The papers will be 6-10 pages (of pure content) long, exploring and analyzing a text that we have completed, using at least five (5) credible outside sources to support your thesis.

It may be useful to think of this assignment as a Cultural Analysis. For the purposes of this assignment, “cultural analysis” means making connections between a text we’ve read and the cultural contexts (the time and place) in which that text emerged or circulated (refer to the “history” sections of our texts to get started here). It does not exclude the formal analysis of a text but cultural analysis moves beyond the boundaries of the text itself to establish links among texts, values, institutions, groups, practices, and people.

Here are some examples of the questions that a critic developing a cultural analysis might ask:

• What kinds of behavior does this text seem to encourage or enforce?

• What are the social purposes or functions of this text?

• Why might readers at different times and different places find this text compelling?

• Upon what social understanding does the text depend?

• How might this text affect the freedom or movement of a person or groups of persons?

• How is this text connected to larger social groups, beliefs, structures, issues, ideas, events, habits, customs, practices, or communications?

All these questions boil down to one idea: What does what we read say about the time it comes from? That will be your focus for your two major papers.

Prewriting:

Come up with a research question that really engages you about one of the eligible texts we have read.
Do some research on our library’s research databases (available anywhere) to see if you can find an answer to your question. The good news about the text we will be reading is that there is a lot of “stuff” out there about them. Finding good, credible texts is important.
When you have a thesis, organize your ideas into at the very least, a scratch outline to know how you are going to organize your thoughts, quotes, and sources
Drafting: getting those ideas down into paragraphs