BIS 361

Studies in American Literature: The 1930s

David S. Goldstein, Ph.D.

Research Essay Assignment

How might Zora Neale Hurston's background and experiences with racism and sexism of her time and place have influenced her depiction of Janie?

• To help respond to these questions, arm yourself with knowledge about Janie's time and place as well as Hurston's time and place.  Using the research resources provided by Research Librarian Leslie Bussert at <http://www.uwb.edu/library/guides/bis361/index.html>, find at least five sources, at least four of which must be from peer-reviewed, scholarly journals.
  • Check <http://www.bothell.washington.edu/library/guides/sources.html> for a guide to distinguishing scholarly articles.  Use Ulrich's Directory at < http://www.lib.washington.edu/types/databases/u.html> (use the off-campus access link at the top of the page if using an off-campus computer) as the authoritative determinant of whether a journal is peer-reviewed.
  • Your sources need not--in fact, should not--answer the question.  Rather, they should provide insights and background to help you make the points you want to make in support of your argument.  You, not the support articles, should be responding to the prompt.  The articles are your supporting evidence.
  • In the final paper, you will need to cite at least three sources, at least two of which must be from peer-reviewed, scholarly journals.
  • Note that your journal articles need to shed some light on Hurston's and Janie's time and place .  They do not necessarily have to be about Janie, Hurston, or Their Eyes Were Watching God.  Once you have your research question in mind, cast a wide net when looking for sources that might be helpful to you.  The articles can be as general or as specific as you need.  For example, you can look for articles about African American culture in the 1920s and 1930s (fairly general), or you can look for articles about Janie's relationship with Jody, Tea Cake, or both, or Hurston's educational background (quite specific).  Take careful notes and be ready to document all of your sources.

Preliminary thesis and working bibliography:  Submit, in your midquarter portfolio, a preliminary thesis and a working bibliography.  Specifically:

•  Preliminary thesis:  You may submit either a single thesis sentence that lays out your principal argument, or the whole thesis paragraph.  In either case, this should be a typed and double-spaced Microsoft Word document with a standard MLA-formatted header.  (See T20 in "Tips for Better Prose" at <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Prose.html>.)
• Working bibliography:  In the same Word document (but starting on a new page, with a page break separating it from the preliminary thesis page), submit the most complete and accurate bibliography you can construct at this point, containing at least five sources, at least four of which must be from peer-reviewed, scholarly journals.  You need not have read the articles yet.
• When I return your midquarter portfolio, you will have my comments on your preliminary thesis and your working bibliography to help you write your research essay.  The instructions for the midquarter portfolio will explain how to name this document when you submit it as an artifact in the portfolio.  I expect to return midquarter portfolios within seven days of their submission, so the earlier you submit your portfolio with the preliminary thesis and working bibliography, the more time you will have to use my comments for writing the research essay.  Be sure to allow some time for unforeseen problems with the electronic submission or other unforeseeable circumstances like illness or computer malfunction.

Writing the research essay:  Now, in a formal, argumentative research essay of 1250 to 1500 words, not counting the Works Cited page (use the word count tool in Microsoft Word), respond to the prompt. To do this, develop a thesis (main argument) that responds robustly the prompt.  The rest of the essay will comprise your attempts to convince your reader of the veracity of your thesis, supported by your research. Assume that your audience is a smart, educated person who has read, but is not an expert on, Their Eyes Were Watching God, so you need not provide extensive plot summary.  As you write, it might help to think of a smart friend of yours as your audience.

• As a formal piece of university writing, your research essay should be typed and double-spaced throughout, using a standard font (like Times New Roman) in 12-point size, and with margins of one inch all the way around each page. Provide an MLA-style header and essay title as explained in #20 and #22 in "Tips for Better Prose" at <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Prose.html >. Please do not use a cover page or footnotes. If you wish to quote, do so only after reading Becky Rosenberg's document, "Using Direct Quotation" at <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Quotation.html>. If you paraphrase or quote Hurston, you can provide just a page number if it is obvious that it is Hurston whom you are citing.
• Using MLA formatting, you will append a Works Cited list.  Use a page break to make sure it starts on a new page.  Remember that only works you actually cite go on this page.  Also, remember that you must provide, in addition to complete publication information, the details regarding where you found the sources if you retrieved them electronically.

• For guidance regarding assembling a Works Cited list, consult the latest edition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, or Diana Hacker's online guide at http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/p04_c08_s2.html .
• See also Tip 19 in "Tips for Better Prose" at http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Prose.html.
• For guidance regarding how to use and format in-text citations, see the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers or Diana Hacker's online guide at http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/p04_c08_s1.html. 
• Remember that for the final paper, you need to cite at least three sources, at least two of which must be from peer-reviewed, scholarly sources.

