Assignments

You will be expected to submit two papers. You are encouraged to pursue topics of your own in the papers. These can emerge from our discussions and from your ideas generated by the readings.

Late paper policy is as follows: An extension on a paper will require prior approval and will be granted at my discretion and only in extraordinary circumstances. Late papers without approved extensions will be given no credit.

Overview

  • You are encouraged to follow your inclinations, as long as your idea is interesting, original (that is, not just a rehash of class discussions) and can be manageably argued in six pages.
  • Remember to avoid plot summary.
  • Use your own words to express your own ideas (review the syllabus for the policy on plagiarism).
  • You must provide full citations for everything you quote or paraphrase, including literary texts, online texts and sources, etc.

General Guidelines

  • All essays should be grammatically clean and free from errors in spelling and punctuation (grammatical, punctuation, and spelling mistakes may result in a lowering of your grade).
  • References -
    • Citation Guidelines 
      MLA (Modern Language Association) style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities. This resource, updated to reflect the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.) and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd ed.) offers examples for the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the Works Cited page.
    • Annotated Bibliography 
      This link provides information about annotated bibliographies.
  • I would prefer that you did not include a separate title page: instead, put your name and other information at the top right of the first page, drop down a line, center your title, and drop another line between that and your first paragraph.
  • Double-space everything (except indented longer quotations).
  • Use a legible (12 point) font and standard (1-inch) margins.
  • Number your pages.

Sample Student Paper Titles

“Faster Than a Speeding Bullet: Absurdity in Superman and Tarzan

“Gender and Race in Tarzan of the Apes

“The Übermensch League”

“The Schulz Side of Charlie Brown”

“Index of Refraction: Transparency in Ghost World

“Sidekicks”

“Changing Directions: Reversals In and Between Characters”

“Adaptive Adaptations”

“Black, White, and Read All Over: Visual Storytelling in Persepolis

Course Info

Learning Resource Types
Written Assignments