English 104 Paper Assignment

Literary Research Paper
English 104
Knowles
Spring 2004

Write a minimum 8-page (2000-word), thesis-driven research paper about one or more of our assigned texts. The paper may represent an extension of the group presentation, but all ideas belonging to others must be appropriately cited to avoid plagiarism.

The thesis should make an argument about the text(s), and the supporting discussion should defend this argument by quoting particular passages and analyzing their meaning. THIS IS NOT A REPORT. AVOID SUMMARY. The thesis cannot duplicate an argument made in the secondary sources, but it can be situated with reference to one or more arguments.

The paper must rely on at least three credible secondary sources not including web pages or reference books like encyclopedias. One of these must be an article located through the MLA Bibliography. The assigned text is a primary source; credible secondary sources are published articles or books referring to the authors, texts, and/or their time periods or describing a useful theoretical perspective from which you will analyze the primary text, e.g. theories from sociology or psychology.

Writing Process:

Because I know many of us have never written a paper this long, we will complete this paper through a number of intermediary steps intended to assist in generating ideas and reflecting on writing. Please visit the Writing Lab at any point during this process and keep a blue tutor form to submit for extra credit.

Generative Writing: Write a 2-page response to the text (or texts) you intend to use for your paper. What intrigues you about this text? What meaning do you derive from it? What literary techniques does the author employ to convey that meaning? What do you think you might write about it?

Conference: Schedule time during the sixth week to discuss your paper with me.

Thesis, single-page outline, annotated works cited, and copy of MLA article: Determine a working thesis, develop an informal outline of what you plan to discuss, compile an annotated works cited page, and provide a copy of your article located through the MLA Bibliography.

Writing the Annotated Works Cited Page

An annotated works cited page is a works cited page (MLA format bibliography) where each item listed is followed by a précis
describing that item.

     1. Create a regular works cited page. See the MLA documentation section in a handbook or visit the following site:
       <http://webster.commnet.edu/mla/index.shtml>
     2. After each entry include a paragraph-long précis answering the following questions:

what the author is arguing (e.g. "In this essay, Lucy Smalls argues that...")
what evidence the author uses to make this argument (e.g. "Smalls makes this argument by...")
why the source is credible (e.g. "Smalls's essay is credible because it's recent [1996] and published in a well-known literary journal")
how this source might be useful to your paper (e.g. "Smalls's argument will help me defend the idea that...")
how the author's argument differs from your own

Rough Draft: Have a complete draft prepared for response groups, and bring three copies. No one expects perfection at this point, just a paper that begins and ends. Please submit copies of all secondary materials.

Final Draft: The final draft should be significantly different from the rough draft. It should be submitted with the following materials:

All rough drafts, including group work and my comments
Any tutor forms
All generative writing assignments, including the annotated works cited and copies of all secondary materials
A 250-word self-evaluation: How did the idea for this paper emerge? How did the drafting process go? What steps did you use in producing this final draft? What assistance did you receive from response groups? What do you think is the strength of this paper? What might you do differently if you had more time?

Assessment Criteria:

Because writing quality affects how clearly ideas are conveyed, make sure to work on the structure of your writing. Thesis-driven papers should follow standard academic paper format with the following attributes:

Clear thesis: the thesis should connect a claim about the text to reasons. The thesis should be located in the paper's introduction so that the reader knows from the beginning what you will be arguing. This argument should be different from that made by any sources cited in your discussion.
Logical organization: paragraphs should have one topic each, should appear in a logical order, and should have transitions that demonstrate how they relate to the previous paragraph(s).
Most paragraphs should include a topic sentence that connects the topic of the paragraph to the thesis. This sentence should appear at or close to the beginning of each paragraph so that it can act as a signpost for the reader.
Paragraphs should be developed using examples and logical discussion and referring to specific quotes from primary and/or secondary sources. Think of each paragraph as a "sandwich" with your guiding ideas surrounding examples or information drawn from elsewhere. Your analysis should significantly exceed the quantity of cited material. Use summary but do not allow more than one paragraph of your discussion to be wholly summary.
Format: double-spaced, 12-point font with 1" margins
Along with a works cited page, MLA citation requires in-text citations (usually last name and page number in parentheses) after every idea belonging to someone else (not just quoted ideas!). Avoiding plagiarism also requires proper use of paraphrase and quotations. Proper paraphrasing requires no more than three words in a row from the original and a significant revision of original sentence structure. Otherwise, you must quote the original wording exactly as it appears.
Because errors influence readers' opinions of you as a writer, make sure to proofread before printing a final copy.
Warning! Drafts may receive failing grades or zeros if they do any of the following: consist mostly of summary, consist mostly of ideas from secondary sources, fail to cite paraphrased information or to properly paraphrase, lack a works cited page, lack evidence of significant revision, or are submitted after the deadline without express permission from me.

In scoring, I generally average the elements listed below, but there are occasions when one element determines the grade.

	A	B	C	D	F	Zero for plagiarism or failure to complete the assignment
Thesis	document has a clear, original thesis on which discussion stays focused through topic sentences at the beginnings of paragraphs	document has a general thesis on which the paragraphs are clearly if implicitly focused	document has a general thesis on which some paragraphs focus, or document may lack an explicit thesis but present detailed, original observations that might easily support a thesis	general thesis with little focus	no thesis or focus	N/A
Organization	paragraphs have one topic each and appear in a logical order indicated by fluid transitions	most paragraphs have one topic each and generally appear in a logical order	some trouble with paragraph unity and order	significant trouble with paragraph unity and order	confusing	N/A
Development	paragraphs present relevant points to support the thesis detailed by quotes from the primary text(s) and discussion of the quotes longer than the quotes themselves and focusing on specific wording	paragraphs present relevant points supported by some quotes and discussion	paragraphs present some relevant points with some support	many paragraphs fall into summary or rely mostly on secondary material	discussion is mostly summary or relies mostly on secondary material	N/A
Standard Written English/Style	document includes few errors or awkward passages	document includes some errors and/or awkward passages	document includes significant error patterns and/or awkward passages	document includes distracting error patters and/or awkward language	language is confusing	N/A
Format	document meets length requirements and is prepared in standard academic paper format	document nearly meets length requirements and/or may have some problems in standard academic paper format	document is 3/4 the required length and/or may have significant trouble with standard academic paper format	document is substantially short and/or may be distractingly formatted	document is half the required length, and/or document format causes confusion	document is less than half the required length
Citation	all primary and secondary materials, whether quoted or paraphrased, are properly cited in MLA format	all primary and secondary materials are properly cited with some errors in MLA format	parenthetical references and works cited page exist but may include substantial errors	parenthetical references may be unclear or missing	works cited is missing, but there is some attempt to indicate information comes from sources	works cited is missing, and there is no attempt to indicate information comes from sources
Paraphrasing	paraphrasing alters both wording and sentence structure of the original	paraphrasing alters wording of the original	paraphrasing sometimes uses more than three words in a row from the original	paraphrasing frequently uses more than three words in a row from the original	paraphrasing is nearly identical with the original; the original may be cited	the draft is composed primarily of information word-for-word from secondary sources, which may or may not be acknowledged
Plagiarism	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	I have seen no generative writing or rough drafts, seen no substantial revision, and/or received no source material; I can demonstrate that all or part of the paper belongs (or likely belongs) to another writer
Secondary sources	paper discusses at least three scholarly secondary sources, one of which is a periodical article located through the MLA International Bibliography	long paper discusses at least three scholarly sources	long paper discusses at least two scholarly sources	long paper discusses at least one scholarly source	long paper discusses no scholarly sources	N/A

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