ENGL 3570: Gothic Conventions and Reinventions (Spring 2009)  Tags: linguistics_language_literature gothic  

Gothic Research Paper

Length:  10-12 typed, double-spaced pages (not including works cited, etc.)

Style:  MLA format with works cited; footnotes if needed; more than 3 illustrations should be made into an appendix; see mla.org for guidelines and proper citations

Research:  works cited that includes at least 8-10 varied, secondary sources

Due Dates:                  

3/23            Bring potential topic(s) to class for peer discussion

3/27            Library Research Session (meet at Uris)

4/1              Rare Gothic holdings (meet at Kroch)

4/3              Bring working prospectus to class

4/6              Final Prospectus via Email          

4/13            Potential Source List Via Email

4/27-5/1     Research Presentations

5/8              Final Draft

**Email assignments are due by 5P. Send as a .doc (not .docx) attachment

Subject:  The research paper will cover a Gothic topic of your choice (though I expect most will write on a text from class). Be sure to choose a focused topic that interests you. This is an analytical argument (not a report). Carefully research your topic so that you understand what critical conversation you are stepping into. (You may want to include a few important critics/studies that influenced your paper). The topic can involve various media, such as music, art, film, architecture, landscape, and of course, literature, BUT it must discuss a canonical or “known” and accepted work/artist. You must choose a primary source(s) that has seen scholarly attention (so you can find many reliable sources). You can certainly write on Otranto, but the topic cannot be an extension of Paper 1.

Broad examples (your topic will be narrow and complex):

--the monster’s characterization in several             --religious commentary in a Gothic novel

            “Frankenstein” films                                      --influence of Milton on Gothic villainy

--the undead in The Vampire Chronicles                 --monstrous formatting of Gothic novels

--colonial commentary in Dracula                             --illustration history of graveyard poems

--the house as symbol of unconscious in                  --female monstrosity

            a Gothic text                                                   --sublime landscapes in Frankenstein

--vampire sexuality                                                    --Gothic and Orientalism

--an aspect of contemporary Gothic theory             --Gothic music

--psychology of the double                                        --philosophy of terror

--science and the Gothic                                            --the double in Freud and Poe                                  

--vampires on film                                                       --monster as social “Other”  

Approval: all topics must be approved through the proposal process. I recommend that you do some preliminary investigation to see if there are enough sources for the project. At some stage you may want to see a subject-specialist librarian to help you with source locating. After your prospectus is turned in, I will email you with an approval or request for revision.

 4/6       Final Prospectus Due

You will turn in a typed, two-paragraph explanation of your overarching position. You will clearly state the working thesis, possible supporting arguments and ideas, questions you are asking of the topic, and your critical intention.

4/13     Potential Source List

This will be an MLA-formatted working list (at least 20 items) of a variety of potential secondary resources for your project (sources should consist of books, book reviews, essays from collections/anthologies, essays from peer-reviewed journals, online academic sites, etc). It should demonstrate your accurate and detailed source-finding skills.

4/27-5/1  Oral Presentations

The research presentation will consist of the question you posed, your thesis, supporting points, and your research findings. Inform the audience about the purpose and argument of your project. It is best to read a prepared paper, but you may make asides as well. Be sure to practice and time your presentation so that it does not go over the maximum time allotted (5 min). You may use an a/v element (such as a handout).

 A successful presenter is prepared, speaks clearly and appropriately so that the entire audience is able to hear the presenter’s voice, makes frequent eye contact, and is able to answer questions in a confident manner. The oral presentation is a required element of the research project, but it is also required of the course (5% of your grade).

Research Conferences

You are responsible for meeting with me (during my office hrs or by appt.) to discuss your research project. This time will be used to answer questions you may have regarding your project and to get feedback from me regarding the direction of your argument.  

The paper will be assessed on the following criteria:

            --the extent to which the argument “says something new” and contributes to the topic

            --the quality and variety of sources used and how they are integrated in the paper

            --cohesiveness and organization

--your own voice is the major presence (the research should not overtake your own argument)   

            --a clear, persuasive, and confident rhetorical voice is consistently present

            --proper set-up of the argument

--control over the primary source(s); appropriate textual support, evidence, and analysis

            --acknowledgement of counter views in important places (you may have to concede some points)

--a conclusion that clearly and fully shows the significance of your investigation and the impact of your findings