Final Research Paper: Contextualizing Literature
The final research paper is the capstone assignment of English 102, and brings together all of the analytical and compositional
skills you’ve been refining over the course of the semester. You can research and write about any text from our class that you’d
like, but you must do two things:
● Demonstrate how conducting cultural, historical, and/or literary-critical research enhances your understanding of text
assigned in class.
● Draw a connection between the assigned text and some aspect of current events—in other words, connect the text to the
present day “real world.”
Your focus in this paper should still be on a close reading and interpretation of literary texts, and you will still need to
make an argument about the deeper meaning or significance of that literature. The research will act as support and/or
foundational background information.
FOR EXAMPLE, you could conduct historical, intersectional research on the conditions of women at various points during the
20th century to better understand and explain the plight that Anne Sexton, Nikki Giovanni, or Sandra Cisneros conveys in her
poetry, and compare that to trends in experiences for women today.
OR you might conduct research into the racial tension in America to better understand what Baldwin is trying to convey in
“Going to Meet the Man,” or what Morrison depicts in Song of Solomon, and consider how that reflects ongoing racial tensions in
America.
OR you could research different critical interpretations of “The Minority Report” and use those ideas as support (or
counterpoints) for your own views of the story, discussing the ongoing relevance of the story’s technology related-themes and
criticisms.
You must include at least five credible outside sources, and one of those sources must cover a current event or issue from a
reliable news source. The primary source—the novel, poem, or short story you choose to focus on—does not count toward these
five.
Purpose
● To illuminate the benefits of interdisciplinary study and reading literature in context
● To familiarize you with proper academic research and citation practices
● To improve your compositional and communication skills via writing clear thesis statements, and providing logical and
organized evidence
● To increase your appreciation of literature and its ability to help us think critically
Format
● 8-10 double-spaced pages
● Works Cited page in MLA style with at least five credible outside sources
● 12 point Times or Times New Roman font; 1-inch margins on all sides
● No extra spacing between paragraphs
Writing Guidelines (These will also be used as grading criteria
● Write an introduction that introduces the author of the work, provides some context for reading and understanding the
work, and leads into your thesis. Your introduction should grab your reader’s attention by asking questions, offering
anecdotes, sketching out “relatable” scenarios relevant to the story, or providing interesting or surprising facts. (Tip: the
introduction is a good place to offer a brief summary of the piece you are writing about and allude to the research you
will be presenting as well)
● Craft a thesis statement of 1-2 sentences, placed at the end of the introduction, that states your interpretive argument
and provides the reader with a clear idea of what your paper will be about. It should be evident that your thesis arose
from your research. (See sample thesis statements on Blackboard for examples).
● Use the topic sentence of each paragraph to tie directly back to your thesis: tell the reader what that paragraph will be
about, and how it connects to your overall argument. Topic sentences should not be plot summary or quotation. Tip:
Use similar language that that of your thesis to help craft your topic sentences so the reader is never confused as to how
each paragraph supports your overarching claim.
● Support your topic sentences with specific evidence from the text through accurate and appropriate quotations from the
poem or story you’ve chosen. Lead into quotations with phrases that tell the reader why they are there. (e.g. For
example, _____; This is evident when the character says, ____; For instance, _____; In contrast, ____; On the other
hand, ____, etc.)
● To be safe, quote directly from texts whenever possible rather than paraphrasing. This will help you avoid
“accidental” plagiarism. Even when you paraphrase, you should make sure the distinction between your ideas and
someone else’s ideas is clear, and make sure to cite the source you are paraphrasing.
● Make sure to carefully explain the significance and meaning of each quote you include; do not assume the reader will
automatically follow your logic. In other words, each time you include a quote, you need to “unpack it,” describing its
significance.
● Effectively organize paragraphs and research, so that any necessary background/foundational research is provided
before related literary analysis.
● Keep summary to a minimum; i.e. only incorporate details from the story that are relevant to your thesis. You might
need to set up certain quotations or examples from a story or poem by reminding the reader what is happening at that
moment in the piece—this is the best place to offer such minimal summary.
● Integrate source(s) smoothly: avoid long block quotations; use attributive tags (e.g. “As the author writes,” or “As the
character says,”) and cite using MLA style.
● Proofread!!