AVL) by going to the Library Services Page and finding the link under Online Library Resources or you can just search for it in your web browser. Once there, click on the College and University tab at the top of the page and then scroll through the alphabetical databases until you arrive at Gale Literature Sources. If you are unable to get into AVL for some reason, go to the AVL User Registration section of the Library Services
3. Read and re-read each critical article, taking notes on each critic’s interpretation.
4. Summarize each interpretation, being sure to include a clear statement, in your own words, of each critic’s interpretation of the literary work and to paraphrase the main points and evidence each critic uses to substantiate (back up) his or her interpretation. Do not use any quotations in this section of the paper. Summarize and paraphrase the information from the sources.
5. Although the interpretations are different, explain their differences and any similarities. Are the interpretations mutually exclusive (ie, if one is correct or true, the other cannot be), or could both interpretations be seen as valid? Do not use any quotations in this section of the paper. Summarize and paraphrase the information from the sources.
6. Finally, EITHER
argue for one of the interpretations from one of the scholarly articles
OR
argue against one of the interpretations from one of the scholarly articles.
This section of the paper is extremely important and is really the most important section because this is where you show your ability to critically interpret and analyze. The key to this section of the paper is picking one of the above options and developing a thesis that you then back up with plenty of textual evidence that YOU find and choose from the literary work AND your analysis of how that evidence supports your thesis. If you are going to argue for one of the interpretations, then you must find and analyze new and different evidence from the literary work that is not included in the original article. If you are going to argue against one of the interpretations, you need to find new evidence in the literary work and analyze it as well to show why the critic is wrong and/or why he or she misinterprets the evidence. A common error on this section of the paper is only using ideas and evidence from the article you are discussing instead of finding and using your own textual evidence from the work itself. Another common error is getting to this section of the paper and just giving up and not finishing it.
Assessment:
Assessed According to the English Department Course Grading Rubric
Length and Outline format for Each Section of the Paper:
Introduction: One well-developed paragraph
Summary of First Article: One to two well-developed paragraphs
Summary of Second Article: One to two well-developed paragraphs
Synthesis of the Two Articles (Explaining Similarities and Differences): One well-developed paragraph
Arguing for OR against one of the Articles: At least three very well-developed paragraphs with plenty of textual evidence and original analysis. This section should clearly demonstrate your ability to interact with a scholarly work, carefully choose and marshal textual evidence to support your ideas, and analyze and explain textual evidence.
Conclusion: One well-developed paragraph
Checklist
In order to do well on this paper, it is imperative that you do the following:
Do your own work. Do not collaborate with anyone else on this assignment. Essays will be checked for plagiarism using Turnitin.com
All outside sources must come from the Coastal Alabama Library or the Alabama Virtual Library.
Have a strong, specific thesis (in the section in which you are arguing for or against one of the interpretations
Use MLA Format and Documentation Style (includes heading the essay correctly and providing a title, citing specifics from the work within the paper with appropriate in-text citations, and including a Works Cited Page that cites the work correctly at the end of your paper)
Write the essay in third person
Write the essay in present tense
Effectively organize your body paragraphs
Begin each body paragraph with a topic sentence and end each with a concluding sentence
Practice the effective writing strategies learned in English 101 and 102
Review the Grading Rubric and be sure your paper meets its criteria
Use Times New Roman font, 12 point, and double space
