Compose two brief research projects. One will be a simple comparison of three critical sources, and the other will be a brief research paper using three sources. For the first project, you will find three articles of criticism related to one of the novels from this class and write a critical comparison of these three articles, due May 27. For the second project, you will compose a brief research project of three pages using three sources, due June 12.

For the first project, you will compose a brief paper (likely three pages or so) that summarize and evaluate the three articles. What do they say; how do they say it, and who says it? You will want to read and take noes on all three articles before beginning this project, as only then can you determine what you might say. I need to see evidence of brief summary of each article (nothing in-depth), but most importantly, evaluation of the article in terms of the author's credentials, the logical aspects of his/her arguments, the author's use of other sources to create a credible argument, etc. Avoid a mechanical paper that announces "the first article..." Instead, consider focusing this with a main idea, like "While all three authors illustrate the landscape as a character in Gothic fiction, only one addresses the geography of Italy versus the topography of Sweden."

In the second project, you will not focus on the sources so much, but you will use your own idea to drive the paper and will utilize sources to support your ideas, to contrast your ideas, and to "clear the critical space." This will be a regular research paper, only shorter, and since it is shorter, you will not have the opportunity to explore the subject in great depth.

Other Notations:

I will update this area with notes regarding the project. These notes might be hints or tips that occur to me, or may be the answers to specific student questions that I feel would help the entire class. I encourage you to refer to this space following our classes, as this is when I will be likely to update.

Please feel free to utilize the library database resources as well as print sources (books, journals, etc. from the library). Avoid using google as a reasearch engine, and use Wikipedia only as a starting point.