Research Paper Assignment Write a thorough (2000 words), research-driven argumen

Research Paper
Assignment
Write a thorough (2000 words), research-driven argument about one (or more) of the works discussed in this class. In this essay, you should develop a debatable, thesis-driven argument about a work (or works) of American literature, and you should develop this argument in conversation with at least four scholarly, peer-reviewed critical sources.
*You may not recycle or extend the thesis you developed in the first paper. So Douglass is off limits for this essay.
Topic
Historical or Cultural Contexts. In The Norton Introduction to Literature, Kelly Mays writes that each “literary work is both shaped by and speaks to the circumstances, events, and debates peculiar to its historical and cultural context” (1297). Using the work of respected scholars (e.g., historians, sociologists, or cultural critics) and literary critics to help you better understand the “circumstances, events, and debates” surrounding a work of literature, construct a specific, debatable claim about one-two of the works discussed in this class. The focus of this essay is analysis and argument; you should not write a report or biography. Instead, you should engage with scholars and literary critics who will help you explore the interconnections between a text and the context from which it was born. You might, for example:
-use historians and literary critics to better understand how Equiano engages with the history and legacy of the slave trade
-Analyze how Melville’s “Benito Cereno” speaks to both its and our specific historical context
-etc.
Thesis Statement
Your thesis statement should be clear, specific, and focused. While you want your claim to be supportable, you don’t want to simply say something that everyone already agrees with, or something that would be immediately obvious. You want your argument to have tension, in other words, and to have a reason for existing—it should help us see or understand the thing you’re analyzing in a new or more sophisticated way.
Weak Thesis: Alfonso Cauron’s Y Tu Mama Tambien critiques hyper-masculinity, and in doing so shows us that hyper-masculinity is dangerous.
Strong Thesis: Alfonso Cuaron’s Y Tu Mama Tambien examines the allure as well as the uncertainty of hyper-masculinity. While hyper-masculine social norms initially bring the protagonists of the film together, these norms ultimately cause them to repress their unconscious desires and, as a result, to reject one another. Drawing on Freud’s notion of the unconscious, this paper will demonstrate that Y Tu Mama Tambiennot only highlights the ways in which rigid performances of masculinity tear friendships apart, but it also suggests that we should acknowledge, rather than repress, our unconscious desires.
Support or Evidence
You will need to back up each claim you make with textual evidence. To do so, you should directly engage with (e.g., quote and paraphrase) the story that you are analyzing as well as other relevant and credible sources. As you support your argument, keep the following in mind: arguments that only loosely engage with their source material, or simply rehash what we’ve discussed in class, are almost always unconvincing. So too are arguments that rely more on quoting other critics than developing their own arguments. The most effective papers, then, are specific, concrete, and original; they develop in response to others, but they don’t simply repeat what’s already been said.
Some Notes on Research
This essay is NOT a biography, summary, or historical report: Your job is to pose a debatable claim that you develop and support with both textual analysis and evaluated and reputable academic secondary sources. Your analytical / argumentative thesis—the point of your essay—should appear at the end of the introduction.
You should use the library databases (e.g., the MLA International Bibliography, JSTOR, Academic Search Ultimate, etc.) for your research, as they offer credible and reputable academic sources. You may choose academic articles or scholarly books; as long as the sources are peer-reviewed, you are in good shape. Failure to use reputable academic sources will result in a poor final grade for this assignment. You may consider using Interlibrary Loan. If there is interest, I can spend 5-10 minutes discussing research process in class.
PLAGIARISM REMINDER
Plagiarism, which comes in many forms, will not be tolerated. Lifting work from the internet, “mosaic” copying, submitting someone else’s essay, forgetting to document sources, and copying pages from a printed book are all acts of plagiarism. So, too, is using any form of AI-generated text, such as ChatGPT, GrammarlyGO, or DeepAI. Any instance of plagiarism will result in a failing grade on the assignment, and it could result in your failure from the course. The take home point: don’t plagiarize, and if you have a question about plagiarism, just ask me.
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Conventions
Your paper should be written in MLA format, and it should be turned in using Microsoft Word. MLA format means: 12-point font, 1-inch margins, double spaced, with appropriate title, heading, and header. The Owl at Purdue is also a tremendous resource as is La Tech’s writing center.