Research Paper Assignment / Semester Test
English III
Mr. Stanberry
Directions / Rationale: For this assignment, you will complete a research paper over selected
works, authors, and concepts that you have learned through English III this school year. It is
required that all students complete a research paper in the second semester of their Junior year.
Topics: Throughout the survey of American Literature course, you have learned about authors and
their selected works, time periods and their genre specific themes, and overarching concepts that
are prevalent in multiple works. Using the list below, you will select your own research topic.
1- Early America – selected works would include The Crucible, Sinners in the Hands of an
Angry God, creation stories/myths, selected works from New World authors, (Mary
Rolandson, Anne Bradstreet, etc.)
2- American Romanticism – selected works would include authors for the concepts of
Transcendentalism and Gothic Literature. The primary goal of this essay would be to
compare/contrast Transcendentalism and Gothic Literature. Selected works/authors
would include, Ralph Waldo Emerson (Nature / Self-Reliance), Henry David Thoreau
(Civil Disobedience), Walt Whitman (Song of Myself), Washington Irving (The Devil and
Tom Walker), Edgar Allan Poe (The Raven / The Pit and the Pendulum), and Nathaniel
Hawthorne (The Minister’s Black Veil / The Scarlet Letter).
3- Regionalism / Realism- selected works would include authors such as Mark Twain (The
Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County / Huck Finn), Kate Chopin (The Story of
an Hour), Edwin Arlington Robinson (Richard Cory), Jack London (To Build a Fire),
Ambrose Bierce (An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge), and Charlotte Perkins Gilman
(The Yellow Wallpaper).
4- The American Dream – selected works that have the central thematic focus of the
American Dream include, F. Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby), John Steinbeck (Of
Mice and Men), Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Strive Toward Freedom / Letter from a
Birmingham Jail), and Mark Twain (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn).
5- Personal Growth / Understanding – selected works that have the central theme of
essentially reflecting on one’s self to create personal growth include authors/works
such as, Ralph Waldo Emerson (Nature / Self Reliance), Walt Whitman (Song of
Myself), and Robert Frost (Mending Wall / Birches / Stopping by Woods on a Snowy
Evening).
6- Freedom – selected works that have the central theme of the freedom from oppression
include , Slave Songs (Go Down, Moses /Follow the Drinking Gourd / Michael Row Your
Boat Ashore / Deep River / Swing Low Sweet Chariot), Mark Twain (The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn), Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Strive Towards Freedom / I Had a Dream /
Letter from a Birmingham Jail) , Mary Rowlandson (Captivity Narrative), and Oloudah
Equiano (The Life of Oloudah Equiano).
Needed information:
1. Background information about the topic/literary genre - 1 page
2. Background information on the selected authors (3) – 2 pages
3. Information / Quotes from selected works and their relationship to the topic / genre – 8
quotes
Requirements / Important Dates:
1. Research Note Cards () - You will need 3 notecards from the background information
about the topic / literary genre, 2 notecards over three selected authors (6 note cards
total), and 8 notecards over the selected literary works. Notecards and typed information
listed above will be due Friday, May 1.
2. Graphic Organizer – Using the SIRS database, you will complete a graphic organizer
over the research paper.
3. Rough Draft – Using the graphic organizer, you will complete a rough draft of the essay
in hand-written form. You will have time in class to complete the hand-written rough draft
depending on where you stand with your novel. The rough draft will be due Friday, May
8.
4. Final Draft – Using the edited rough draft, you will complete a typed final draft of the
essay using the conventional methods of MLA format. You will not have time in class to
type the essay; this will be completed as homework. The final draft of the essay will be
due Friday, May 15th.
5. Presentation – For your semester final, you will complete either a Prezi or a PowerPoint
presentation over your essay to present to the class. There will be a minimum of 10 slides
(Introduction slide, 8 content slides, and a Sources slide). If you feel uncomfortable
presenting in front of your peers, you will need to schedule time to meet with me either
after school or lunch. Presentations will be due Tuesday, May 18, and the presentations
will be presented during the semester testing block.
Point Value / Grading:
1. The notecards are worth 10 points each (130 points).
2. The rough draft will essentially be a completion grade for 100 points.
3. The final draft of the essay will be graded with the MHS scoring rubric. Infractions of MLA
format will result in the loss of 5% of the overall grade (per infraction). The final draft is
worth 200 points.
4. The presentation will be worth 200 points, and it will take the place of a semester final.