Standard Academic Paper (200 points)
These two projects are more or less the same, other than the page length and point values. The Academic Seminar Paper is 15 to 20 pages and is worth 300 points. The Standard Academic Paper is six to ten pages and worth 200 points.
Deadlines
We will discuss due dates for the various sections of the projects. Your project must include:
· a list of sources you will use in completing the project,
· a “speed draft” of the project (which you and I will discuss in a conference),
· a draft of the full project (which will be read and responded to by a group of your classmates),
· a final draft of the project.
Failure to complete any of the portions of the academic project listed above will result in a one-letter-grade reduction for each missing portion (obviously, the final draft is required to receive any grade at all).
The final draft of the academic paper is due at the last "Project Collection" day, April 26.
Length
The Standard Academic Essay is six to ten pages, double-spaced, with a one-inch margin all the way around, and must conform to the MLA stylebook requirements for formatting and parenthetical documentation. The Academic Seminar Paper follows the same guidelines, but is 15-20 pages long.
Subject
The subject of your paper is entirely up to you, as long as you write on one of the works dealt with in class in a logical, developed paper with a clearly defined thesis and specific references to the text(s) you deal with. Be sure to focus your paper on topics you can deal with in the space provided. It would be difficult to make grand statements about literature in relatively short papers such as these; it’s far better to focus on one or two works and really do a good job with just those.
Sources
Your paper should make significant use of secondary sources (at least six for the Standard Academic Essay and at least ten for the Academic Seminar Paper). These sources must come from scholarly journals. Your required sources may not include Web sources (other than electronic versions of scholarly journals), encyclopedias, or literary reference works, though you may use such works as sources in addition to your required scholarly works. You will need to work the source material into your discussion of your own thesis. When quoting from a text, it’s better to work smaller quotations into the flow of your discussion than to place large chunks of quotes in the middle of your paper. You must follow the MLA guidelines for use of sources to receive credit for the assignment. You must attach copies of any source you use in your paper. If the source is too long to copy, include copies of the first page (or title page, in the case of a book) and any relevant pages.
Drafts
The most difficult aspect of writing scholarly essays (for most students) is maintaining control of the essay, not allowing the sources to take over the paper. In order to help you stay in control, there are two additional short “drafts” of your paper that you will need to complete: a preliminary draft that you write before you find or read any secondary sources, and a speed draft that you write after you’ve read your sources but before you begin writing the actual first full draft of the paper.
The preliminary draft helps you to figure out what you have to say about your topic and also helps you to focus your search for source materials.
The speed draft is a short version of your paper, written without the use of your note cards, secondary sources, or even primary sources; this draft helps you to focus and organize the general outlines of your discussion without the restrictions of a formal outline.
You will also need to submit a complete draft of your project for response before you may submit the final draft for grading. Depending on how many of your peers choose this project type, your response may come from me, your peers or a combination of me and your peers.
Academic Projects (You must choose at least one project from this category.)
Academic Seminar Paper (300 points)Oral Projects (You must choose at least one project from this category.)
Standard Academic Paper (200 points)
Biographical Context Essay (100 points)
Annotated Bibliography of Scholarly Sources (100 points)
Annotated Bibliography of Web Sites (100 points)
Historical Presentation (100 points)Examinations
Dramatic Interpretation (100 points)
Class Discussion (100 points)
Midterm Examination (100 points)Interpretive Projects
Final Examination (200 points)
Reading Journal (100 points, repeatable)
Electronic Discussion (100 points, repeatable)
Paper (100 points, repeatable)
Creative Interpretation (100 points, repeatable)
Multiperspective (200 points, may count as academic)
Copyright 2001 by David Kimmel. This page was created using Netscape Composer, Microsoft Paint, and Microsoft Photo Editor. Last updated January 5, 2002.