Major genres and forms of literature.

Research Essay

This essay must be a thesis-driven, persuasive literary analysis argument regarding one or two of the literary works we have read from the textbook this semester.  The thesis should explore a literary element of the chosen text(s) such as a theme, motif, plot progression, characterization, genre, etc.  A persuasive critical argument requires a thesis, supporting evidence from the text(s) (in the form of correctly formatted quotations), and thorough explanation and analysis of the significance of that evidence to your argument. The essay should have an introduction that states the thesis, body paragraphs that provide the support and explanation of that support, a thoughtful conclusion that synthesizes the information you have presented and reminds your readers of the thesis.  

• MLA: All aspects of the research essay should be compliant with the MLA format.
• Grammar, Syntax, and Mechanics: This is a formal academic assignment. As such, all elements of grammar, syntax, word choices, and mechanics should adhere to formal academic standards and Standard American English.

• Length: 800-1000 words (This is usually about 3.5 to 4 pages, but always check your word count to be certain.) Ten percentage points will be dropped from the final grade for each missing page of writing. A Works Cited page should be included with the essay itself, and should begin at the top of a new page. However, the Works Cited DOES NOT COUNT in your word count, or as one of the pages of writing. Your essay should have first, a heading, then an interesting and explanatory title, then three to four complete pages of writing, and then a Works Cited page.

• Works Cited page: Students are required to include a properly formatted Works Cited page that adheres to all rules of the MLA format. (Reminder: A properly formatted Works Cited page uses a hanging indent, which means that only the first line of each entry goes to the left margin; all other lines are indented. The database is simply where you find the sources; it is not part of the sources themselves.)

• Topic: Students have two options.
• Option One: Students may choose one text we have read this semester and write an in-depth, thesis-driven, analytical, literary research essay that unpacks elements of that text and supports the thesis.
• Option Two: Students can choose any two of the texts we have read this semester and may write an intertextual analysis that traces a theme, motif, or idea that appears in both texts. As with the other option, students who choose this option must write an in-depth, thesis-driven, analytical, literary research essay that supports your thesis.
• All thesis statements should have a 'so-what' factor.

• Sources: Students must include at least two (2) scholarly articles found through the EBSCO database or a similar database such as the college library, JSTOR, or Project Muse. MC provides EBSCO to students.
• The only acceptable sources for this essay are:
--a text or texts from the Norton textbook
--peer-reviewed, scholarly articles
• Students are required to quote from each and every source in the body of the essay. It is not acceptable to include a text on your works cited page if you do not quote from that source during the course of your essay.

• Argument vs. Report: This assignment is not a book report! This assignment is a research essay wherein students are required to create their own literary argument. Students are to support their thesis by using evidence and quotes from the text or texts in question. Students should also use the information found in the scholarly articles as support for their essay's thesis-driven literary argument. This assignment is not (NOT) a summary of sources, or a report about what the sources contain. This essay is a persuasive, thesis-driven argument that uses logic, effective rhetorical techniques, and support (in the form of quotations) from the chosen literary texts and from the chosen scholarly articles. The purpose of this assignment is to allow students to demonstrate that they can engage with literature and can grapple with the meaning, value, cultural and historical importance, or authorial methods of the text(s). You, as the student writer, must make a claim that communicates meaningful ideas about the literature. Likewise, you must support your claim using specific literary evidence from your chosen text(s) and from your chosen scholarly articles.

• Plagiarism: Plagiarism is academic dishonesty, and academic dishonesty of any kind, intentional or unintentional, is grounds for a zero both on the Final Research Essay and in the course as a whole. Plagiarism is intellectual theft. Failure to cite sources properly is plagiarism. Failure to include a works cited page is plagiarism. Attempting to present someone else's words or ideas as if they are your own is plagiarism. Using someone else's words or ideas without giving them proper credit in both the text of the essay and in the works cited is plagiarism. Don't plagiarize.

This assignment fulfills the following learning outcomes and core objectives:
Learning Outcomes:

1. Demonstrate familiarity with literary periods and their legacy of important ideas.
2. Identify key ideas, representative authors and works, significant historical and cultural events, and characteristic perspectives and attitudes expressed in the literature of different periods or regions.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of literary works as expressions of individual and human values within the social, political, cultural, and religious contexts of different literary periods.
4. Demonstrate knowledge of major genres and forms of literature.
5. Understand the development of characteristic forms and styles of expression during different historical periods and in different regions.
6. Develop an appreciation for the aesthetic principles that guide the scope and variety of works in the arts and humanities.
7. Analyze and synthesize aesthetic, historical, formal, and ideological approaches to interpreting literature through class discussion, presentations, written assignments, and exams.
8. Articulate an informed personal reaction to works in the arts and humanities.
9. Produce critical essays about the assigned readings that support a debatable thesis, that use primary and secondary sources, that cite those sources according to MLA style, that express ideas in clear and grammatically correct prose, and that are free of plagiarism.
10. Demonstrate personal responsibility by citing all sources properly, writing without plagiarism, and doing independent work.

Core Objectives:
This course fulfills the three hour requirement in the Language, Philosophy, and Culture component area in the Midland College Core Curriculum. The Core Curriculum is a set of courses that provide students with a foundation of knowledge, skills, and educational experiences that are essential for all learning. The URL for the Core Curriculum is http://catalog.midland.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=6&poid=738
Literature courses promote critical thinking while also fostering sensitivity to and understanding of the human condition. As part of the core, this course addresses the following four objectives:
Critical Thinking: The course involves creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, evaluation, and synthesis of information. Mastery of these skills is accomplished through the following: class discussions; written assignments including analytical papers, literary critiques, and research papers; and exams about literary works and the context in which they were produced.
Communication: The course includes effective written, oral, and visual communication. Students are required to participate in all of the following: class discussions; informal class presentations; creation of visual presentations; writing analytical papers, literary critiques, and research papers.
Social Responsibility: This course teaches intercultural competency and helps the students develop the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities. They will accomplish these objectives by studying literary periods and their legacy of important ideas; by writing about key ideas, significant historical and cultural events, and perspectives and attitudes expressed in the literature of different periods or regions; and by analyzing and synthesizing aesthetic, historical, formal, and ideological approaches to interpreting literature through class discussion, presentations, written assignments, and exams.
Personal Responsibility: Students will demonstrate the ability to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision-making. They will accomplish this by submitting original work and using appropriate documentation and attribution when using another’s words or ideas.