Comics Effect on Japanese Culture
Advanced Survey of American Cultures: Perspectives on American Popular Culture
AMCS 300 Spring 2015
Final Paper Project & Journal
Assignment Description:
Students must place their primary source selection of an American popular cultural artifact within its specific social, historical, political and
geographical contexts utilizing scholarly sources to support the student’s argument(s). The paper is due in hard copy form and the journal is due
online as a prezi.
Checklist for the paper:
1) Select a primary text that reflects the intersection of race, gender, class and/or sexuality of one of the minority groups in the U.S. we have
covered this semester thus far.
2) Have a strong argument/thesis. A strong argument will:
a) Place that cultural artifact within a specific context.
b) Explain the significance of the cultural artifact within that context.
c) Be clearly stated in either the first or second paragraph.
3) Support your main argument with analysis of your primary source and support each assertion with scholarly sources.
a) At a MINIMUM you must have a total of 5 sources
b) Cite at least 4 secondary sources and your primary source = 5 sources
c) 2 of those secondary sources must be scholarly articles from peer-reviewed journals or monographs NOT from the assigned reading/syllabus
d) Scholarly sources DO NOT include: encyclopedias, abstracts, magazine articles, newspaper articles, blogs, vlogs, documentaries or other
non-peer-reviewed sources
4) The paper MUST be in MLA Style. Do NOT use online bibliography tools/shortcuts/pamphlets…etc. Use the ORIGINAL MLA Handbook for
Writers of Research Papers by Joseph Gibaldi 7th ed available 24/7 in the library reference section [REF LB2369 .G53 2009]. Learning how to
use MLA Style is a significant portion of this assignment.
5) The paper must be in Times New Roman 12 pt font with a minimum length of 5 full pages. The Works Cited page is counted separately. In
other words, if the body of your paper is 5 pages long, you will print out 6 pages because the 6th page will be your Works Cited page. [DO NOT
title your Works Cited page “Bibliography.” That is NOT MLA Style.]
6) The paper must have an interesting title. Papers without titles or are titled “Midterm Paper” will be marked down.
7) Have at least 2 other pairs of eyes read over your paper before you submit it to check for any typographical, grammatical or syntax errors
Journal description:
Students should also submit a reflective journal using prezi.com communicating specifics about the growth in their understanding and use of
information tools and resources in the discipline appropriate to the research of their primary source/topic. The portfolio will be graded on how well
the student articulates her/his: research strategies and resources, criteria for the evaluation & selection of source materials, organizes the journal
visually using prezi.com.
Questions to consider and journal about as you utilize research strategies and library research resources:
What specific strategies did you develop for finding and using relevant information? What discoveries did you make by chance and which through
planned search strategies? How did these events impact each other? Highlight the strong points of your use of your sources in supporting your
thesis or argument. How much of your research was done independently? Did you seek and/or receive guidance from others in how to locate or
best utilize the resources available to you? Describe your search strategies, both the successes and the problematic searches. What did you already
know and what did you learn in the process of doing research and why did you make the choices you did? What specifically did you discover
about tools and techniques for research? What research tools did you use (research databases, library catalogs, websites, bibliographies, etc.), but
in an evaluative way – not just a list of things you tried. Is there a particular tool that you felt was invaluable to your research during the creation
of this project?
Questions to consider and journal about as you utilize criteria for the evaluation and selection of sources:
What did you learn about finding and evaluating information on your topic or in your discipline? What criteria did you use to evaluate your
sources? Did you have trouble finding some kinds of information? Describe your decision-making process for solving this challenge. What were
some of your reasons for not selecting specific sources, even though they appeared promising? Were you able to recognize bias or contradictions
in information sources? How did you balance these viewpoints with your own? How did you reconcile differing viewpoints through the course of
your research process and how did it influence your choice of resources.
Journal Checklist:
1) The journal addresses research strategies, resources and criteria for the evaluation and selection of sources in a reflective manner.
2) The journal uses MLA style
3) Has a bibliography of all sources considered for the research paper
4) The journal is organized and has elements of visual interest.