Short Stories Essay Assignment

Take your time to print, read, and follow this assignment carefully!  It provides much useful and important information to help you create a successful paper!

After–

reading the six short stories,

brainstorm,

prepare a complete outline  to work out your ideas completely– including all ideas, examples, and quotations, as well as your thesis

Select a topic you are interested in thinking about, analyzing, and “solving” in the short stories you have read. 

Here is a big hint on how to proceed:  As you trace your topic through the stories, prepare specific questions, such as who is involved, what happens, what is their reaction, what happens as a result, and what it means.  Think in terms of causes, effects, and significances.  Answer each question as thoroughly as you can.  This will lead you to develop a clear and solid thesis.  Remember, you have to do the brainstorming and thinking BEFORE you can create your thesis, and as you work through your ideas more thoroughly, your thesis will probably change.
 

Remember NOT to consult ANY sources–ALL ideas should be your own.

You MUST include direct quotations as part of your explanation and support of your ideas and analysis of the stories.  MLA format for this paper.

“quotation here” (Author’s name here).

 

Select from one of these topics:

If you begin on one of these, and it does not seem to be working for you, try another. . .

1.  In these short stories, women are trapped, restricted, have fewer rights, or have fewer opportunities because of their gender.  Analyze the ways in which this is so in at least three of the stories.  You may select the stories according to the kind of specific issues the female characters face.  Develop a purpose, a thesis that consists of the main point you discover in your analysis.  Then, present, in your essay, the details that support that thesis.

2.  Some of these short stories concern characters’ desire for freedom.  Analyze the ways in which this is so in at least three of the stories.  You can select the stories according to the kind of freedom the characters yearn and/or strive for.  Develop a purpose, a thesis that consists of the main point you discover in your analysis.  Then, present, in your essay, the details that support that thesis.

3.  These short stories concern marital relationships or relationships between men and women.  Select one of these topics and analyze those relationships in at least three of the stories.  Develop a purpose, a thesis that consists of the main point you discover in your analysis.  Then, present, in your essay, the details that support that thesis.

4.  Many of the characters in these stories are led by their sense of pride.  Analyze the ways in which this is so in at least three of the stories.  You can select the stories according to the kind of pride or the specific effects of that pride.  Develop a purpose, a thesis that consists of the main point you discover in your analysis.  Then, present, in your essay, the details that support that thesis.

5.  In at least three of these short stories, characters are led by selfishness or greed.  Select one of those themes, and analyze the ways in which this is so in at least three of the stories.  Develop a purpose, a thesis that consists of the main point you discover in your analysis.  Then, present, in your essay, the details that support that thesis.

6.  In at least three or four of these short stories, characters are led by envy.  Analyze the ways in which this is so in at least three of the stories.  You may select the stories according to the kind of envy or the specific effects of that envy.  Develop a purpose, a thesis that consists of the main point you discover in your analysis.  Then, present, in your essay, the details that support that thesis.

7.  Some of these short stories concern a character’s devotion or sacrifice.  Select one of those themes, and analyze the ways in which this is so in at least three of the stories.  Consider the causes and effects of the devotion or sacrifice.  Develop a purpose, a thesis that consists of the main point you discover in your analysis.  Then, present, in your essay, the details that support that thesis.

8.  Some of these short stories concern a character having and keeping a secret.  Analyze the ways in which this is so in at least three of these stories.  Consider the causes and effects of secret(s). Develop a purpose, a thesis that consists of the main point you discover in your analysis.  Then, present, in your essay, the details that support that thesis.

9.  Some of these short stories concern a character who is isolated. Analyze the ways in which this is so in at least three of these stories.  Consider the causes and effects of the isolation. Develop a purpose, a thesis that consists of the main point you discover in your analysis.  Then, present, in your essay, the details that support that thesis.  

10.  Appearances can be deceiving, covering or distorting what is really occurring.  In some of these stories, characters are either consumed by appearances or are deceived by what they think is going on.  Analyze either of these situations in at least three of the stories, including the causes and effects.  Develop a purpose, a thesis that consists of the main point you discover in your analysis.  Then, present, in your essay, the details that support that thesis.   

11.  Some characters in these stories have gotten stuck.  Analyze the ways in which this is so in at least three of these stories, including the causes and effects.  Develop a purpose, a thesis that consists of the main point you discover in your analysis.  Then, present, in your essay, the details that support that thesis.   

Specify the number of the question above that you are addressing.

