Signature Assignment over TADEUSZ BOROWSKI This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen
he construction of a clearly articulated thesis statement supported by a careful analysis of textual evidence demonstrates critical thinking and communication skills. The development of a well-organized essay that demonstrates the correct use of grammar and other writing mechanics and demonstrates an awareness of the how to appeal convincingly to an audience further addresses the communication objective. The critical analysis of the way the selected text engages a significant issue of social responsibility addresses the social responsibility outcome.
Specific Requirements Write a well-organized, effectively developed 3-5 page analysis of a story or novel we discussed in Weeks 1-4. The paper should critically analyze the way the text engages a significant issue 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 story to support your claims. While you analyze the story, you should consider how the social issue from the story relates to a local issue in your own community or to a significant regional, national, or global issue.
How does the story help you understand better the social issue or the issue of social responsibility in the contemporary world? Do you observe similarities or differences or both between the social issue in the story and in your own world?
Possible Areas of Focus: Colonialism and/or empire; cultural difference, cultural negotiation, and/or cultural discrimination; religious discrimination; class and/or economic oppression; national identity controversies; globalization and/or neo-colonialism; gender equality; tradition vs. modernity.
Minimum Requirements Your essay should be a Word document that is double spaced, with 1-inch margins, in 12-pt., Times New Roman (or some other easily readable) font. Follow the MLA’s recommendations for formatting, citation, and style.
In order to receive a passing grade on the signature assignment, students are expected to: 1. write an essay that is at least 3 pages long, but no more than 5. 2. integrate two appropriate sources. 3. have a . 4. have a title. 5. incorporate evidence (i.e., quotations) from the literary text. 6. have a Works Cited page.
Personal responsibility 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 responsibility. This would be a separate assignment, not part of the signature assignment.
Secondary sources You should use two secondary sources to support your own claims, to engage in a conversation with other critics who you agree or disagree with, and/or to provide historical context relevant to your argument about the story. Make sure you keep the use of secondary sources and the length of quotes from these sources to a minimum. Always provide a commentary/analysis of your quote. This is your papers and should mainly focus on your argument about the novel! For more on how to use quotes from primary and secondary sources effectively, go to Norton’s LitWeb – “Effective Quotation – Useful Strategies”: http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/litweb10/writing/E1b-useful-strategies.aspx
Here is a list of credible secondary 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, Literature Resource Center, J-STOR, or Project Muse—all of which UTA’s library gives you access to online: http://libguides.uta.edu/az.php)
• 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) Students interested in using a source that isn’t listed here, should check with their instructor.