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Tolkien (ENGL 4316/MALA 5346) |
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For undergraduates the research paper will be a 10-to-12 page essay concerning a topic from Tolkien's works (see below). For graduate students, this paper should be 15 to 26 pages. (Please see the graduate student addendum assignment for more details.) Your analysis should put forth an original thesis of your own. The paper should be primarily concerned with an interpretation of a primary text or texts. This implies that you will do a close study of a literary work, examining its language, rhetoric, plot, characters, tone, etc. |
| Such close study calls for a considered, moderate amount of
quotation, as well as direct discussion of Tolkien's stories, poems, or non-fictional
prose. Your research will also draw from the various intellectual and
historical contexts that shaped Tolkien's thought and literary writings.
These, too, should be discussed and cited with enough detail to support
your primary interpretation, but not to excess, that is not in a way that
detracts from your primary thesis and claims. Your argument should not replicate class discussion or my lecture
notes, though it may draw from these when properly cited.
This semester, the class will be divided into research groups organized around the following areas:
Each group will meet at least three times during the semester to share the progress of each student's research and to exchange ideas and resources. Attendance and participation in these meetings constitutes part of your research paper grade. While papers are to be written individually, you are welcome to critique each other's work, as well as make suggestions for improvement. Each paper topic within the group will be substantially different enough to make this possible and, hopefully profitable, for everyone involved. Your topic should be pre-approved by me before you begin serious research. I will provide a partial list of possibilities. You might also want to keep in mind that your research group will also be doing a presentation together at the end of the semester regarding your area. This knowledge should guide your discussion and critique of each other's work. As a result, your paper will require secondary research. You should seek to become familiarized with the scholarly discussion about your topic. Serious academic scholarship on Tolkien is still fairly new, and the total number of sources regarding your topic may be small, so there's no excuse for being unacquainted with the key sources. Also keep in mind that DBU's print sources for Tolkien scholarship are limited and will be on three-day reserve for the semester. Be prepared to take advantage of the Texshare system, Inter-Library Loan, and scholarly on-line resources. All documentation must conform to MLA guidelines. I expect you to do scholarly and academically credible work. At the junior level and above, it is assumed that you know how to do this. If you have any questions about this, talk to me. Let me remind everyone that with this kind of assignment failure to put forth and sustain an arguable thesis or failure to support your position from the author can result in a failing grade. Any student found guilty of plagiarism and/or collusion in regards to the research paper (or any other major assignment) for this course will be subject to one or more of the following: a failing grade for the assignment, no credit for the assignment, and/or a failing grade for the course itself. [Click here for more information on plagiarism and collusion.] You should also include a copy of the final draft on a computer disk along with the print version when submitted to me. |
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| Click here to see what you will be evaluated on: | |