Topics to choose from
Gilgamesh
The Iliad by Homer (Books I, IX, XVI, XXII, XXIV)
The Ramayana by Valmiki
The Aeneid by Virgil (Books I, IV, VI, VIII, XII)
The Song of Roland (p. 1157-1195)
The Divine Comedy, Inferno by Dante Alighieri
The Epic of Son-Jara as told by Fa-Digi Sisoko (Sisoko is not the author, but the performer of this
version)
The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
Research Paper
For your research paper, you will write a literary analysis of one of the assigned readings this quarter. To
support your analysis, you must use at least five secondary sources from the GMC library in addition to
the literary work from the textbook. The paper must be at least 1500 words in length.
Your research paper will be graded on the following rubric:
Argument
60 points
Use of Research
50 points
MLA Style
30 points
Mechanics, Grammar, and Punctuation
30 points
Structure
30 points
Argument
Your research paper must be a literary analysis of one of the assigned readings.
Your thesis statement must be clear and arguable and supported throughout your paper.
You should avoid unnecessary biographical information and plot summary. Your paper should be an
analysis of the text.
Use of Research
You must use at least 5 secondary sources that provide critical arguments about the reading you've
chosen. These sources should ONLY come from the GMC library or library databases.
Your secondary sources should be used sparingly to either support or explain your thesis.
You may quote, paraphrase, or summarize your sources. For more information, view the Purdue OWL's
website: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/1/.
MLA Style
Your paper must be formatted according to MLA format.
You must include a works-cited page at the end of your paper. Your works-cited should include your
secondary sources and the assigned reading you've chosen.
You must include in-text citations within the body of your paper.
For more information about MLA style, you should view the Purdue OWL's pages on MLA:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/.
Mechanics, Grammar, and Punctuation
All written assignments should be mechanically and grammatically correct with proper punctuation.
For more information on each of these, you should view the Purdue OWL’s General Writing Resources
page: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/.
Structure
The introduction should include a clear thesis statement.
Each body paragraph should have a clear topic sentence that relates back to the thesis. The information
in each paragraph should relate to the topic sentence.
Before you begin writing, I recommend that you write an outline to organize your ideas. Doing this will
help you write a logical, well-organized essay.