 Do NOT retell the plot.  Assume your reader is familiar with the stories.

Be sure to develop a clear, solid thesis; move far beyond anything like “Entrapment is in these three stories.”  That is still a topic, not a thesis.

Be thorough, clear, and organized.  You will have several paragraphs of analysis for each story.

You must include quotations from the stories, cited correctly.

Follow the process and all writing guidelines.  Use your Proofreading List as well.

​The final draft should be at least 1,400 words, but do not let that minimum restrict you.  Be thorough.

Submit the completed rough draft, followed by your complete outline.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of constructed-response assessment compared to a selected-response assessment?  Where would you be more likely to use constructed-response assessment and why?

2)Provide an example of the type of task or assignment in which a holistic rubric would be used and one in which an analytic rubric would be used. When is one more appropriate that the other?

Assignment 1: Information Literacy and Database Search Activity “The Road Not Taken.”

TOPIC *********gender based pay gap for Texas workers************

Literature reviews are based on the identification and  analysis of various academic journal articles related to a research  topic. Since you will be completing a review of the literature as a  major project in this course, it is important for you to develop and  improve your information literacy skills, as well as your database  search skills.
 

            Information literacy, the ability to locate, evaluate, and  use information effectively, is a core skill in being a successful  doctoral student.
 

The goal with this activity is to encourage  students to read critically, reason analytically, and to turn the  selected information into relevant knowledge for a specific topic.
 

With this context in mind and  considering your initial research topic, use the key words of your  preliminary research questions to begin your search of the online  databases for related research articles.
 

            In your search, locate at least four  empirical research journal articles related to your topic and  questions. Try to identify empirical research articles, based on  different designs (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods design),  though if that is not possible, just find empirical articles. [See APA,  p. 10 for brief definitions of empirical articles, also defined in  Creswell (2009), p. 4, and Fink (2010)].
 

            Include in your introductory paragraph your purpose for writing this paper; this can be a simple statement of your strategies for this database search.
 

For example, a sample purpose statement for this assignment might look like this:
 

The purpose of this assignment is to describe the strategies used to navigate the databases, discuss the findings of the search process concluding with an identification of four relevant sources related to the initial research question.
 

Include a mapping statement following the purpose statement that briefly lists the key  points sequentially of how you intend to organize the body of your  paper. You can use the elements outlined in the assignment grading  criteria as a guideline to create your mapping statement.
 

For example, 

This  paper will discuss the online library databases that were used and  search strategies using Boolean connectors with the keywords that met  with the best results. Results of the Proquest Digital Dissertations and  Thesis database search will also be discussed, concluding with the  identification of four scholarly articles that relate specifically to  the previous questions.
 

Following the mapping  statement, structure the remaining paper around the elements listed in  the grading criteria below. It is important that you address all  elements of the grading criteria.
 

            Using the grading criteria elements to organize the content  will help in structuring the paper logically and ensure completeness of  your submissions.
 

 

All written assignments and responses should follow APA style in formatting and attributing sources.

Please make sure you review the  elements of the grading criteria and associated points carefully and  make sure your assignment has addressed all the elements and in enough  detail to merit full points.

  Assignment 1 Grading Criteria   Maximum Points    Stated a minimum of one relational research question and used the key words from the variables in the research question.  4    Discussed additional key words obtained from the thesaurus related to your variables in your research questions  4    Named two databases and  explained clearly your reason for choosing the two databases and  described what you learned from one database tutorial  4    Explained Boolean connectors, and discussed with a specific example related to your research topic and question, the use and application of Boolean connectors in information searches  4    Examined the Proquest Digital Dissertations and Theses related to your research topic and question and clearly explained the results.  2    In the final paragraph, identified four  journal empirical research articles related to your research topic and  question. Introduced each source in the author (date) format, and  explained briefly (not more than 2-3 sentences/article) their relevance  to the proposed research questions. Included the type of article  selected (quantitative, qualitative, mixed-method).  8    Created a Reference page and listed the four articles in accurate and complete APA format. (Include titles of articles only on the reference page, not in the text).   4    Displayed accurate grammar, spelling, punctuation, and APA Style.  4    Total:  34

 Write a 2 – 3 page paper where you compare and contrast the promotional campaigns of two competing sport organizations (for example 2 golf courses). Document the incentivization tactics that each employees. How do the tactics differ? How are the incentives communicated to the consumer? What is the ratio between price-based and non-price-based incentives?
 

You must include 3 or more scholarly references and your paper must follow APA style and format.