Final Essay Assignment ENGL 2329 Online Course Assignment Overview: Write a well-organized, effectively developed, 3-5-page analysis of one of the short stories we read in this course, except for “The Story of an Hour.” The paper should critically analyze the way the text engages a significant social issue or how the story addresses issues or problems of social responsibility. You should anchor the paper’s argument with a clearly articulated thesis statement and use careful analysis of textual evidence (from the short story) to support your claim (thesis). As you develop your essay, you should think about how the social issue, or matter of social responsibility you write about, appears in your world. In other words, is the issue from the story one that might be observed in your own local community, your state, your nation, or in the larger world? Is the way the issue is portrayed in the story similar to what you observe in your world? Comment briefly on the similarities and/or differences. Responsible Integration of Sources: Students must properly integrate material from two secondary sources into their analysis in a way that gives credit to the authors whose ideas and language they are incorporating. This is not a research paper or a summary of the work of literature, but a paper in which you draw on secondary sources to communicate an interpretive argument about your chosen text through the lens of social issues or responsibility. Since this essay includes the integration of outside sources; it, therefore, requires you to demonstrate personal responsibility as you use the words and ideas of other writers in an accurate and ethical manner. (You will use MLA parenthetical in-text citations to do this.) Citing sources properly isn’t just a matter of mechanics. It’s a question of personal responsibility (with real consequences for students) and a matter that is clearly covered by the UTA Honor Code. Appropriate Secondary Sources: You should use the two secondary sources to enhance your analysis by allowing them to provide historical context, to demonstrate how the social issue or question of social responsibility appears in the world around you, and/or to provide illumination to your analysis of the short story from a literary point of view. Here is a list of credible sources: • National newspapers (e.g., New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star Telegram) • Print magazines (e.g., The Atlantic, Harper’s, New Yorker, Time, Newsweek) • Online magazines (e.g., Slate, Salon) • Scholarly articles (e.g., academic articles published in peer-reviewed journals; you can find citations for these articles by using the MLA International Bibliography database, JSTOR, or Project Muse—all of which UTA’s library gives you access to online) • Scholarly books or book chapters (it’s a good bet a book is scholarly if it’s published by an academic press, such as Duke University Press; if you’re not sure, ask your instructor) • Historical documents (e.g., old newspaper articles, letters, speeches, journal entries) from academic databases (see the History subject guide on the library website for ideas) Secondary Sources to Avoid: Wikipedia Sparknotes, Cliff Notes, or any other “student helping” sites Papers for sale sites or free essay sites Google search results other than those listed above General Webpages, blogs, or fan sites. Minimum Requirements: Your essay should be a Word document that is double spaced, with 1-inch margins, in 12-pt., Times New Roman font. It must have a cover page with your name, MavID, Course Number, and Section Number, Instructor Name, and Due Date. Neither your name nor any other identifying information should appear on the following pages of your essay. Follow the MLA’s recommendations for formatting, citation, page numbers, and style. In order to receive a passing grade on the signature assignment, students must do the following: 1. Write an essay that is at least 3 pages long, but no more than 5. 2. Integrate two appropriate sources. 3. Have a thesis. 4. Have a title. 5. Incorporate evidence (i.e., quotations) from the literary text. 6. Have parenthetical in-text citations that refer to entries on a Works Cited page. Writing Help and Resources: In the final lesson of the course, we will focus on writing strategies and models to assist you as you complete the last major assignment of the course. Make sure you read the SAMPLE ESSAY and all the information that will help you successfully complete this assignment. Review all the requirements and use the rubric as a guide and checklist for your assignment. Rubric: Requirement: Includes a creative title that forecasts the content of the paper. Provides an introduction that clearly articulates argument or focus for the essay. Includes a specific, detailed thesis that supports the argument. Provides an effective interpretation of the short story. Develops a coherent and well-organized argument. Discusses how the issue from the story relates to a local, regional, national or global issue. Uses two appropriate and helpful secondary sources. Incorporates evidence (e.g., quotations) responsibly from the literary text and from the outside sources by correctly citing them using MLA formatting. Has a works cited page, correctly formatted in MLA style. Uses sentences that are lively, engaging, and relatively error free. Uses correct grammar and mechanics. Meets the length requirement. Has a cover page with required information.