The final project is the creation of a research paper (at least 5–7 pages) on a historical, social, or cultural topic relevant to the black literary tradition. In addition to providing a close analytical reading of one of the assigned texts, students will be expected to incorporate secondary source analysis in their writing to develop and strengthen their argument. The project is divided into three milestones, which are designed to encourage students to visualize the substantial time requirement that writing a research-based paper requires.
Guidelines
Students will complete a research paper based on one of the African American periods discussed in the first four weeks of the term and provide a close reading of at least one of the primary texts assigned; additionally, the paper will incorporate the use of at least two additional secondary sources.
12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and citations in MLA format. Your final essay should be at least 5–7 pages in length (not counting your title page or Works Cited pages). Failure to adhere to these requirements of submission will result in the paper not being graded.
Rough Draft/Peer Review
- The rough draft should be at a stage ready for thoughtful peer review. For example, your writing should be free of careless typographical errors, and your in-text documentation should be in place. Do not consider your rough draft to be a “first draft”; rather, consider it to be a draft that is close to being “final,” but one that would benefit from feedback before you go back to make final revisions.