General Overview Item
What topic will you be using as a basis for Project 3?
You will use the topic and the sources you gathered in Projects 1 and 2 for Project 3.
Are you done looking for sources, even though we are moving into Project 3?
No! We will continue to locate additional research sources as needed and discarding any sources you've already found, but that aren't helpful.
How many pages should your Project 3 essay be?
8–10 pages double-spaced (excluding Works Cited)
What is the first thing you should do when thinking of a possible research question?
Name your topic (i.e. I am trying to learn about/working on/ studying ...)
Put the following steps in correct order:
What you don't know about a topic
What you are writing about
Why you want your reader to know and care about your topic
1. What you are writing about
2. What you don't know about a topic
3. Why you want your reader to know and care about your topic
What type of essay will you be writing for Project 3?
You will continue researching for sources and prepare to write an Exploratory Research Essay for Project 3.
What will the writing process look like for Project 3?
You will engage in the process of planning, outlining, and drafting a well-supported research essay. (Easy answer!)
About how many words is 8–10 pages double-spaced?
2000-2500 words.
What is the second step in formulating a research question or project?
Adding an indirect question that indicates what you do not know or understand about your topic. (i.e. I am studying/ working on ______ because I want to find out who/ what/ when/ where/ whether/ why/ how ______.)
Turn the following research topic statement into a research question:
I am working on Lincoln's beliefs about predestination and its influence on his reasoning because I want to find out how his belief in destiny and God's will influenced his understanding of the causes of the Civil War, in order to help my reader understand how his religious beliefs may have influenced his military decisions.
Research Question (possible answer): What are the linkages between Lincoln's Christian belief in predestination and his military decisions, and how did such connections relate to his military philosophy during the Civil War?
What is an exploratory essay?
An exploratory research essay is one in which you work with your research topic and research question, utilize and integrate the sources from your Literature Review and new sources you find, and discuss the significance of your research to an audience for your essay.
What will you be including in your writing for Project 3, in terms of evidence?
You will integrate source-based evidence and analysis from peer-reviewed and popular sources.
How many sources must you include in your Project 3 essay?
What is the because clause important?
When you add that because I want to find out how / why / whether clause, you state why you are pursuing your topic: to answer a question important to you.
Turn the following research topic statement into a research question:
I am studying the causes of the disappearance of large North American mammals because I want to find out whether the earliest peoples hunted them to extinction, in order to help my reader understand whether native peoples lived in harmony with nature or helped to destroy it.
Research Question (possible answer): What is the connection between the disappearance of large North American mammals and early people's hunting habits, and how does the relation between the two subjects relate to humans' relationship with nature in prehistoric times?
What is not an essay type expected for Project 3?
An argumentative essay/
What style will you be writing in for Project 3?
MLA
How many of your 12 sources must be peer-reviewed and scholarly?
8
What is the third step in formulating a research question or project?
Answer the So What? by motivating your question (i.e. I am studying the causes of the disappearance of large North American mammals because I want to find out whether the earliest peoples hunted them to extinction, in order to help my reader understand whether native peoples lived in harmony with nature or helped to destroy it.)
Turn the following research topic statement into a research question:
In Garrett Sullivan’s “Vampirism in the Bower of Bliss,” he reads book II, canto XII through an Aristotelian lens, arguing Verdant in the Bower of Bliss illustrates “self-loss” stemming from the contradiction of the human soul, as outlined by Aristotle. Man’s soul is a combination of the vegetative, sensitive, and intellective elements; the former two comprise plants and animals, which man is not, leading to a paradox and abjection. Humans must quell those elements which make us human, and not human simultaneously. Continuing the conversation with Sullivan, I propose to extend his observations to previous cantos in book II which anticipate this proto-Gothic conception of the human soul, particularly in cantos IX and XI. Maleger and his troops represent the vegetative and sensitive elements of the soul, and as such, Guyon and Arthur seek to quell those elements which are also inherent to them as rational creatures. Spenser’s protagonists are confronted with their repressed Aristotelian souls, which they seek to overcome but can never dissipate, for without those very elements, man is not man. In this way, Spenser represents a figure in the Renaissance proto-Gothic tradition, as characters are faced with elements which continually haunt their existence. This argument also holds implications for the “soul” of Britain, as Maleger can simultaneously represent those abjected Aristotelian souls and the Irish, the colony England represses but cannot live without.
Research Question (possible answer): What are proto-Gothic elements found in Spenser's The Faerie Queene, Book II, Cantos 9 and 11, and how do these elements relate with Aristotle's conception of the tripartite soul?
What is an argumentative essay?
An argumentative essay is a piece of writing where the author takes a stance on a debatable topic, supporting their position with evidence and logical reasoning to persuade the reader to agree with their viewpoint; it involves presenting both sides of an issue, but ultimately advocating for one side more strongly than the other.
True or False: In-text citations are not a requirement for Project 3.
How many popular sources can you have in your Project 3 essay?
As many as you want, but I would suggest keeping it to 4-5.
Why is the So What? question important?
It is the indirect question in step 3 that you hope will seize your readers’ interest. If it touches on issues important to your field, even indirectly, then your readers should care about its answer.
Turn the following research topic statement into a research question:
While cursory popular links have been made between the Old English epic with Rowling’s text, a sustained dialogue between Beowulf and GoF has yet to be made. In this paper, I argue Rowling both mimics and inverses the Beowulfian duel sequence, as she presents thematic and characterological analogues between Harry and Beowulf, while borrowing symbolic elements from the Old English epic poem for her own thematic use. My reading will be informed by archetypical and symbolic frameworks, analyzing both texts through a Christian lens, following the lead of Beowulf scholars such as M.B. McNamee, Margaret E. Goldsmith, and Alvin A. Lee and Potter scholars such as Rita Singer. Also, taking cues from Mary Pharr, I will be treating GoF as a postmodern epic, enabling us to view these texts within a shared heroic tradition. This project will add to Potter scholarship while simultaneously offering a comparative avenue of interpretation which instructors can use to introduce these heroic English epics side-by-side within the classroom.
Research Question (possible answer): What are the links between Beowulf and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and what do those connections tell us about Rowling's engagement with mythopoetic literature and Christian themes in her book?