research paper
Analyze a work of literature not presented in class in about 8 pages (2400-3200 words). The paper should focus on how this work of literature can be seen as part of the ongoing discourse on women and gender approached in our class discussions. At least two secondary sources are required to support your argument, aside from the class text or texts you are using as a reference point.
Below are some text that I have been cover during class choose one or two depending on your usage of the secondary sources :
Gilbert & Gubar: Madwoman in the AtticGilman: The Yellow WallpaperGlaspell: TriflesGould: X: A Fabulous Child’s StoryMunro: Boys and GirlsButler: Gender TroubleEl-Saadawi: Memoirs of a Woman DoctorBordo: The Unbearable WeightWalker: Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the SelfPlath: MirrorLehrer: Family and Women’s LivesYamamoto: Seventeen SyllablesChopin: The Story of an Hour
General writing guidelines:
Begin with an introduction that starts with a general discussion around your main topic, moving to a thesis statement that clearly defines your focus and explains how you will carry your argument. (This is generally a question you try to answer in your paper, though the thesis statement is not to be written in the form of a sentence. For example, question: What did the protagonist in The Yellow Wallpaper gain at the end of story as she blatantly acted like a mad woman? Thesis: The paper argues that the protagonist’s insanity in The Yellow Wallpaper demonstrates a conscious knowledge of what woman loses when she is married, as such, insanity becomes her escape from the suffocating constitution of marriage)
Use at least 3 paragraphs that support your argument, each focusing on one main point. Start each paragraph with a topic sentence and end with a concluding sentence. Your argument in each paragraph should be supported by evidence collected from your research. The use of direct quotations from the primary source and secondary sources is highly recommended.
End with a conclusion that summarizes your argument and moves beyond it if possible, through opening up the topic for similar or related discussions.
