Primary source presentation: 10 points.
Publication history is often overlooked in modern-day anthologies. This assignment urges students to recover some of that history by researching and presenting information about the back story behind the works on the syllabus, answering the following questions (and others): how/where did the story first appear? what did this early edition look like? what noteworthy reprintings have appeared in its publication history? [additional details]Commonplace book project: 70 points.
The long-term task of the semester is to compile commonplace book containing at least 15 entries from the works on the course syllabus along with other materials students see fit to include. Component parts of this assignment include:
- short response papers for entries: 5 @ 10 points each [additional details]
- presentation/display: 10 points [additional details]
- material book: 10 points
See additional details for further information about each of these parts. Due dates will be posted on the course calendar.Research essay: 20 points.
This final essay will represent a cohesive argument about a singular issue encountered in the readings from the semester.
Students in an upper-division English class are expected to know how to write an original, argumentative essay. This essay must be properly documented with MLA in-text citations and must show a mastery of the basic mechanics like spelling, punctuation, capitalization, sentence structure, and overall organization. Essays that do not meet these expectations will not earn higher than a C.
length: 7-10 pages for undergraduates / 10-15 pages for graduates
