English 1B  Research Paper

As a student of English 1B, you have read and will read several texts by various authors. Try to select a short story, play, or poem that you liked or found engaging. You should also consider the message of the story, play, or poem you are considering. I want you to enjoy this process, so really think about a text you would like to write about. If you like the text, you are more inclined to enjoy writing the research paper.

Instructions:

1. Select one of the texts we will/have read this semester. (Be sure the short story, play, or poem is one from the syllabus for our class.)

2. Conduct research on the text to learn more about the author, era, genre, and the text itself

3. Form a logical and cogent argument about the message of the text, and you must state this argument in a clearly worded thesis statement. 

4. You will need to discuss the author, social mores at the time the text was written, and any additional elements you feel necessary to qualify your thesis. You should also discuss the format of the text (fiction, play, drama, poetry) and how the author used this genre to bring his or her text forward. This will include some analysis using the elements of fiction, drama, or poetry.

5. You must analyze the text using one of the critical theories from Chapter 9 (if you need help selecting a theory, please let me know).

6. The research must come from the Pasadena College Library Databases. The research must be documented in the paper in MLA format with parenthetical citations and a fully documented Works Cited page. 

7. The research paper is scaffolded; this means you are required to submit a first draft and a final draft. You will get feedback on the first draft; this will help you write a better paper.

    Think about what is interesting to you and which piece you connected with.

 Please let me know if you have any questions.