What’s the first part of the MLA heading?
Yup, it’s the student’s last name and page
number which are included on every page, even
the first page!
Fake Student
English 12 CPA
Ms. Mandel / Block 1
05 January 2015
Student 1
What goes in the heading? First and last name of the
student, name of course, teacher, section, assignment due
date! This date changes as due dates change.
And don’t forget an original title. Don’t underline it,
don’t italicize it, don’t make the title a larger font or
a different font, just keep it simple!
Quarterly 2 Research-Based Response
Goals and Objectives
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To research a cultural, social, political or religious issue that arises within a specific work of
literature
To draw comparisons between a work of literature and a particular social, political or religious
issue
To respond to a research based question and to support your response with an original thesis
To practice and further develop research skills
To follow the SPECIFIC MLA formats required for formal research (works cited page, in-text
citation, proper and legitimate use of the research of others)
The Assignment
For this research-based response, you will conduct new research and write a literary analysis paper that
involves Things Fall Apart and the cultural, social, political or religious contexts that arise within that work
of literature. One purpose of this assignment is to think about how the characters within a work of fiction
are used to comment on human life and human troubles. A secondary purpose of this assignment is to
connect new research to a work of literature and to use that research to enhance your knowledge and
understanding of the cultural, social, political or religious context of the work. Through conducting
research and writing a literary analysis research paper ultimately each student author will answer the
question, what message or assertion is made about cultural, social, political or religious differences by the
author of the work overall?
Question: To what extent do cultural, political, social and/or religious differences in
Things Fall Apart come between characters’ relationships with each other?
The following are the anticipated steps and due dates for the project
___ Read all or most of the novel selected, in this case, Things Fall Apart before beginning research
___ Begin your preliminary research by using varied search terms to gather an array of sources. READ,
READ and KEEP READING. Also remember to keep track of your sources as you read and take notes.
Careless note-taking skills are at the root of almost all unintentional plagiarism.
___ Submit daily goals and accomplishments logs each time we are in the library. These may be submitted
electronically or in hard copy. (10-20 points each)
___ Submit a Research Proposal (which includes): Revised Thesis, Preliminary Works Cited, topic
outline (Proposal: 40 points)
___ Formal Outline (including revised thesis statement) Revised Works Cited must include in-text
citations in MLA format! (Outline: 80 points Works Cited 40 points)
___ Quarterly Grade: Comprehensive Works Cited, Web Evaluations for all websites listed on
works cited and revised literary analysis paper, 100 points and one quarter of the grade that
comprises 20% of the yearly average, the remaining 80% is comprised of the four marking periods.
***Rewrites will be permitted at the discretion of the teacher. Any rewrites will require
the student to resubmit the original draft (including teacher comments and rubric)
with the rewritten draft. No exceptions.***
***Some parts of the paper may be due before other parts have been returned.***
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Student 2
Format Requirements:
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Students must adhere to MLA (Modern Language Association) guidelines for all steps of the
paper
All sections of the process MUST be typed (Times New Roman/Calibri, 12pt font, double-spaced,
1 inch margins, two spaces after all ending punctuation marks)
Page minimums mean FULL PAGES
All documents must be paginated, must include the standard MLA heading and a title (see the
example given at the top of this page)
All Parts MUST include a works cited page
Source and Citation Requirements:
 Utilize your student planner for proper citation guidelines. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE
FOR FOLLOWING ALL GUIDELINES LISTED IN YOUR STUDENT PLANNER.
You WILL be held accountable for those guidelines. Student planners are available for
$5 in the general office if you lost your copy or you may visit the MK Library website
which contains the full text of the student style manual:
<http://www.mhrd.k12.nj.us/mk/library/stylemanual.htm>
 The website for Writer’s Reference is also an excellent source for citation guidelines:
<http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/>
 The work of literature you will analyze is considered your primary source. This source
should be cited, at minimum, 3 times in your literary analysis paper. There must also be
a minimum of 3 in-text citations from secondary sources in your literary analysis paper.
 3 different secondary sources and the primary source MUST be listed on the
comprehensive works cited page AND utilized within your paper
 One of these sources (besides the work of literature) MUST be a print source or from an
online journals/articles NOT a website. See me if you anticipate a problem here.
