The document provides instructions for students to complete a research paper assignment in four steps: 1) Decide on a research topic and question and post a proposal by a certain date, responding to classmates' proposals. 2) Select at least five primary works from assigned readings to use in the paper, spanning different time periods. 3) Revise the literature review to focus on scholarly sources directly related to the selected primary works. 4) Be aware that sources like Shmoop and Wikipedia entries do not count as scholarly sources for the literature review. The instructor provides office hours and availability for students to get help with the advanced assignment.

1. 1) Decide on your Research Question--the overall topic you intend to do
your Research Paper
1) Decide on your Research Question--the overall topic you intend to do your Research
Paper on. If you are struggling for ideas, check Research Project Topic Suggestions. Submit
this by Sunday, March 12 here: Research Topic Proposal. Read the instructions on the
Discussion Board carefully. You'll need to post your Research Proposal and Question, but
you'll also need to respond to two of your classmates' proposals. You have to do both to get
full credit!
2) Pick the works you intend to use for your Research Paper. There should be at least five
works from the assigned readings. The instructions say you should pick three from the first
half of the course and two from the last half, but if you need to vary that a bit (pick three
from the second half), that is fine. The overall goal is that you get a good spread of works
from different time periods, so you can trace an idea, a pattern, a social issue, etc. and how
that changes or evolves over time.
3) Once you've picked the works you want to use for you Research Paper, then go back and
revise the Literature Review. The scholarly sources (which you can find on the library
databases or on Google Scholar) should be directly related to the works you are using in the
paper. For example, if you want to look at women's voices in American Literature and how
those voices have evolved over time, you might pick primary sources from Anne Bradstreet,
Kate Chopin, Edith Wharton, Gwendolyn Brooks and Toni Morrison. The scholarly
(secondary) sources you choose for the Lit Review should look at those authors specifically.
Basically, the Lit Review is where you analyze what other people have said about your topic
and show how their analysis is relevant to your analysis. Then, your Research Paper is your
actual analysis of the primary works (the literature in our textbook that you have chosen to
work with).
4) These DO NOT COUNT as scholarly sources:
Shmoop, LitNotes, SparkNotes, BookRags, etc
Encyclopedia entries or Wikipedia entries
The biographical notes in the textbook
The information in the textbook about specific time periods, movements, etc
You can use information from these places (except for the Shmoop, SparkNotes, etc places)
to add background to your essay, but they will not work as scholarly commentary.
I realize this process is probably different from work you've done in other English classes.

2. This is an advanced level class, so we're asking you to do new, more complicated
assignments. I have virtual office hours on Thursday and Sunday nights from 6:00-8:00 pm
(https://columbiastate.zoom.us/j/86848208646) and I will be more than happy to talk
with you about the project. In addition, I'm in my office in Columbia on Mondays from 9:00
am-3:00 pm and I can meet in person, Zoom, or talk by phone with you then, as well.