A clear and concise thesis statement that articulates a specific argument about your primary text.

Three clearly articulated points that will prove your thesis statement (these will form the three body paragraphs of your essay). Provide each point in sentence form.

Well-introduced and integrated quotations from your primary text. Include a parenthetical citation for all quotations.

At least one quotation from your secondary source, copied under the relevant point/body paragraph. Include a parenthetical citation for all quotations.

The MLA-formatted citations for your primary and secondary sources that will appear in the Works Cited list of your final essay.

Clear, grammatically correct sentences; it should be proofread and edited for errors (grammar, word choice, spelling).

Topics:

1. Each of the stories we have read is set in a distinctive setting - whether it is futuristic /fantastical or realistic. Examine the ways that the setting contributes to the theme[s] of a story on our course.

2. The stories and essays we have studied in this course present a variety of narrative voices and personas. Choose a fiction or non-fiction text from the course and indicate how either the narrative voice (for stories) or the author's persona (for essays) contributes to the themes/arguments of the text.

3. The power of stereotypes is a theme that runs through several the texts we have studied in this course. Select one text (fiction or non-fiction) and examine how the author explores the irrational power of stereotypes and the need to reflect on prejudice.