• Research your topic independently; you will be the expert on this topic for our class, so we're relying on you for important context for our readings
• Define and explain your topic to the class using whatever visual or audio supplements you find helpful
• Relate your topic to the class text and discussions at hand
• Develop a handout for the class highlighting the central points of your presentation and offering any longer pieces of information, copies of texts, or passages from letters or other outside sources that you may not be able to cover in depth during the presentation
• Pose at least three questions about the text at hand based on the information you've discovered; include these on your handout
• Make an argument about why the information you're providing us with is important to our readings in class
• Coordinate your presentation with your other panel members; this means you'll need to exchange contact information and decide what is a logical order for the presentations. Your group will also give a brief introduction and conclusion to the presentations as a whole: how do these three presentations fit together?
If you do choose to base one of your short papers on your presentation, you'll focus on one part of the research you've done and use it to explore one class text. You may discuss other options or formats for this paper with me.
What is most important about these papers is that you think about aspects of the text that interest you. Narrow in on something that you liked or hated, something that you did not understand or want to explore further. You might want to choose a recurring theme, an image, a scene, a character, or even a single line to analyze. Picking one passage and really thinking hard about it can be a good way to start. Whatever you choose, be sure that you cite specific moments from the text to back up more general claims you might be making. (I.e. do not just say, "Jane Eyre is rebellious," say, "In the scene between Jane Eyre and John Reed we see her rebelliousness as she defies..." etc.)
Firm guidelines for short papers:
• Make a small claim or ask and explore a specific question in each paper (do not summarize what you've read or make overarching or general claims)
• Use these short papers to explore writing styles and content
• Develop a creative title for each paper (this will help you ensure you have an argument)
• Use textual references and direct quotes to prove and explain your points
• Use MLA documentation style for references and works cited page
• Be sure you include your name and a line identifying which type of paper you're writing
• Papers should be double spaced and two pages long
Topics for short papers:
Throughout the semester, I require you to write one of each of the following kinds of papers:
• One examining HRC research materials and connecting them with a text (not JE)
• One a close reading of a text: take your reader through your reading of the text
Your remaining two papers can be anything you like. For example:
• Base one on your panel presentation (this will help narrow your workload)
• Compare or contrast two texts or a film and a text
• Examine the development or point of view of a single character
• See the midterm and final paper descriptions for more ideas
Turning in short papers:
Turn in two hard copies of your paper at the beginning of class on Tuesday.
Responses should be short (three to five sentences) and should open up discussion. Responses should not summarize or simply state that the paper is good. Responses may, for example:
• Use the paper's argument to ask a question
• Point out that the text offers a different reading than the one offered in the paper
• Identify a scene in the text that relates to or challenges the paper's argument
• Discuss how the author's writing style relates to the text under examination
Remember that the short papers are places for exploration; the responses should be kind and should help authors to hone their reading and writing skills.
We will pair up authors and responders in class; if this does not happen, respond to any paper that has not yet received a response.
Paper proposals:
Paper proposals are due at 12:30pm, in class, the day they are listed on the syllabus. Paper proposals serve two purposes: they help you to start brainstorming on paper before the paper is due, and they offer a chance for us to dialogue about your upcoming projects. I'll give you feedback on these to ensure that you're following the assignment and doing something that's interesting to you as you write your drafts.
Paper proposals should be short, one half- to one-page and should include
• your name and a creative title-in-progress
• a statement of the general topic of your paper
• a statement of your argument (a thesis)
• an explanation of how you will support your argument; what passages, incidents, or characters will you analyze in detail to support your argument?
• a claim about why your argument is important. This is the section that answers the questions, "So what?" and "Who cares?" You can assume that your reader has read/viewed the work you are analyzing. Why will she/he be interested in your paper?
Firm guidelines for midterm and final papers:
• Make an argument in each paper (do not summarize what you've read)
• Make an interesting argument in each paper (saying " Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl shows us that slavery is bad" is certainly true but it won't make for a very good paper because no one could really disagree with that claim and therefore no one would learn much from the essay
• Develop a creative title for each paper (this will help you ensure you have an argument)
• Use textual references and direct quotes to prove and explain your points
• Use MLA documentation style for references and works cited page
• Be sure you include your name and page numbers
• Proofread carefully. If your paper is filled with mechanical errors you will never get above a C no matter how good your analysis is.
Topics for midterm and final papers:
There are two options for these papers.
1. You may write a traditional academic paper which uses close-reading to make an argument.
For example, you might
• Choose two texts from the same genre (romance, sentimentality, the gothic, autobiographical fiction) and compare and contrast how these texts use or resist the conventions of the genre. Begin by explaining the conventions. Do the two texts use similar techniques but create work with very different messages and implications? Why is the comparison of these two texts in particular interesting?
