Download - LTWL 124 Paper Assignment

7/24/2019 LTWL 124 Paper Assignment

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For each paper, devise a topic and thesis from

one of the subject areas below. Think of

your topic as a question you are trying to answer, and your thesis as your potential

answer to that question. Whatever your subject, you will need to take advantage of

outside sourcesarticles, books, other critiqueto support your argument, and you

must append a list of these sourcesroughly a handful (4-6), not counting fiction. See

further advice on research below.

Each paper is about 1500 words, approximately five pages double-spaced in 12-point

font. Further advice on producing a good paper is attached as Words for the Wise.

Ignore these attachments if you don't care about grades. I will be happy to help anyone

with topics theses and ideas during office hours.

Choose from these topics for both the midterm and final papers:

1)

Read and analyze a novel (not assigned) from the New Wave period, roughly 1963-

1979. It need not be classifiable as New Wave itself, though you should think about it

in terms of the trends in science fiction at that time, whether technological, political,

cultural.

2)

You may focus on an author read in class, looking at other work by that authora

novel or short storiesin comparison with the assigned work.

3)

Consider a handful of short stories, either by one author or by more than one on

similar themese.g., nuclear war, alien contact, feminism, environmental disaster. Do

you see distinct differences in approach by the different authors?

4)

Analyze a movie or TV show from this period. You may consider it from the

standpoint of theme and other literary values, or as a work of cinematic artistry, or

consider its influence on the subsequent direction of science fiction onscreen.

5)

If you have a topic that does not fit any of the above categories, discuss it with me.

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Some students will be allowed to turn in one

long project instead of the two short papers. This project should be 3000 words long or

the equivalent in other media. It can be on one of the assigned topics or one of your

own choosing. Before signing the long project permission sheet, you must:

1)

Offer a topic that can best be presented in the longer form;

2)

Make the case for your experience in producing projects of this length and depth;


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3) Agree to turn the project in on the last day of instruction.

Long projects turned in

later will be graded as late.

The Fine Print:

The university and the department have stringent regulations regarding cheating,

plagiarizing, and turning in papers copied off the Internet. We are asked to inform you that we have

access to the same online sites and term paper services as you do, and means for comparison and

identification. Past offenders can be visited in the cadaver vaults at the medical college.

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In the age of the Internet, an increasing number of students have come to believe that

research means Googling for half an hour. While there are now more excellent

resources than ever online, you need to know how to find them or evaluate their

usefulness. Besides, as students at UCSD, you are paying a lot for your education, some

of which goes to support a superb library/research system on campus. Get your

money's worth: take advantage of this university's facilities and its reputation for higher

learning. As UCSD students, in fact, you may even access much of the university's library

and online resources from the comfort of your own home.

Not all research materials, whether in print or in photons, are created equal. For

example, Cliff Notes, SparkNotes, and their equivalent are for high school students who

haven't done the reading, not for university students supporting critical arguments.

Likewise, most general encyclopedias are so

secondary school. That includes Wikipedia,

which is simply an online encyclopedia. It may be useful for background and inspiration,

but it is not a quotable resource, though at best it can point you to quotable resources.

Instead, begin by turning to the many excellent reference works or databases available

through the library website. Fortunately, UCSD offers access to many electronic journals

and other potential research materials alongside the non-virtual books and periodicals

in the library building itself.

Despite the many useful online sources, books and articles in print have information

that is not available online. Don't take short cuts that will hurt your grade: use research

in many media.

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1. Make sure you have a firm grip on your thesis or overall purpose. State or imply

somewhere in your first paragraph the main point you are trying to argue and

then stick to it as your argument develops. By the way, a mere list of three points

is not a thesis; in fact, in a paper of this length you should have more than three

points. Your thesis is an answer to a question you are asking, so treat the thesis

as an assertion that needs proof. For that reason, you can't just say, In this

paper I am going to analyze

The Kite Runner

because that doesn't actually


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assert anything. Your topic can't be too broad, and it must propose something

that is neither obvious nor inherently unprovable. A poor thesis is the most

common reason for a C or worse.

2. Your organization must be orderly and coherent, each paragraph or point

following logically from the one before it, each related in some way to your

thesis. Do not introduce paragraphs of irrelevant history, biography, or other

digressions. Don't waste time with unnecessary generalities in your introduction,

such as reprising the entire history of science fiction; get to your topic as soon as

possible. Each paragraph should handle a logical unit of your argument. Place

related points in relationship to one another; avoid redundancy and recycling

(e.g., as mentioned before or to go back to the first point ). In your

conclusion do not merely summarize your entire paper but provide additional

insight and closure. This is a five-page paper not a five-paragraph paper. A

paragraph is on average 100-200 words long and your paper is 1500 words

long. Do the math.

3. When discussing literary plots, always use the present tense. Use the past tense,

however, with historical or biographical facts.

4. Quotations must be properly tied in to your text. Don't leave them standing

alone. Introduce them with appropriate tags, for instance, According to

McCaffery, or As one critic observes, or weave them seamlessly into

statements of your own: Campbell and his followers 'felt that man was

progressing in mastery both of his environment and of himself (Gunn 9).

5.

As demonstrated immediately above, citations can be placed parenthetically in

the text after the quotation, followed by a period. You need only the page

number if you have already mentioned the author; otherwise, use the form

(Gunn 9), without commas. Full references should be in your bibliography or

Works Cited list at the paper's end. Review a standard stylesheet like the

MLA's for proper form. Every item in your Works Cited should actually be

quoted or cited in your text.

6.

Underline or italicize the titles of long works, like movies or books (Ender's

Game);

put short works, like short stories, single chapters, poems, and essays, in

quotation marks ( Johnny Mnemonic ).

7. American usage dictates that commas and periods go

inside quotation marks,

semi-colons outside, and single quotation marks inside double marks when you

have a 'word or more' quoted inside a quotation. British usage is opposite, so

follow it only if you use non-American English. Don't confuse commas and semi-

colons; they have different functions.


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8.

Avoid using it, this, these, there is, when nothing specific is being

referred to. In fact, always use the most precise, least ambiguous language

possible. If in doubt, have someone trustworthy read your paper before you turn

it in.

9.

Phrases to avoid: I think, I feel, I believe, In my opinion. We know you

are presenting your judgments; reminding us merely sounds as if you're unsure

of yourself. You want to sound as objective and authoritative as possible.

10.

For a succinct reference on other fine points of English/American usage, consult

a standard writer's reference like Strunk and White's

The Elements of Style

or

The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.

MLA formatting is

preferred in literature papers. Fortunately, these resources are available online.