Assignment: Research Essay
Description: 5-6 pages, proper format, plus separate MLA-format Works Cited page
Objective: To thoughtfully analyze a text or film, attending to a particular topic or theme; use evidence to develop and support a thesis
Sources: Choose one of the following texts we studied in class and include an outside scholarly source to support and develop your thesis
Performa close reading of passages, scenes, and quotations to make an argument about what we can learn from a textrepresenting a cultural issue. More specifically, what does this text reveal about a particular topic or theme? What can we learn by extending our analysis through the use of secondary sources? So What? Make sure to analyze the formal elements of the piece as well as the plot. You may want to consider one (or two) of the possible topics/themes below to drive your analysis:
The Family: adolescence, coming-of-age, marriage, parenthood/motherhood, childhood, alternative families
Social Class: Wealth and Poverty, Education, Profession, Work
Gender and Sexuality: Femininity, Masculinity, Sexuality
Memory and Trauma: Violence, Madness
These are just some suggestions. You are welcome to explore other possible themes, and, of course, some of these topics overlap in the texts.
There are four major aspects to this paper:
1) Thesis
• Create a thesis explaining how the text represents the cultural theme.
• Evolve your thesis by exploring details/quotations from the texts.
2) Analysis
• Perform a close analysis of evidence from the texts you choose. It is best to focus on specific quotations and the words in particular passages for your evidence, or the details of film work and stage directions, rather than plot in order to avoid falling into plot summary.
• Remember, you need 3-5 sentences of analysis for each piece of evidence. Also remember to actually analyze the text, not simply evaluate what you found successful or interesting.
• Consider how you can use those details to make an argument about thetext's engagement with your chosen topic/theme. So what?
3) Structure
• Thesis drives the overall organization of the paper
• Strong topic sentences guide the reader through your argument
• Paragraphs smoothly introduce evidence and apply analysis
• Transitions guide the reader through each step of the developing argument
4) Research
• Incorporates a scholarly sources (film reviews do not count, should be something from an academic journal or scholarly book)
• Uses the source inventively to extend and support the argument
• Applies the ideas of the source and does not simply drop it in.