We will have group meetings and a forum for online discussion, as well as individual meetings. It is your responsibility to schedule these individual meetings with the instructor. Keep a copy of each assignment for yourself and make an additional copy to submit for credit. The assignments listed below outline the process of your work. Follow MLA style.
All students are expected to participate in the scheduled class meetings, class activities, and the online discussion. You should prepare for these meetings and discussions by working hard to follow the process outlined in the course schedule.
Defines your general topic area and shows that you have located initial sources for research. Topic: two or three sentences. Bibliography: at least five sources. This assignment will be submitted to the class discussion list. You are also expected to contribute to the online discussion by responding to at least one other person’s topic with a helpful question, comment or suggestion.
The proposal will be a two-page explanation of your thesis topic, its significance, your proposed methodology, and your anticipated findings PLUS a working bibliography of at least 10 sources. This assignment should be posted to the class discussion list. You should also respond to at least two other proposals. You should schedule a meeting to discuss this proposal after you have submitted it. The proposal should include the following:
1. A working title.
2. A working thesis statement or a concise explanation of the questions you intend to address.
3. An explanation of the significance of your topic. This should show that you have some general knowledge of the field and should explain why you think your topic is important within the field.
4. An explanation of your proposed methodology. What approach will you take to your research? How will you attempt to answer the questions you have posed for yourself? Will you read plays, letters, analyze social conditions, conduct interviews, etc? Your methods should correspond to the information you want to discover.
5. Anticipated findings: what do you expect to demonstrate, what are your anticipated conclusions, or at least what questions do you hope to resolve?
6. Bibliography: follow MLA style. It should show that you are familiar with the most current and important works in the field and have located a variety of materials (books, articles, Internet resources) specific to your thesis.
A detailed outline of at least three levels (I.A.1, etc). This is a sketch of the paper itself, and is extremely important. It should begin with your working thesis statement. Identify anticipated arguments in your paper. How will you take your reader from thesis through argument to conclusion? This assignment should be attached to a new thread on the class discussion board. You should also respond to one other outline with a helpful question or suggestion.
This should be a finished, complete version of approximately 20 pp. This assignment should be posted to the class discussion board. The file should be saved in rich text format (rtf). The idea is to submit your best work, and then to improve upon that with guidance. November 19th. When this version has been posted, you should make an appointment to discuss it. This is a full version of your paper, not a ROUGH draft. This should be a finished, complete version of approximately 20 pages. The idea is to submit your best work, and then to improve upon that with guidance from your peers and the professor. Your ever-expanding bibliography should be included.
While half of the grade depends on the final version, it represents everything that has come before. The rest of your grade will be determined by the written work your participation in our process. Regardless of the quality of the first version, you must go through the process of rewriting and improving. You will submit this paper electronically through the assignments section of the Blackboard site. Additional Research and Writing Resources: For further assistance with any writing issues, check out the TU Writing Lab. Dates, times and further information available at: http://www.towson.edu/writinglab/index.asp