ENG 225: Aiken: Research Paper

For your research paper, you are to research a topic related to an author or work from our reading list and compose a 5-7 page paper. Research must be original; you are to use your primary source (up to two) and no less than four secondary sources. 

Your thesis statement must be argumentative. Solely providing an author biography or describing the historical context of a text isn't enough. Instead, argue (and demonstrate), for example, the relationship between events in an author's life and the text, or interpret where the historical context is (or isn't) evident within a specific text. 

You can compare/ contrast texts, but don't draw upon more than two primary sources. 

Sources unacceptable for secondary sources:

Wikipedia

Sparknotes or any other "helper" website

Encyclopedia Brittanica

Dictionaries

Sources acceptable for secondary sources:

Critical essays from databases

Scholarly journals, either online or print

Books

Dates to know:

Topic due by email, 5pm: April 5

Thesis/ outline due by email: April 12

Works Cited due in class: April 17

Final draft due (hard copy and turnitin.com): Exam period