Research Paper Instructions

Purpose

The research paper assignment for this course is due . Sequence, displaying your skills as a
writer, reader, researcher, and critical thinker.

Research Paper Directions

Your research paper should be an argumentative essay that makes a specific claim about
one or more of the course readings. The claim should incorporate some specific school of
literary theory discussed in class. Support this claim and argument in a well-developed, well-
written, and well- organized essay of at least 1500-1800 words  of text (not counting the
works cited page) and must successfully use at least 5 critical secondary sources  (primary
sources- the literary texts assigned from class- are not included as part of the research
requirement) accessed through the Arizona State University library.

The bulleted list below provides general options for paper topics. The entirety of

the class reading assignments can be found in the Course Syllabus, under
“Course Schedule.” The list below provides general options for paper topics:

 A paper focusing on one of the texts from class (if only writing on one text, it must
be a different text than the ones you wrote on for Response Papers 1 and 2).
 A paper focusing on multiple texts (no more than 3) by the same author
 A paper focusing on multiple texts (but no more than two) by different authors

Tips and Reminders

Re-read the text(s) on which you want to base your paper.

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.

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 should be properly supported with reasonable
textual evidence. 
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 already.

Remember 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.

MLA formatting for style, in-text citations, and works cited entries is a significant part of this
paper. Review the sample essays in our textbook, and review grade feedback on past
response papers for help with this. 

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.