For your Research Paper in this course (due in week 7), you will investigate a topic related to aspecific course text or texts, research and analyze that topic, and ultimately compose a coherent and convincing argument that proves your thesis. This week’s skill-building activity will help us get started on this project.
To begin, read the Research Paper instructions posted in this week’s Online Learning Resources. Next, choose the literary work or works (no more than 2) on which you plan to focus. Then, select a general topic or subject area within that literature; devise a research question and working thesis statement that helps guide your eventual research; write a paragraph that explains what you propose to do in more detail; and provide the works cited entries for the literature you plan to use in your paper. This activity will help provide a solid foundation for the project, and your submission will allow me to provide useful feedback to you once the activity is graded next week. (Therefore, be sure to check next week’s grade feedback, as you may need to adjust or change your topic depending on your feedback!).
Your completed response should be at least 250-300 words and contain the following:
List the author name(s) and literary work(s) you plan to write about.
Provide a basic research question. This is the question you most want to answer as you proceed in your research project. (Example Research Questions: What is Homer saying in The Iliad about the suffering and loss in war? What do The Iliad and The Odysseycollectively suggest about the role of women in that time period?)
Provide a clearly-labelled working thesis statement. This should be a one-sentence declarative statement that clearly announces the purpose/intent of your eventual paper- what is it out to prove in its argument? You might think of this working thesis statement as a hypothesis, or a possible answer to your research question. (Example Working Thesis Statement: Homer employs harmful gender stereotypes in his depiction of women in The Iliad and The Odyssey.)
Write a proposal paragraph in which you explain why you are interested in this literature, what led you to this topic, what you hope to learn as you proceed in your research, and any possible challenges or concerns you might face as you work on this project.
Supply the works cited entry or entries for the literary work(s) you’ve chosen to write about. These should correspond to the linked versions of the texts in class.
https://libguides.uta.edu/literarycriticism/thesis