• Choose two texts with a similar theme (border crossings, resistance or reinscription of colonialism, women's roles in the project of empire, women's sexuality, politics of literacy and authorship). Compare the treatment of the theme in each text. What is similar and what is different about the way this theme is used? Are the two authors making similar points with this theme? Why is this comparison important?
• Choose two texts with a similar type of character (the "orphan" girl, the "tragic mulatta," the fugitive, the woman author/artist, the tortured (or torturing) patriarch). How does the author of each text use this character and what is different about the two depictions? What is being said about the particular character/stereotype in each work? Why is this comparison important?
• Explore issues of gender: examine the representation of women or men in one or more of the texts. What ideals of femininity or masculinity are being endorsed or challenged? How does the text ask readers/viewers to see these characters? What possibilities for women does the text present or foreclose? What are the possible political implications of a text? In addition to addressing men or women in general, you can also narrow this topic down to particular kinds of women and how they are represented: mothers, for example. If comparing two works, consider how the later work revises or challenges the other.
• Explore issues of race: Consider the treatment of race in one or more texts. In what ways does the work reinforce or undermine certain racial stereotypes? How do people of different races interact in the text? What possibilities does the work present for people of specific races? For this topic, you can narrow your focus to one type of character, such as the mammy figure, etc. If comparing two works, consider how the later work revises or challenges the earlier.
• Analyze a text from outside class that takes up some of the same themes as our readings or is part of one of the genres we've studied.
• Other topics: how a text positions the reader, how publication history changes the reading of a text, domesticity, marriage, hauntings, madness, and more. I'm happy to help you brainstorm ideas for your papers.
2. You may write a nontraditional academic paper; discuss this with me in office hours.
For example, you might compose
• a bookstore journey as context for the texts
• a personal narrative through the texts
Extra topic option for final papers:
You may develop an alternative critical text that is accompanied by an explanatory paper. Your explanatory paper must be at least two pages long and should describe how the format and content of the alternative critical text you developed carries out our class goals; use and explain quotes from class texts to support these claims.
For example, you might create
• a reading list for young women or for young women and men (must include at least two of our texts and at least three others)
• a reading group curriculum for young women or for young women and men (must include at least two of our texts and at least three others)
• a literary exploration through a website
• work with a book group to lead a text drawing on what you've learned in this class
• develop rap group on romance and sentimentality for/with ALLGO, YWCA, BookWoman, Resistencia, Mitchie's, StoryCircle, OutYouth, or UT's WRC
Turning in midterm and final papers:
For your midterm on October 19 and for your final paper short draft on December 2, bring an electronic copy of your paper to class. You can do this in one of three ways:
• Post a copy to your webspace before you come to class
• Bring a copy on a mac-formatted cd-rom
• Deposit a copy in my teacher folder before class
On these days also bring a hard copy of your papers to me in class.
Turn in two hard copies of your final drafts of each paper.
Grading Criteria (back to top)
The following descriptions can help you understand the difference between a very good argumentative essay and an average one.
C: To earn a C, your argumentative paper should, first and foremost, take a clear stand on one debatable claim and provide sufficient evidence to support that position. To accomplish this requirement, make sure your paper fulfills the assignment (type of argument, use of text, length, format, and so on) and give your paper a discernible structure, using transitions to help your reader move from one idea to another. The ideas you present should show that you have responded actively and thoughtfully to peer responses and to your instructor's comments. If you use outside sources, summarize them accurately and employ them fairly. Grammatical and syntactical mistakes should not impede your readers' understanding of your argument.
B: To earn a B, build on the skills needed to earn a C. In addition to making a clear argument, you might address a more complicated or challenging topic. You might employ a variety of rhetorical techniques that go beyond the specific requirements of the assignment and respond more directly to the outside sources in the service of your own claim. Finally, show that you understand the importance of word choice, voice, and style, in addition to grammatical competency.
A: To earn an A, continue to build on the foundations discussed above. Your thesis should be provocative, possibly addressing an issue from a perspective that most readers have not considered, perhaps even changing the way they look at it altogether. To construct such a thesis, consider the full range of positions on your issue before finalizing your paper. Carefully examine the underlying assumptions, values, ethos, and use of evidence in your sources, instead of taking them at face value. As always, you should demonstrate your command of style, voice, mechanics, and usage.
If you receive a D on a paper, carefully consider the criteria listed above for a C. Instructors may give Ds to papers when writers, while demonstrating a general understanding of the topic and concepts, have not mastered some basic skills. If you misunderstand the assignment; show little understanding of the required rhetorical concepts; or ignore the technical requirements of topic, length, or format, your paper may receive an F. If you need help identifying problems in your writing, consult your instructor.