topic is on Chinua Achebe
My research topic is on Chinua Achebe
Annotated Bibliography Due Sunday 23 Nov
To prepare for your research paper, you will submit an annotated bibliography that contains at least 5 secondary sources. These sources should come ONLY from the GMC library databases. For each source, you will provide a paragraph-long annotation.
| Your annotated bibliography will be graded on the following rubric: Sources | 10 points |
| Annotations | 20 points |
| MLA Style | 15 points |
| Mechanics, Grammar, and Punctuation | 5 points |
Sources
You must provide at least five sources
Each source should be a critical argument on the reading you’ve chosen for your research paper. Sources that only provide biographical information or plot summary are unacceptable. The source MUST provide an argument.
Annotations
The annotation for each source should be a paragraph in length (at least 150 words).
You must include a brief summary of the source. This summary should include the author’s thesis.
You must provide an analysis of how you may use the source in your paper.
For more information on how to write an annotated bibliography, you should view the Purdue OWL’s website here: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/01/.
MLA Style
Your bibliography should be formatted according to MLA format.
For each source, you must provide an MLA citation. Too see how to cite an article from an online database, you should view the following website: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/.
Mechanics, Grammar, and Punctuation
All written assignments should be mechanically and grammatically correct with proper punctuation.
For more information on each of these, you should view the Purdue OWL’s General Writing Resources page: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1
Research Paper Directions Due Tuesday
25 Nov
Instructions
Prompt:
Your research paper should be an argumentative essay that makes a specific claim regarding an interpretation of one of the course readings. Support this claim and argument in a well-developed, well-written, and well-organized essay of at least 2000 words (roughly 6-8 typed, double-spaced pages). To support your argument, incorporate quotes, summaries, or paraphrases from at least five secondary sources accessed through the GMC library, as well as the literary work or works you are discussing. In order for you to successfully complete this assignment, read and reread the following directions:
-Reread the texts you enjoyed or that interested you and take careful notes. Then, brainstorm, journal, free-write, and research to develop your own interpretation and argument. All of these things will help you narrow down and then fully develop your topic.
-Once you have decided on a topic, begin doing preliminary research (you will need to do a lot of research for this assignment anyway). Read what other literary critics have said. This will help you to further narrow down your topic, and even to find some of the sources you will end up using in the paper. Remember that you are a literary critic too—this means you should feel free to question and disagree with the interpretations you read in articles from our library databases.
-Make sure your thesis is an arguable one, something that readers might actually agree or disagree with. Don’t be afraid to take a leap and put forward a new, creative, and/or unique interpretation. Remember that any argument can be a good one if you properly support it with evidence from the text.
-Note that you need to use five secondary sources in your paper. These are sources that provide interpretations of your author and their work. Note that summaries and overviews of your author and their work do not count, because they simply provide information that could be found anywhere. In addition, the literary work or works you are writing about are considered primary sources, so they do not count towards your five sources.
-Your paper must incorporate information from outside sources found through the GMC library. Remember that you have three methods for incorporating outside information into any paper: you can quote (use the source’s exact words), paraphrase (put the source’s words into your own words), or summarize (boil down information from a source to a 1-2 sentence summary in your own words). If you need to review these topics, check out the information at the Purdue OWL here http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/1/
-Avoid unnecessary plot summary and biographical information. Assume that your reader has already read the work you are discussing, and assume that your reader knows important information about the author’s life as well.
-Play the numbers game. Remember that your paper must be at least 2,000 words (not counting the Works Cited), and the paper must include at least 5 secondary sources accessed from the GMC library. Note that sources like Wikipedia, Sparknotes, and other open-web sources are not appropriate for this paper. Conduct your research through the library like a real researcher, rather than relying on Google to find open-web sources that may not be appropriate.
-MLA formatting for paper style, in-text citations, and the Works Cited is a significant part of this paper. Review the Purdue OWL MLA section (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/), and other MLA guides for examples of what your paper should look like.
-Organize your argument to maximize its effectiveness. Your introduction should include a thesis. Each paragraph of your paper should include a topic sentence that references your thesis. Each sentence in each paragraph should directly support that paragraph’s topic sentence.
-Finally, don’t forget the little things. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation should be perfect. Edit and revise your work. Manage your time efficiently to allow yourself the opportunity to read and reread your final paper multiple times.
-As always, contact your instructor whenever you have questions.
| -The Research Paper is worth 200 points, or 20%, of your final course grade. The general rubric for the Research Paper is provided below: Argument/Interpretation | 60 points |
| Use, Quality, and Correctness of Research, including MLA formatting | 60 points |
| Higher-Order Concerns (Development, Organization, etc.) | 40 points |
| Lower-Order Concerns (Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation) | 40 points |
