English 1102

Research Project

For this assignment, you will complete a research project on a topic related to our readings this semester. Topic choices are listed below. The research project counts as 20% of your course grade.

The research paper should present a thesis developed from your topic. For a paper of this type, you should have 4-5 points of discussion (rather than the 2-3 for an essay). The research, in the form of direct quotations and paraphrases, should support your points, not dominate the paper. Papers containing more than 30% quoted material will not receive a passing grade.

Sources: You will be required to cite a minimum of four critical articles, secondary sources, that support your thesis.  At least three of the four should be directly related to the primary source(s). These articles must come from academic journals from GALILEO and e-books or physical books available through the GHC library. Instruction in using Galileo will come later in the semester. Online sources found only through GALILEO and through the GHC library will be accepted. Make sure you read the actual article and not a synopsis or review of it.   In addition, please ensure the articles you are reading are analysis-based, not plot summary.  The quotes you use should be commenting on the story, not quoting from it. Also, you will be expected to support your points with specific examples from the text of the work(s), which is the primary source. You are required to print a copy of each secondary source used, highlight each quote used, sort them into the order that they appear in the paper, and place them in the research paper notebook to be turned in with the final draft. Quotes from the primary sources do not have to be copied and turned in. The notebook should be no more than an inch thick and should have rings in the center and pockets in the front and back.  

Text: Your paper should be between 1500-1700 words (5-7 pages), typed (10-12 point Times New Roman font with one inch margins) and double-spaced with a cover sheet and Works Cited page and in MLA format.  Papers shorter than four pages or longer than eight pages will not receive a passing grade.

Cover page:  consists of your name, due date, course name and paper title. It does not count in the page total.

Works Cited: a separate page at the end of the paper. Your Works Cited page should consist of the works you are writing about and the critical articles you discuss (at least 5 sources in all).  It will not count in the page total. All information should be in MLA format. This will be discussed later in the semester. (Examples of each of the above will be posted in D2L).

             Do not write a summary of the works. The paper must demonstrate and will be graded on thorough knowledge of the selection, proper structure (unity, development, coherence), use of research material, citation mechanics, spelling, grammar, punctuation, correct citations adherence to MLA format and original thinking. Evidence of plagiarism or use of AI to generate analytical content will result in a zero for the assignment.  We will cover citations and bibliographic information later.  The project consists of several components due by the dates listed below:

Tentative Topic Due                                                 March 5 (2 points)

Topic, Thesis Statement, Outline Due                    March 10 (4 points)

Library Instruction                                                  March 12 (4 points)

Draft Check In 1 (two points of analysis)               March 24 (10 points)

Annotated Bibliography Due                                   March 26 (10 points)

Draft Check In 2 (two points of analysis)               April 9 (10 points)

Final Draft (Final Project Notebook) Due*           April 21 (60 points)

*All parts of the assignment will be turned in both electronically to D2L and during class in the project notebook. We will go over expectations of each component prior to the due date.

Keep up with this schedule! Turning in the components one at a time is effective but only if you stay on track.    

Topic Choices: (All assume you will discuss 4 points in the paper).

• Compare/contrast Natasha Trethewey’s ekphrastic poems (work that describes a visual work of art)  (“Vignette” and “Photograph: Ice Storm, 1971”) to at least one other ekphrastic poem. Other poems to consider analyzing are “Ode on a Grecian Urn” by John Keats, “Musee de Beaux Arts” and “The Shield of Achilles” by W.H. Auden, and “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” by William Carlos Williams (these can all be found at either www.poets.org or www.poetryfoundation.org.)
• Compare/contrast how “The Pleasures of Fear” by Judith Ortiz Cofer and “Wunderkind” by Carson McCullers deal with the theme of coming of age/maturation.
• Compare/contrast the family dynamics at play and how they contribute to the theme in two of the following: “Everyday Use,” “How Far She Went,” and “Good Country People.”
• Vivian Bearing in Wit is a dynamic character. She changes over the course of the play. Compare her to another dynamic protagonist in any of the works we have read.
• Wit is a play about words and poetry, as much as it is about sickness and death. Analyze key moments where Margaret Edson strategically uses language to propel the theme.
• Argue for why Wit should be taught in health care classes or to health care professionals. What lessons would be beneficial for these students to learn?
• Flannery O’Connor’s “Good Country People” and Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” are both set in rural Georgia. Compare/contrast how setting contributes to the themes of the works.
• Analyze the similarities and differences between these two nature poems:  Byron Herbert Reece’s “Roads” and Sidney Lanier’s “The Marshes of Glynn.”
• Analyze how our non-fiction readings contribute to an understanding of Georgia and Georgians. Include at least two of these: “I’m Afraid I Don’t Have a Very Good Story” by Jimmy Carter, “How Did You Fall in Love with Stories?” by Janisse Ray, and “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr.
• “I’m Afraid I Don’t Have a Very Good Story” by Jimmy Carter and “How Did You Fall in Love with Stories?” by Janisse Ray speak of the importance of literacy and storytelling. Compare and contrast the two on these themes.
• Analyze the visual storytelling as seen in “Vignette” and “Photograph: Ice Storm, 1971” by Natasha Trethewey and “Liberty Mourns” by Mike Luckovich.
• Compare/contrast how “Esperanza” by Judith Ortiz Cofer and “How Far She Went” by Mary Hood depict generational trauma.