English 1020 – Final Factual Research Paper

• Using the writing process we have learned and practiced, you will produce a structured, organized essay that is 10 pages in length (not including the “Works Cited” pages. Follow the basic structure we have learned for previous essays, just adding more body paragraphs, and illustrations, as necessary.
• Your paragraphs must be well developed, with strong topic sentences, a complete thesis, and sufficient ideas and information to produce ten double-spaced pages.
• The paper must have an appropriate title, and good introductory and concluding paragraphs which follow the pattern we have learned.
• You should by now have settled on a research topic for this final paper. If you have not done so, and I have not had the opportunity to provide feedback on it, do so ASAP.  Remember that the topic, and the paper that follows from it, must have the following characteristic:
  1. Your topic must be sufficiently narrow that you can cover it well in the space you have.
  2. The topic must be one about which you can find sufficient research material to produce a paper of this length.
  3. You must have a clear approach to the topic, and state it clearly in your thesis. That is, your thesis must give the reader an idea of how you will approach your topic.
  4. Your topic must be a creative work. This can be a poem, a song, a video game, a story or series of stories, or even a technological device, scientific theory or business plan. It must be something that can realistically considered the work of a single individual.
  5. Your thesis, and the essay that follows, must focus on the contextual elements that have influenced this creation. That is, you must consider the biographical, cultural, temporal, societal, legal or other factors that led to this creative work having the characteristics it does.
  6. Consult the chapter from The Norton Field Guide to Writing entitled “Literary Analysis” (p. 211-223) for help with constructing your essay. Keep in mind, however, that what we are doing is a particular kind of literary analysis that focuses on the artist and his/her time and place.
• You will incorporate evidence into your writing in a sophisticated way through paraphrase, summary and direct quotes as appropriate.
• You will cite every fact, quote or original idea that you use in your essay using the MLA citation format.
• You will produce a “Works Cited” page which includes all of the items you have referenced in your essay through in-text citation.
• You will follow the MLA format for title, pagination, spacing of lines and every other major element – as demonstrated in our book’s sample MLA essay.
• A rough draft (six pages minimum) of this essay is due for peer review on Monday, November 25, 2019.
• The final, polished paper is due on Monday, December 9, 2019.

This paper represents 30% of your grade for the course. See me with any questions.