Overview
Write an academic essay (5-7 pages) on Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland that is informed by at least one critical perspective and one disciplinary focus.
- As with all things, you have the option to formally request alternate guidelines for this project. You must simply submit a formal and reasonable request to me in person.
Objectives
- Develop critical literacy skills and disciplinary methods
- Begin developing your identity as a critical reader and thinker (what moves you?)
- Practice basic conventions in English studies (close reading, basic research, critical perspectives, disciplinary contexts, quotations and citations)
Methodologies
- Your primary methodology is that of literary studies: analyze specific passages in the novel; quote and interpret specific words, metaphors, descriptions; consider plot, setting, conflict, or character.
- Develop a critical perspective on the novel, using one of these approaches: critical studies in culture, gender, race, sexuality, class, identity, or social justice.
- In additional to your critical approach, choose a specific disciplinary focus to narrow the topic of your paper: such as language, history, psychology, anthropology, criminal justice, media studies, education, social politics, food science, animal science, or others. (NOTE: your disciplinary focus is secondary to your reading of the novel. Avoid writing a research paper on an external subject matter; instead, apply external knowledge of subject matter to your interpretation of the literature.)
Requirements
- Cite and quote from the novel itself
- Cite at least one of one peer-reviewed journal article
- Cite at least one additional source of your choice
- Length: 5-7 pages
- Follow MLA guidelines when formatting your essay
Assessment
Your essay will be assessed according to the following parameters:
- Perspective & Audience: you demonstrate awareness of your audience (me, a college English professor, who values a combination of both professional practices and bold creativity)
- Density of Content: you develop your ideas beyond superficial observations and commentary, and because of this depth you often surprise your reader
- Organization of Content: you demonstrate careful planning and revision in the presentation of your ideas, thus leaving the reader with a feeling of completion or satisfaction
- Style & Language: you experiment with language, turns of phrases, vocabulary, often pushing yourself beyond what you thought possible, occasionally making errors–but that’s okay, because they’re ambitious errors!
Submission of Work
Submit your final essay to Assignments on Blackboard by 11:59pm on April 26.
- As with all things, you have the option to formally request an alternate due date for this project. You must simply submit a formal and reasonable request to me in writing.