Research project:

Students have a choice of two options for their research projects.  Option 1 is a traditional 7-10 page analytic / research paper relevant to the course.  Option 2 is a 10-15 page journal of research and reflections concerning a variety of materials relevant to the course.

·        Weight: approximately 30% of final grade

Research proposal: Due via email by 22 March (or before).

Write at least two paragraphs containing the following information:

·        Indicate which option—Option 1 or Option 2—your research project will take. (If you are trying to choose between the two options, start your email by explaining the situation, then write separate entries for each option according to the guidelines below. The instructor—and perhaps some fellow students—will help you decide.

·        If Option 1, list the primary text(s) you intend to work with. Explain the source of your interest, why the topic is significant, and what you hope to find out through your research. Describe any reading or research you have already done and how useful it has been.

·        If Option 2, mention your possible choices of topics for the categories listed below in Option 2 (journal) requirements.

·        For either option, conclude by asking the instructor at least one question about your topic, possible sources for research, or the writing of your research project.

·        Email or otherwise transmit an electronic version of your proposal to me at whitec@uhcl.edu.

·        Research report proposals will be posted on the course webpage.

·        If you want to confer about your possible topic before submitting a proposal, feel free to confer with me in person, by phone, or by email.

Response to Research Proposal

·        The instructor will email you a reaction okaying the proposal and/or making any necessary suggestions.

·        Student may also receive suggestions for research from other students.

·        Student does not receive a letter grade for the proposal, only a “yes” or instructions for receiving a yes. Students will not lose credit for problems in reaching a topic as long as they are working to resolve these problems.

·        The only way you can start getting into trouble over the proposal is if you simply don’t offer very much to work with, especially after prompts from instructor. An example of a really bad proposal is one sentence starting with “I’m thinking about” and ending with “doing something about immigration and gender,” then asking, “What do you think?” In these cases, a bad grade won’t be recorded, but the deep hole the student has dug will be remembered. Notes regarding the paper proposal may appear on the Final Grade Report.

Option 1 (analytic / research paper) requirements

·        The topic is open to any type of literary analysis, but it must have some relevance to the course. That is, a member of the class reading your essay would be able to recognize the relevance of the text or its major themes.

·        In terms of primary texts, you may choose a text from beyond this course, but if you use more than one primary text, at least one should be from the course readings.

·        In terms of research, you must incorporate references to at least three secondary and background sources--that is, your research sources must include both secondary and background types of research; the distinction will be explained.

·        Follow MLA style for documentation and mechanics.

Option 2 (journal) requirements

If you choose the journal option, you are not choosing an option that involves less work than the traditional research paper option. You are expected to do just as much work and your writing will be judged by similar standards. However, the writing may be less centrally or consistently focused on one subject. Thus you may pursue several subjects, which may or may not cohere.  All the same, I expect to see good absorption and expression of research and well-polished if exploratory writing in what you turn in. (In brief, the journal I will read should not be restricted to your first drafts.)  Students choosing this option should check in with the instructor as the semester progresses to make sure that their work is adequately rigorous.  The following items or elements should be included, but some changes in proportions may be permitted according to your interests and discoveries. (Page lengths are only suggestions for minimal lengths.)

·        Brief autobiography and complete primary bibliography of an immigrant author, with some secondary bibliography. (2-4 pages?)

·        Review of at least three secondary sources having to do with immigrant literature, however broadly or specifically focused.  These articles might pertain to our class readings or to your research on an ethnic group or an immigrant author. (At least one page each.  Head report with bibliographic citation, followed by a review of the scholar’s argument, evidence, and usefulness.) (At least 3 pages)

·        Review of history of immigration and immigrant literature by a particular ethnic group (e. g., Italian-American, Chinese-American, Caribbean-American, Mexican-American), including a bibliography.  (The bibliography may be embedded in the text of this review.) (3 pages)

·        The following elements are more optional: reflection on your own family’s immigration history (2-4 pages; interviews with family members?); interviews with recent immigrants regarding immigrant experience plus their reading habits (3-5 pages; regarding reading habits, what literature do they find relevant to their experience?)

·        Other possible items may be mentioned as the semester progresses. Also consider combining categories—for instance, your “immigrant author” could be from the “ethnic group” you also investigate.