Friday, November 27, 2009

Research proposals due Dec. 2

At our last class session, I discussed the format of the research proposals, which will be due this Wednesday, Dec. 2.

Here is a summary: The proposals should be roughly two pages in length, and each should have two main parts. The first part will be your written proposal, which must explain your topic, your research questions, your working thesis and (briefly) the kinds of sources you've been looking at. The second part will be your annotated bibliography of at least three good sources. Refer to the handout on annotated bibliographies for assistance with this.

I will return your proposals with comments on Dec. 9. The final papers will be due Dec. 16.

See you Wednesday.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Final project instructions

EN103 Fall 2009


Ackerbauer



Final project instructions

For your final project in the course, select one of the following research options:

1.) Art/lit option:
Research the life and work of one artist or writer and write a paper discussing how one of that person’s works (a painting, poem, story, play, novel, etc.) was significant in his or her career. I suggest you select an artist and a work with which you are already familiar and in which you are interested.

2.) Local history option:
Research a significant person, landmark or institution in a local community’s history and write a paper discussing the subject’s influence (good, bad or mixed) on that community. If you select this option, I suggest you take advantage of the Kenneth Dorn Regional History Study Center at FMCC’s Evans Library.

3.) Science/tech option:
Research a cutting-edge development in science, technology, engineering or medicine and write a speculative paper discussing what the future significance of this development might be. For example, you might research how scientists are developing a new technique for curing a disease, or how a software company is designing a new Web application.

4.) Education option:
Research a current development in education theory and/or practice and write a paper discussing how the development has affected schools and students (or how it might in the future).

No matter which option you choose, your speculation, argument or analysis must be based on evidence from your research sources, not merely your own personal opinions or “common sense.” You must acknowledge and address one or more counterarguments, citing at least one source with whom you disagree. I will be happy to help suggest specific sources for your individual project, and of course the staff at the FMCC library is available for research consultation.

The final paper will be 5 to 7 pages long (double-spaced in a standard 12-pt font) and will include a separate cover sheet and a separate “Works Cited” page listing your sources according to MLA style. Your paper must use at least five separate sources identified in the body of your paper with in-text citations.

Key dates:

Dec. 2 – research proposals due; oral presentations begin.
Dec. 9 –  oral presentations conclude.
Dec. 16 – final papers due.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Tonight's class (Nov. 4)

Tonight, we'll brush up on some grammar rules, perhaps delving into another page of "The Seven Deadly Sins" of writing. I will hand back Essay #2 and assign Essay #3 (see below). We will talk more about analyzing literature, and I will briefly discuss "Neon Tetra" by Eric Puchner.

Essay #3 will be due Nov. 18 -- in two weeks. Note there will be no class on Nov. 11, which is Veterans Day.

Instructions for Essay #3:

Write a two-to-three-page analysis of "Neon Tetra" by Eric Puchner or "Us and Them" by David Sedaris. (If you're feeling ambitious, you may analyze a different story by Puchner or a different essay by Sedaris.) Your analysis must have a clear thesis that makes a comment on the piece of writing you choose. You must identify and discuss one or more the themes of the piece and discuss the writer's use of language (dialogue, description, etc.)

Furthermore, your essay must acknowledge and discuss another writer's published analysis/opinion of your subject writer. (Hint: Both the Puchner story and the Sedaris essay were published in collections that were critically reviewed, and those reviews can be found online.) You must use in-text citations to document the sources of any summaries, paraphrases or quotations of the other critic's writing. You need not cite references to the subject text, however. A "work cited" or "works cited" entry must be attached to the end of your essay. I will describe how this should look in class tonight.