ECLT 3045 Literature and Gender FALL 2022
(Dr. Hala Kamal)
Essay #3 FINAL RESEARCH PAPER (in lieu of final exam)
DUE: TUESDAY 20 DEC on turnitin by 10:30am.
(30% of the total course grade)
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PAPER TOPIC
In the “Introduction” to Women in Literature: Reading Through the Lens of Gender, Jerilyn Fisher and Ellen Silber define feminist criticism in the following terms: “Feminist criticism, as it is practiced today, critiques inequalities and oppressions in the context of various and diverse interpersonal, sexual, and social relations. Feminist critics move easily from analysis of the female into examination of images of oppression in its various forms, connecting gender bias to other forms of domination.”
In the light of this statement, write a comparative research paper on two writers discussed in the course, focusing on the literary representations of femininity and masculinity within socio-cultural contexts.
The paper should be in the range of 2500-3000 words (UG).
The paper should be “thesis-driven and evidence-based”, following the AUC General Guidelines for Writing Essays: https://www.aucegypt.edu/academics/mohamed-taymour-writing-and-communication-center/general-guidelines-writing-essays
Form:
The essay should be submitted in WORD format via turnitin by the official exam deadline.
Approach:
The analysis should be based on a comparison between the writings of two writers discussed in the course. The analysis should combine a literary approach through a gender lens. The comparison involves both similarities and differences.
The paper should include a clearly stated argument or research question in the light of the assignment. The paper should start by addressing the quotation in the question and its relevance to the main argument/research question.
The main argument and/or research question should be derived from the prompt: “literary representations of femininity and masculinity”. The selection of authors and texts, as well as the analysis, should centre around one or more shared aspects and/or experiences between the selected texts.
This is a research paper which should include at least 4 secondary sources (other than the primary texts). The references (critical and analytical) should be discussed briefly to provide a short literature review, where the main points in the articles are explained in relation to the points discussed in the paper.
Quotations from sources should be well integrated in the paper following the guidelines of academic writing. As a research paper, relevant quotations and accurate citations are of great importance. The MLA Citation Style should be used in the paper.
The selected authors and texts MUST NOT have been the topic of any of the course short essays. They may however be related to the student class presentation.
Structure:
The paper should be structured around a clearly stated argument and/or research question. It has to be developed along literary aspects and comparative concepts.
The comparative analysis can take a vertical or horizontal shape (by text or by point):
either divide the paper along the texts/authors, where you analyse each of the texts separately in a couple of paragraphs, followed by a conclusion that brings them together;
or divide the paper along aspects/concepts, where you analyse a certain point comparatively in one section of the essay, then move on to the next point in another section; followed by a conclusion that brings all the threads together.
Being a research paper, it has to include a brief literature review section of at least 4 sources (articles or chapters) about each of the authors/texts, and their relevance to the paper.
The general evaluation involves the following criteria:
the clarity of the main idea/argument expressed in the title of the paper
an introduction that presents the texts, authors, and main idea/argument/research question in the thesis statement
the direct engagement with the question itself
the analysis (explanation of the main ideas/concepts/aspects relevant to the texts)
a short literature review that presents the main arguments in the selected secondary sources, pointing out their general relevance to the paper: (in the range of 300 words)
https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/videos/literature-reviews-overview-graduate-students (VIDEO)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouY2FH0BKkQ (VIDEO)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70n2-gAp7J0 (VIDEO)
https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/literature-reviews/
https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/assignments/reviewofliterature/ (WITH SAMPLES)
structure of the paper: the organisation of the paper including an introduction, review of sources, analysis, and conclusion; with a comparison, smooth transitions, and a logical flow of ideas
the correct use of language; the coherence and cohesion of style; and the use of technical terminology
the use of textual evidence from the primary sources
the use of critical evidence from the secondary sources
the proper integration of quotations using the ICE method: https://www.abington.psu.edu/ice-introduce-cite-and-explain-your-evidence
the relevant and accurate use of sources, quotations, and citations
the use of the MLA Citation Style: https://www.aucegypt.edu/academics/mohamed-taymour-writing-and-communication-center/mla-style
The detailed grading scale is as follows:
A: 93–100%, A-: 90–92,
B+: 87–89, B: 83–86, B-: 80–82,
C+: 77–79, C: 73–76, C-: 70–72,
D+: 67–69, D: 64–66, D-: 60–63,
F: 0–59.
A/A-
The essays should be well organized and fluently written with few or no grammar/spelling errors. They should demonstrate a thorough reading and understanding of the texts reflected through the use of examples from the texts, properly documented, supporting the analysis. An A essay should also have something new to say, an original or innovative
interpretation of the text for instance.
B+/B/B-
Essays deserving a B+, B, B- grade should share many of the components of the above but be weaker in one or more of the areas described. Examples might be a well written essay that lacks sufficient support from the texts or a well supported essay that is not so well written and that has not been proofread.
C+/C/C-
Essays deserving a C+/C/C- grade will lack some of the basic components of a good paper. Shallow or superficial analysis, lack of citations, poor grammar and spelling and lapse into plot summary all pull an essay down into this category.
D+/D/D-
Essays deserving a D+/D/D- grade lack most of the elements of a university level paper. They will demonstrate a minimal reading of the texts but any analysis will be very shallow, perhaps basic principles misunderstood and generally exhibit an overall sloppiness, lack of
attention to topics covered in class.
F
Essays deserving an F grade will demonstrate no attempt to address the essay question or simply be written so badly as to be incomprehensible.
Zero
Plagiarism will result in a “Zero”.
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