Paper Topics, English 313, Spring 2007
In English
313 you will write three papers: an
explication,
a thematic analysis, and a research proposal. The explication is due in class,
February 9; the research proposal is due on the last
day of class, April 27. More on both of those later.
Writing
requirements for graduate students are here.
The thematic
analysis will be self-scheduled. This paper should be 5-7 pages, typed,
double-spaced. All citations must be in MLA format: check the library for
on-line MLA documentation information if you're in any doubt.
Topics are
broad and general. Part of the task of paper-writing will be narrowing the
focus of the paper and
selecting appropriate texts to complement the main text for the date/topic. A
discursive reflection on the issues suggested by the topic will not be an
acceptable response: you must articulate a thesis and support it with evidence,
as with any analytical paper. Check the paper guidelines and grading standards pages for more
information on papers. Choose your topic now according to your general interests
and the convenience of the dates, and e-mail
me
with your choice by February 7. If, at a later date, you become interested in
another topic or find that you have a time conflict, you may switch dates with
another student in the class. Inform me of any such changes. LATE PAPERS WILL
BE PENALIZED.
When choosing
a topic, note that you must write on at least one of the works listed next to
the due date. Papers should be comparative, but you may choose the second text
from any of the readings to date; you are not limited to those listed here.
General
Topic Areas and Due Dates:
February 16:
Alienation and/or loss: Tennyson (especially In Memoriam), Arnold, R. Browning
(especially "Childe Roland"), Dickens
March 2:
Falling/fallen women: R. Browning (especially "My Last Duchess" or "Andrea del Sarto"), D.G.
Rossetti ("Jenny"), Christina Rossetti ("Goblin Market"),
Dickens (Hard Times)
March 23:
Work and life: Dickens (Hard Times), Eliot (The Mill on the Floss),
April 6:
Children and education: Dickens, Eliot, Carroll, Stevenson
