In the next few weeks, I need to write an
essay analyzing Bram Stoker’s Dracula and application
of themes and ideas from the text to contemporary issue. For my current
assignment, I need to write a research prospectus. Here is the requirement for this assignment:
Background
A prospectus is a formulation of your initial thinking
about your essay topic. This assignment gets you to narrow your focus by
proposing and articulating the purpose of your project. It also helps you
consider what you’ll try to cover as you analyze a particular text or texts.
You can discuss what you need to research and why your focus is worth pursuing.
You’ll need to develop a topic that is narrow, focused,
worth exploration, interesting to you, and driven by your genuine curiosity and
critical thinking. Look at the Research Essay prompt for directions on the
topic focus.
As you discuss your proposed topic, include as much detail
as you can at this point. You’ll need to describe the focus of the
project, why your readers will be interested in it, and how
you plan to conduct the research.
The Assignment
The following details will help you figure out what to
focus on in your prospectus.
·
What is the focus or
guiding question for your research? This is your chance to “pitch” your idea to
the reader.
·
What do you already know
about this topic? What do you want to find out in your research?
·
What kinds of sources do
you think you might look for?
·
What do you think your
readers will learn from your essay?
·
What is at stake in
exploring this idea/focus? (What do you think you can explore here that is
interesting and original to your essay?)
Assignment Requirements
·
Your prospectus should be
at least 1 full double-spaced page.
I also included the description of the actual essay for
reference and to know what the research prospectus should be on:
Here is the description of my future assignment:
The Assignment
For this
essay, you will conduct individual research to relate a specific topic or idea in Dracula –
such as fear of contagion (vampirism), alienation, the threat of otherness, the
uncanny, transgression, science and superstition, etc. – to a contemporary issue, such as the
pandemic, immigration, or the socioeconomic divide. What can Dracula teach
us about our current problem and how we can deal with it?
The Research
This
essay will require substantial research, which may include scholarly sources that specifically
address themes in Dracula, historical
research that puts the book in context, and research on contemporary issues. You must
include cited information (quotation and paraphrase) from at least 5
sources + Dracula. Your research will involve both primary
and secondary sources.
·
Primary
Sources include original
literary texts and works of art (novels, short stories, poetry, films, etc.),
as well as any historical documents from the time period in which the work was
created (letters, diary entries, news articles, etc.), and contemporary news
articles.
·
Secondary
Sources include scholarly
books and articles about the literary work, historical information written
after the time period in question, and any work that includes researched
material in its writing.
Though
some of your sources may be primary texts you are analyzing or other outside
information, at least 3 of your sources must be scholarly
sources accessed through the school’s online library.
I also attached a copy of the rquirments in PDF.
