Assignment: Course Literature Project

Course Project Options are designed to allow students flexibility in their approach to reflect on the course. It is to show evidence of careful and thoughtful development of the subject with attention to appropriate depth and detail. The project should be clear, coherent, and well organized. It should be free of errors that hinder meaning and free of plagiarized material.

Course Project Description

For your project, choose one of the following options:

1. Prose to Prose: Read another literary piece from an author of your choice that we have studied throughout the course. Write a detailed comparison of the two literary pieces, using specific details from each. Your paper should be 1,000-1,500 words at least with proper use of quotations and citations. You may decide to limit your focus to character, plot, setting, symbolism, conflict, point of view, or theme. For example, you may choose Edith Wharton. We have read "Roman Fever." So, you would select another of Wharton's repertoire that best suits your project's direction.

2. Prose and Mixed Media: This option is to compare a literary piece with its cinematic counterpart. Again, you should focus on the literary aspects of the prose, but you would include vocabulary specific to the movie genre. You should be clear in your direction prior to viewing. You should watch the film and read the text more than once. You may decide to focus on what was left out of the film version. Perhaps you feel the omission was critical to the success of the film. Some prose writings do not transfer well to the silver screen, while some are better for it. You will write this in the third person, of course, even though this option is asking for your opinion. Your project should be 1,000 to 1,500 words in length with proper use of quotations and citations. You may present this in either essay format or a powerpoint presentation. For example, "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall" is available through Netflix, as are several other pieces in our course.

3. Prose Mash Up: Write a story from a different point of view. You may take an entire story's plot and write a version as someone else would tell it. You may have to edit the piece down to a workable length. Your project should be 1,000 to 1,500 words in length with proper use of quotations and citations. For example, in Jack London's "To Build A Fire," how would the story have changed if seen through the eyes of his canine companion?

4. Prose Diary: Write a diary of a main character as he/she might have written it between scenes and/or events. You may even imagine that you are a person in your prose piece. Write your observations of the characters in the prose piece. Figure out what makes them tick or what you observe about the character's actions, discussions, or circumstances. This option, you may write in the first person. Your project should be 1,000 to 1,500 words in length with proper use of quotations and citations. You need to make sure your reader/grader knows exactly where you are in the prose at all times.

5. Prose News Beat Reporter: Write a report paper on related information about one topic or person in the selected prose piece. For history majors, this option would allow you to flex your historical knowledge. Make sure to keep the prose character involved. For instance, Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" would be a good choice to detail the events of which she is rebelling. You would provide a detailed report explaining the social/political climate of which Gilman is experiencing. You are the cub reporter. You may write it in newspaper fashion.

Your project should be 1,000 to 1,500 words in length with proper use of quotations and citations.

6. Prose News Feature Writer: In the same vein as above, write a human-interest story fluff piece on one of the characters in a selected prose piece. You must do some homework on this one regarding the current events of the setting. Your project should be 1,000 to 1,500 words in length with proper use of quotations and citations.

7. Cultural Analysis: This course contained a blend of traditional and minority/multicultural literature, a focus that was intended since we are a nation predicated on different racial and ethnic origins, after all. Multicultural and minority studies are essential when considering "the big picture"--or the entire landscape--of what it means to be American. African Americans, Native Americans (otherwise known as American Indians), Hispanics, Indians, and Asian Americans contribute to the globalization of American literature, adding richness and variety to our literary tradition. Please go through the weekly readings and select two works of literature by women, minority, or multicultural authors. Write a critical response in 2-3 pages showing how literature by such traditionally "marginalized" figures can highlight their status as outsider or "other" in society in such a way that reaches out to encourage awareness and understanding in its mainstream members.

8. Prose Court: Hold a mock trial to permit one of the characters of your selected piece to defend what he/she has done in a controversial scene. Transcribe the court notes. The transcription should be 1,000 to 1,500 words in length with proper use of quotations and citations.

9. Prose Dinner: Write a conversation that might have taken place between two or more authors over dinner. Remember to stay in the author's character. You would want to use particular events as the subject matter(s). Perhaps you think the humor of Mark Twain would be a wonderful dinner companion for the serious Ernest Hemingway. They, of course, would compare theory and stories to make for good conversation. The key to making this option a success is to discuss topics in which the authors have a very distinct opinion. You may even feel brave and invite another author to join who could bring his/her opinions or stories to the table. This option would require you to read How to Write a Play. The quasi-play should be 1,000 to 1,500 words in length with proper use of quotations and citations.

10. Course Reflection. Should you select this option for your Course Project, go back through the syllabus and through this semester's forum topics, readings, and essay topics. Discuss your three favorite readings in detail (a paragraph each). Explain why they were your favorite. Next, discuss your three least favorite readings (a paragraph each). Explain why they were your least favorite. In a concluding paragraph, give your overall impression of the course as it is presented and laid out in Sakai. Feel free to offer constructive criticism of any aspect of the course. Your paper should conform to MLA formatting. You should use first person "I" in your discussion.
*Study the Project Rubric before submitting the assignment.

Sample citation from our textbook:

London, Jack. "How to Build a Fire." American Literature Since the Civil War.
Create edition. McGraw-Hill, 2011. 114-124. e-Book.
Additional resources for assignment.

Attachment:- Master-Syllabus.pdf