Assignments

English 4900 Seminar of Language and Literature, Spring 2022

TR 2:00-3:15 p.m., Health Sciences 144

Presentation Schedule

Sign up here for four slots distributed as equally as possible throughout the semester and making sure that you do not sign up for the same literary period and critical approaches of an author/text.

Due Date

Assignment

Student

R, 2-3

Johnson, Literary Period

LP1 Christina Agramonte

Johnson, Critical Approach

CA1 Bo Wheeler

T, 2-8

Johnson, Critical Approach

CA2 Izzy Willingham

Johnson, Critical Approach

CA3 Emma Eisnaugle

R, 2-15

Keats, Literary Period

LP2 Izzy Willingham

LP3 Joslyn Reyes

Keats, Critical Approach

CA4 Sam Basso

R, 2-17

Keats, Critical Approach

CA5 Ellen Yeudall

Keats, Critical Approach

CA6 Rosalie Bodkin

R, 2-24

Wharton, Literary Period

LP4 Bo Wheeler

Wharton, Critical Approach

CA7 Christina Agramonte

T, 3-1

Wharton, Critical Approach

CA8

Wharton, Critical Approach

CA9 Bo Wheeler

T, 3-8

Williams, Literary Period

LP5

LP6 Sam Basso

Williams, Critical Approach

CA10 Grace Carlson

R, 3-10

Williams, Critical Approach

CA11 Signe Madson

Williams, Critical Approach

CA12 Rosalie Bodkin

T, 3-29

Ginsberg, Literary Period

LP7 Rosalie Bodkin

Ginsberg, Critical Approach

CA13 Ellen Yeudall

Ginsberg, Critical Approach

CA14 Izzy Willingham

R, 3-31

Baraka, Literary Period

LP8 Emma Eisnaugle

Baraka, Critical Approach

CA15 Sam Basso

Baraka, Critical Approach

CA16 Joslyn Reyes

T, 4-5

Stephenson, Literary Period

LP9 Signe Madson

Stephenson, Critical Approach

CA17 Christina Agramonte

T, 4-7

Stephenson, Critical Approach

CA18

Stephenson, Critical Approach

CA19

R, 4-14

Smith, Literary Period

LP10 Ellen Yeudall

LP11 Grace Carlson

Smith, Critical Approach

CA20 Emma Eisnaugle

T, 4-19

Smith, Critical Approach

CA21

Smith, Critical Approach

CA22 Signe Madson

R, 4-21

Research Presentations

RP1 Bo Wheeler

RP2 Rosalie Bodkin

RP3 Izzy Willingham

RP4 Signe Madson

T, 4-26

Research Presentations

RP5 Grace Carlson

RP6 Christina Agramonte

RP7

RP8 Joslyn Reyes

R, 4-28

Research Presentations

RP9 Emma Eisnaugle

RP10 Sam Basso

RP11 Ellen Yeudall

Critical Approaches Essays

The two critical approach essays are designed to review your understanding of the various systems of interpreting literature, and they will help the class look at our literary works in multiple ways. Your essay should interpret the literary text using the questions and tenets of your chosen methodology. Integrate at least one theoretical source (i.e., an article of theory) and two interpretive sources (i.e., scholarly journal articles or book chapters that interprets the primary text). Attach to the paper (but not part of the page range) a 5-10 point list of the critical approach's key tenets for interpreting literature. In addition to submitting the written paper, you will also read the paper and critical approach tenet list to the class in order to get feedback on your paper as well as to broach class discussion of the text.

 

You may use any of the approaches below to interpret the work of literature; let your professor know of the approach you plan to use one week before the due date. You should not use the same approach in both essays, and you should consult with the other students who are scheduled to interpret the literary work to make sure that you all employ different approaches.

Parameters

Sign Up

The combined critical approaches, literary project, and research presentation sign up sheet is here.

Literary Period Project

While the critical approaches essays require you to review the various ways too interpret literature, the literary period project compels you to review the major literary periods and authors'/texts' place within those periods.

Annotated Bibliography

Literary Period: Research the literary period of your assigned text, and compile 5-7 scholarly journal articles and book chapters that conceptualize, describe, and frame the literary period.

 

Text and Author: Rresearch the author and text, focusing on how the author and text fit into the literary period, and compile a 3-5-scholarly journal articles and book chapters that situate the literary text and/or author's place within the literary period.

 

Note: when two students are working on the same literary period project, one student can focus exclusively on the literary period and the other student can work on the text and author, i.e., create a 10 source bibliography on just the literary period and a 10 source bibliography on just the text and author.

 

Each annotation of the 10 source annotated bibliography should be approximately 100 words long and answer the following questions:

  1. What question, issue, or topic is the source investigating?
  2. What is the source's thesis or conclusion regarding the work of literature?
  3. How does the source help your understanding of the work of literature?

