Essay #2
The Literary Research Paper
A literary research paper incorporates information from primary and secondary texts to support a debatable thesis. The primary texts are the works of literature that are the subject of the essay. Secondary texts are other articles and books from which information is borrowed to support the claims made in the essay. Writing a college research paper involves more than just looking up information and compiling it. When you read literature and the scholarly work of others, and then write about it, you are entering an ongoing, dynamic conversation. Just like a productive in-person conversation involves listening as well as speaking, this kind of academic conversation involves considering what others have said about your topic, and then contributing your voice.
In the process of working on this essay, you will continue to analyze two of the literary selections from Module 2 in relation to one another; conduct research to investigate one of the prompts below; and develop a well-organized essay in which you use evidence from research and your own reasoning to support a thesis.
There are a variety of options available to you for essay prompts. Please see the assignment details in your Canvas course.
In addition to other listed requirements, remember that you must use support from at least 2 primary texts and at least 5 quality secondary texts, at least 2 of which must be from the library. Do not stop looking for secondary sources once you find the minimum required number. It's a good strategy to find at least double what you need (10) and then choose the the ones that best suit your needs, whether that ends up being 5, 7, or 10.
You will cite your sources using MLA style. See the tab "How to Cite" for help.
To find sources through the Luria Library, use the "Finding Books & Articles" tab along the top of this research guide to identify recommended databases for searching for books and articles through the library. If you have questions or would like assistance, email me (your librarian) or book a research appointment over zoom and we can go through the process together.
