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BLUES LITERATURE - RESEARCH PAPER

1.Task Definition
Where do I start?

The ultimate purpose of this assignment is for you to research a topic and produce a 5-7-page paper in
MLA format.

Choose a topic
Below are some topics you may choose to research.

Protest songs Strange Fruit—the history of a song


The John Henry story The blues/gospel of Sr. Rosetta Tharpe
The Casey Jones story Leadbelly & the claim to manhood
Frankie & Johnny (Frankie & Albert) Robert Johnson and the soul
Stagger Lee, that bad man Mahalia Jackson and the Civil Rights Movement
Blues poems of Langston Hughes Disaster songs: natural disasters, train wrecks…
Blues poems of Sterling Brown The hip-hop response to Hurricane Katrina
The boll weevil blues Redemptive Blues: Gospel Music
Field hollers & blues

If you have a topic of particular interest you would like to research, let me know and we may be able to
work out a suitable project.

The topics vary in scope, though the general purpose is the same: research the topic and develop a thesis
that you demonstrate in a coherently organized, well argued paper. You become the expert on the topic;
the research paper demonstrates your expertise. You will use a minimum of five secondary sources in
addition to your primary source(s). A Works Cited page is required and must be in MLA format; use
Noodle Tools for this
Some general guidelines:
• You may not share topics (this means first come-first served for topic selections).
• Whatever you do, pick a topic that you enjoy. There is little worse than enduring this process
with a topic you can’t stand.
• Don’t wait to get started.

2. Information Seeking Strategies


Where can I find the information I need?

Research
Time to hunker down and do the footwork necessary to find the sources that will help you prove your
thesis. Start by using Google, ProQuest, JSTOR.

3. Location and Access


Find your source.

These can be accessed from your LIBGUIDE or the ONLINE RESOURCES link from the Library Online
Resources Web Page.

Passwords are available in the media center.


JSTOR registration information is also available in the media center.

4. Use of Information
Deciding what information to use.

In your final project you must make use of (cite) at least five different sources in addition to your primary
source. Not allowed are encyclopedia type sources or Contemporary Literary Criticism, Cliff’s Notes,
Wikipedia, and other such sources. What you can use are books of criticism and articles from journals
and reviews. Film, sound recordings, interviews from NPR and the like are all acceptable sources.

NB: I have stocked the Media Center with lots of books. It’s a good place to do your research. If you
find texts that are particularly helpful or needed, let me know.

Formulate a thesis

The thesis must be an arguable statement of opinion that describes what you will prove in your project.
I’d recommend running this by me before turning it in.
More research

Now that you know what you are going to write about, you need to hit the libraries in earnest and find the
materials--or add to what you have--in order to prove your thesis. Make sure you keep a running
bibliography; it’ll take hours off your workload later.

5. Synthesis
Putting your information together.

Writing the paper

The least of your worries will be getting the required length, so concentrate on proving your thesis.
Follow this format for clarity and easy organization.

Introduction

Introduce the topic by making some general remarks about your subject matter. You may need to paint a
bit of a picture, describe a scene, or give some background. You want to be interesting; intrigue the
reader so he wants to read the paper. Lead into your thesis statement and make sure that you give a
context for it. Do this in 1-2 paragraphs.

Body

This is the part of the paper in which you will prove your thesis by giving examples and citing sources.
First and foremost, make sure that you have your arguments lined up; know what you’re going to do.
You might take the, say, six points you will make and write them down. Under each explain the point
and provide the evidence in the forms of quotations from your primary and secondary sources. Once you
have done this, all you need to do is arrange these in the logical order of a progressing argument and fill
in the details. Do this in 6-8 paragraphs.

Conclusion

This can actually be the hardest part of the paper. After all, you just want to be done. Be careful, though,
because a good conclusion is important to the reader’s understanding of your thesis. Without being
repetitive you want to tell your reader that you have proven your thesis and that it matters. Leave the
reader with something to think about, maybe the implications of your thesis or its long-term effects. The
goal here is that you want your reader to think he has learned something, that you have nudged his brain
cells, pulled him out the slime and ooze that is the cultural wasteland. Do this in 1 paragraph.

Works Cited
This is a list of works you quoted or paraphrased (cited) in your paper. Follow proper MLA format.
Use NOODLETOOLS to create your list. Access and instructions are available through your LIBGUIDE.
See Mrs. Lodish for assistance.

Bibliography

This is a list of all the works you looked at in your research even if you did not quote or paraphrase from
them in your paper. This lets the reader know how much research went into the project and acts as a
source list. I want to know what you found.

6. Evaluation
Reviewing your project.

Finished assignment fulfills task.


 The paper demonstrates the thesis.
 The paper makes use of at least 5 secondary sources.
 The paper properly uses MLA format.
 All use of outside sources are correctly cited.
 There is variety in my secondary sources.
 The paper has been proofread by someone else.

GRADING:

40%: content (thesis, quality of research, depth of argument, etc).


30%: form (structure, logic, etc.)
10%: mechanics (grammar)
20%: “term paper stuff” (adherence to MLA format, citation, etc.)

DUE DATES:

9/24 topic selection


10/6 preliminary bibliography
10/20 annotated bibliography due
10/25 thesis due
11/18 topic presentations
12/8 first draft
12/16 final paper

I will grade each of these steps. The final paper acts as your final exam. NB: I may alter the dates and/or
the assignments as I deem necessary. I will keep you well apprised of any changes.

Please do not hesitate to discuss with me any concern or difficulty you may encounter. Whatever you do,
do not delay!

NB: While we will discus plagiarism in detail, please be aware that representing someone else’s
words or ideas as your own will result in a zero on this assignment, which necessarily fails you for
the semester. This may keep you from graduating. If there is any question about this or what
constitutes plagiarism, see me.

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