About.com, Wikipedia.com, Answers.com etc. are not legitimate sources and will not be
counted!!!
 All web-based sources must be evaluated using the criteria listed on the 5 point system
 You may use additional primary source documents (besides the work of literature) if
applicable. All primary sources must be approved by the teacher. Examples of primary
sources include interviews, observations, questionnaires etc. Examples of secondary
sources include encyclopedias, books, online journal articles and newspaper articles,
legitimate web sources etc.
Additional general requirements:
 Each step of the process (Proposal including works cited, outline including thesis, and
paper) must be submitted to turnitin.com. and must be visible to the teacher online by the
beginning of the class on the due date. (50% of total point value is deducted for any
assignments not submitted to turnitin.com and a 5- point deduction per day-including
weekends-until the third class session after the original due date. Students must notify
the teacher via email of the submission to turnitin.com if late.)
 EACH STEP OF THE PROCESS MUST ALSO BE SUBMITTED IN HARDCOPY
FORM. A 5-point deduction per day will be instituted for students who fail to submit a
hardcopy of their assignment or from students who fail to have the paper printed at the
start of class.
 See rubrics for additional guidelines on point values and deductions. Submit appropriate
rubrics when available.
 Late deductions remain standard for the proposal, preliminary works cited page, web
evaluations and outline (50% of total point value is deducted for the first day the
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Student 3
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assignment is late. No submissions will be accepted for credit after the second class
session after the due date.
Late deductions for LITERARY ANALYSIS PAPER AND REVISION FOR
QUARTERLY GRADE is as follows: 25% of the total point value is deducted if the
assignment is submitted one class session late. Assignments submitted after the due date
will receive a 5-point deduction per day (including weekends). No submissions for credit
will be accepted more than three class sessions late.
This entire assignment is an individual assignment and any collaboration on the
assignment will be considered cheating
Each student must maintain and submit a daily goals and accomplishments list for each
time we work in the library as a class. This list should summarize goals and
accomplishments for that day. A sample is attached. Each one of these daily lists will be
worth between 10-20 points toward the student’s class work grade. Email, photocopy or
print your daily goals sheet before submitting it to the teacher. Goals sheets submitted
via email must be emailed by the end of the block.
Example Research Questions and Statements of Controlling Purpose for Papers
Proposal A
Research Question: Why did Khaled Hosseini include kite running as a symbolic activity
in the novel, The Kite Runner and can details of characterization be better understood
through increased knowledge of kite running as a cultural custom?
 The purpose for the Literary Analysis Paper will be to analyze how kite running
in The Kite Runner characterizes the tumultuous relationship between Amir, Baba
and Hassan. This paper will show Hosseini’s symbolic use of kite running and
will analyze his portrayals of Amir, Baba and Hassan in order to argue that all
relationships require both trust and sacrifice in order to prosper.
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Student 4
Proposal B
Research Question: What were mental hospitals like during the 1950s and did hospitals
like the mental hospital portrayed in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest actually do more
harm than good to the patients who were treated there?
 The purpose of the Literary Analysis Paper will be to analyze the realism in the
portrayal of the mental institution in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and to
show that Kesey’s portrayal of patients, and their external conflicts with the
hospital staff, argues that mental hospitals were helping no more patients than
they were harming during the 1950s.
Proposal C
Research Question: What is the history behind capital punishment in the United States
and is capital punishment negatively or positively portrayed in the “nonfiction novel,” In
Cold Blood?
 The purpose of the Literary Analysis Paper will be to analyze the depiction of
capital punishment in, In Cold Blood, and to see if the depiction is sympathetic or
not. This paper will also show that Capote’s representation of Perry presents an
argument against capital punishment in the case of the mentally unstable.
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Student 5
Name:
Today’s Date:
Daily Goals and Accomplishments
My research question so far is…
Short term goals
Accomplishments
Sources consulted:
How will you use this research to enhance your understanding of __________________________________________________________:
(Fill in the title of the work of literature you intend to utilize)
Questions or issues for the teacher:
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