Research Paper

Learning Objectives:

Background

This assignment will provide the student with an opportunity to research fiction and/documentaries and apply the critical approaches to literature and literary terms in the writing of a research paper for the course.

Task:

Research Paper Topics:
A) Fiction Analysis:

Choose two short stories written by African/African-American/Mexican/Mexican-American writers and examine how these literary works connect/disconnect through characterization, style, and themes.

OR

B) Documentary and Fiction Analysis:

Dictionary.com defines a documentary as “Movies, Television. based on or re-creating an actual event, era, life story, etc., that purports to be factually accurate and contains no fictional elements: a documentary life of Gandhi.”

Select a documentary and a published short story of your choice. For this topic, you must argue the importance of critical literary analysis and write a comparison and contrast paper focusing on setting, theme(s), characterization, and irony in the documentary and short story. Note: Novels are not accepted as a substitute for this topic.

Organization for your Research Paper

Step I: Brainstorm your topic and begin your research. Write your thesis statement and begin to write a tentative outline to focus on the paper’s organization. Once you have evaluated your research sources, you will select what sources will be included in your paper based on your thesis statement. Once you complete this task, please include them on your bibliography page. Next, create an outline (topic/sentence) and begin to write a rough draft of your paper.

Step II: Re-read through your research sources and begin to reference them into your rough draft, and if chosen for your paper, please include them in your works cited page. The final draft will continue to develop from your rough draft. I do not recommend that you pursue another topic at this time since you have already done the majority of the work, but if you are unable to continue, you must begin to work on your “new” topic. The final paper may exceed the required six (6)-page minimum [word count-1500 words] with a works cited page with a minimum of six-sources [two primary and four secondary sources).

Step III: You will type a one-page final reflection of your writing experience and analysis of the research paper in first person.

Requirements for Research Paper

The research paper must meet the following criteria listed below to receive a grade. The student must follow all the directions completely. All papers must contain a brainstorming and outline, final draft, works cited page, and a final reflection. You will be required to submit your essay for an online tutor for review and complete a brief oral presentation for class.

Write your double-spaced paper in third person (he/she/it) and follow the MLA heading and page guidelines. Type the paper in 12 point, Times New Roman font and follow all the internal and work cited guidelines of MLA references.