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 draft of the full project (which will be read and responded to by a group of your classmates),
- a final draft of the project.
The final draft of the annotated bibliography is due at the last "Project Collection" day, April 26.
Assignment
This type of annotated bibliography reviews eight scholarly or popular web sites covering an author from our reading list. An annotated bibliography provides other scholars with a overview of the web sources available on a particular topic.
Entries
Each entry should contain complete bibliographic information for the sources (MLA style, of course), as well as a 200-word annotation. Annotations should equally summarize the contents of the source and evaluate its quality and usefulness.
Criteria
In evaluating the scholarly sources, you should consider the following criteria:
- overall interest level—How interesting was the article? Did it seem worth the effort to read?
- authority—Is the author considered an expert in the appropriate field? It is not enough for the author to say she or he is an expert. Is the author cited by other experts in the field? Did the source contain biographical information, including the author’s professional affiliation(s)? Since the source is a Web site, the publishing/sponsoring body becomes a very important indicator of authority and reliability; is there a link to contact the author of the article and/or the Webmaster of the site? What do you know about the relationship between the author and the publishing body? Was the document created as an official document for the organization, or did the author merely use the organization’s server for Web access?
- accessibility—How easy was the article to read and understand? Did it use terminology you are not familiar with? If so, are the terms explained or was the reader expected to already understand them? Did the article refer to literary theories and theorists? If so, was the theoretical material explained or assumed?
- organization and coherence—How well did the source hold together? How easy was it to follow the path of the discussion?
- evidence—What type of evidence did the author provide to back up her points? Did the author provide enough evidence? Too much? What type of sources did the author use (both primary and secondary)? Were these sources appropriate?
- currency—How recently was the article published? Does its date of publication seem to make a difference in the value of the piece, today?
- importance—How important does the article seem to be? Is the article cited in any of the other sources you read? Do you think the article will prove important to scholars in the future? Does the article have importance beyond just the immediate issue being written about?
When addressing each of the above criteria, you should be sure to be evaluative (stating an opinion as to value) and specific. Provide your readers with examples, including quotes where appropriate. Remember to cite your source using the MLA parenthetical documentation rules!
Introduction
In addition to your individual entries, your bibliography should include a one-page introduction. Your introduction should introduce the topic you have studied and then give an overview of the sites you have read. Think of the introduction as the basic literature review. Someone interested in your topic should be able to pick up your bibliography, read the introduction, and understand the basic thrust of the web sites available on the topic. After reading your introduction, the interested party would then be able to read your annotations to gain specific information about each source you have evaluated. Remember to cite your source materials in the introduction, when necessary.
Draft
You will 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.