• After your paper is carefully written, it will be time for editing and proofreading. Because all teachers have their own idiosyncratic preferences for writing, you should learn what mine are by reading "Tips for Better Prose." Reading this document is a required part of the assignment. When I return your paper to you, I will indicate common errors that I find in your paper that tend to distract your readers. I will use a list of codes such as "T1," "T2," and so forth, which refer to the numbered items of the "Tips for Better Prose" document. Of course, it would be better for you and for me if you pay close attention to the document so you can avoid some of the mechanical errors that I commonly find in student (and even professional) writing, rather than have them pointed out to you afterward. I recommend printing that document, and, after you finish writing your paper, check the items off one by one to make sure your paper is as mechanically sound as you can make it. Although the mechanics of writing are less important to me than the ideas expressed, the mechanics inevitably improve the effectiveness of your communication of ideas, which, after all, is your ultimate goal with each piece of writing that you do.
• When you think you have a completed draft, do a final word count (in the Tools pull-down menu of Microsoft Word) to make sure your paper meets the length requirement.  Highlight just the text of your paper, not the header or Works Cited, when you do your word count.  Do not put the word count in your paper, though.  I can check that myself.
• I have posted an example of a very good essay (written in a different literature course) in the "Course Documents" area of Blackboard at <http://bb.uwb.edu/> You may read it if you want to see an example of an essay that I have liked.
• Needless to say, your work must be entirely original. Using another person's ideas or words without proper attribution, whether intentional or accidental, constitutes plagiarism, and will result in a zero on this assignment. Please re-read "Policy on Academic and Behavioral Conduct" at <http://www.uwb.edu/students/policies/academicconduct.xhtml >.

Optional preliminary draft:  If you would like my comments on your paper before revising for your final submission, you may submit it to me after Tuesday, Feb. 13, but before 10:50 a.m on Tuesday, Feb. 20, by re-submitting your midquarter portfolio with the paper in it.  I will read a preliminary version of your paper only once, so please make sure it is as finished and polished as possible so I can provide the most helpful feedback.   I expect to return interim portfolios containing preliminary versions of research essays, with my comments, within ten days of their submission, so the earlier you submit your preliminary research essay, the more time you will have to revise the paper for your final portfolio.  Be sure to allow some time for unforeseen problems with the electronic submission or other unforeseeable circumstances like illness or computer malfunction.

Final research essay: Revised or not, your final essay is due in your final portfolio at 10:50 a.m. sharp on Tuesday, March 6. Remember to do a word count (text only, not heading or Works Cited) to check the length. Then, when you submit your learning portfolio (instructions will be posted separately), include this final version of your essay.  I will grade this final version using the criteria below.

Criteria for grading the final version of your essay. Please carefully read "Criteria for Assessing Writing" at < http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/WritingAssess.html> for an explanation of these items:

Content	50 percent
Organization	10 percent
Reasoning	20 percent
Rhetoric	10 percent
Conventions	10 percent
TOTAL	40 percent of course grade

When you get your essay back back from me in your returned learning portfolio, it will be marked as an early draft, middle draft, or late draft (see "Criteria for Assessing Writing" at <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/WritingAssess.html> for an explanation) and will include my comments and your score.

Let me emphasize that I expect your best effort in this and every exercise. It is worth the investment of your time and effort to do the best you can.

Some additional advice:

• Get in the habit of saving your work often (maybe every ten minutes) so you do not lose everything when your computer freezes. It also is a good idea to keep multiple copies in different places, such as on a different computer, on diskettes or flash drives, or in your electronic "shell" on UW student computer server. I usually e-mail important files to myself at the end of the work day, so if my computer blows up, I still can retrieve my work.
• Visit the Writing Center (see <http://www.uwb.edu/writingcenter/>). They are professionals trained to help you become a better writer, so visit them! Remember that their goal is to help you become a better writer, not to make this particular paper better, so you are responsible for applying what they teach you to this paper and others that you will write.
• I do not have time to read rough drafts, but I am very glad to discuss your paper as you work on it. You would be wise to visit me during office hours (see syllabus) to make sure you are on the right track, to see whether your thesis makes sense to me, and to get advice about any particular difficulties you might be encountering.
• Re-read this assignment sheet just before printing the final copy of your paper to make sure it meets all of the requirements.
• If you are an Interdisciplinary Studies major, remember to keep your graded essay, with my comments, for the graduation portfolio that you will complete in your senior seminar (see <http://www.bothell.washington.edu/IAS/degrees/BLS/requirements.html#graduate>).

This page last updated January 17, 2007.

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