Annotate scholarly journal articles and scholarly book chapters only; do not use websites, magazines, and other general sources. As a review, here's how to conduct literary research at our university.

Presentation

Your 15 minute audiovisual presentation should not only convey the research in your annotated bibliography (you could share annotations, for instance), but also synthesize the research by making your own informed claims about the period and the author's and text's place within the period.

 

Parameters

Sign Up

The combined critical approaches, literary project, and research presentation sign up sheet is here.

Research Project

Over the course of the semester, you will expand a short, non-research essay from a previous class into an 15-18 page research paper and 15 minute presentation.

Research Project Selection Workshop

The first stage of the research project will be to select an essay to expand. Choose two short essays from former classes that do not include research and post them to GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Discussions > Research Project Selection Tuesday, February 8 (failure to submit on time will result in a one-third letter grade deduction for the final research project grade). Read your group members' short essays before class on Thursday, February 10 and prepare to give them ideas for revision, research, and expansion. During Tuesday's Research Project Workshop, groups will share ideas for revision, research, and expansion.

 

Here are the groups:

Research Project Conference

After the Research Project Workshop, writers will 1) choose an essay, 2) compose a paragraph or two long research, revision, and expansion strategy, and 3) submit that plan to GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Assignments > Research Project Conference at least one day before your scheduled meeting (failure to submit on time will result in a one-third letter grade deduction for the final research project grade). Instead of class on Thursday, March 3, you will meet your professor for 15 minutes to discuss your research project plan. Sign up here.

 

Date

Time

Student
T, 3-1

12:30-12:45

1

12:45-1:00

2

5:00-5:15

3 Grace Carlson
R, 3-3

12:30-12:45

4

12:45-1:00

5

2:00-2:15

6

2:15-2:30

7

2:30-2:45

8

2:45-3:00

9

3:00-3:15

10

5:00-5:15

11

Annotated Bibliography

The annotated bibliography for your research project is due in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Assignments > Annotated Bibliography on Thursday, March 24. (Failure to submit the annotated bibliography on time will result in a one-third letter grade deduction for the final research project.) In addition to adhering to MLA style and being formatted in Microsoft Word, your bibliography should include 10 scholarly sources (a mixture of book chapters and journal articles) and each annotation should be approximately 100 words long. You will receive feedback on your bibliography approximately one week after submission, which you can use to revise the bibliography for final, graded submission during on Wednesday, May 4.

Research Project Draft Workshop

On Sunday, April 10, the first draft of your research paper is due in two places: GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Discussions > Research Paper Draft (for your peer group) and GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Assignments > Research Project Paper Draft (for your professor). Your draft must be at least 8 pages long not including the Works Cited page, adhere to MLA style, and be formatted in Microsoft Word (Failure to submit the draft of sufficient length on time will result in a one-third letter grade deduction for the final research project.) Group members will read the papers before class on Tuesday, April 12 and provide feedback during the workshop session using the Peer Review Worksheet.

 

Here are the groups:

Research Presentations

Your 10-15 minute audiovisual presentation should not only convey the research in your annotated bibliography but also share your informed interpretation and research-supported analysis of your topic. The combined critical approaches, literary project, and research presentation sign up sheet is here.

Research Paper and Annotated Bibliography

The final 15-18 page research paper as well as the final 10 source annotated bibliography are due in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Assignments > Research Project on Wednesday, May 4. Retrieve your course grade in PAWS on Wednesday, May 11. If you wish to know your research project grade, please ask for it at the top of your research project paper, and it will be provided in GeorgiaVIEW > Couse Work > Assignments > by Wednesday, May 4.

Career Preparation Portfolio

In order to prepare for the job, internship, or graduate school search, you will create a portfolio of writing: resumes and cover letters for jobs and internships or a curriculum vita and statement of purpose for graduate school. Writing will be workshopped in class and reviewed by the Career Center. Also, you will be required to attend a mock interview through the Career Center. Besides required mock interview appointments for our class, the Career Center and I also strongly encourage you to make a Career Strategic Plan appointment, part of the career planning milestones.

Career Center Appointments

In addition to receiving peer and professor feedback on your career preparation portfolio, you will receive feedback from the Career Center.

Career Center Events

I encourage you to attend at least one Career Center Event this semester. Notable events include:

Resume or Curriculum Vita

Job or Internship Cover Letter or Graduate School Statement of Purpose

Mock Interview

There will be a 1/3 letter grade deduction for failing to complete any of the following:

Final Portfolio

Submit your revised curriculum vita or resume and your revised cover letter or statement of purpose to GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Assignments > Career Development Portfolio by Thursday, April 7. Failure to submit the revised portfolio will result in a one-third letter grade penalty on your Career Preparation Portfolio. Note that the Career Center will report your attendance for the Mock Interview to your professor.

 

© Alex E. Blazer 2025