Research Paper, English
Monstrous Discourse & the Cultural Moment
Project description
Building on the principles explored through class discussion, assignments, and the assigned texts, this assignment requires students to investigate a particular cultural moment in American history that exemplifies the concept of “sleep of reason”. By compiling a series of relevant artifacts, students will construct a compelling narrative that illustrates the relation of a contemporaneous monster to the social anxieties of said moment.
This assignment requires intensive, critical engagement with a range of sources as well as thorough academic inquiry. Grades will depend heavily upon the clarity, complexity, creativity, and comprehensiveness of ideas as well as the paper’s exhibition and application of principles discussed in both class and class texts.
Students are encouraged to make use of University resources available, such as the Library and Writing Center staffs, to ensure success with this assignment.
To complete this assignment, students must:
Select a cultural moment that exemplifies the concept of “sleep of reason”.
Define a single monster that is contemporary to the cultural moment selected.
Develop a claim that argues the relation between cultural moment and monstrous discourse in terms of the compiled artifacts.
Collect 8 artifacts in order to illustrate the connection between the cultural moment and the monster selected.
Employ research from Monsters in America and at least 2 of Poole’s sources (research is limited to this text and its bibliography).
Include an MLA formatted Works Cited page that includes entries of all sources as well as applicable artifacts.
Submit the individual components of the assignment as outlined below (failure to do so will result in a 10 point reduction from the final grade for the assignment).
Part 1: Exegesis (1.5-2 pages). Students will compose an exegesis of the cultural moment they plan to explore and its corresponding social anxiety. This explication should include enough information for someone unfamiliar with the cultural moment to understand the context. In addition, students should convey why this particular cultural moment exemplifies the concept of “sleep of reason”.
Part 2: Definition (1.5-2 pages). Using Poole’s text as their source, students will define a monster prevalent during the cultural moment outlined in Part 1. Students must employ direct textual evidence from Monsters in America to support their claim of the monster’s prevalence.
Part 3: Analysis (2 pages). At this stage, students will compose an analysis of 2 artifacts they have located focusing on how each artifact is a product of the cultural moment’s “sleep of reason” explicated in Part 1, and how each artifact is representative of the monster defined in Part 2. Students should follow the precepts of annotating an artifact employed in the Artifacts Blog and Inexplicable Attractions assignments.
Part 4: Synthesis, Revision, and Argument (12-15 pages). Students will synthesize the previously submitted parts of the assignment with the remaining artifacts compiled into a well-developed argument that claims a relation between the cultural moment and the monster they have selected. This final component must reexamine and revise the previous parts of the assignment as a facet of the process, ensuring the cohesion of the overall argument. Additional research from Poole’s text or sources should also be incorporated during this stage, where necessary.
Importantly, students should remember that the main focus of their argument is the relation between the cultural moment and the monster. The artifacts simply serve as support for that relation and do not represent a primary facet of the claim unto themselves. However, should students discover in their compiling of the artifacts that a monster other than the one defined in Part 2 is more relevant, they may elect to change the monster upon which they will focus with the instructor’s approval.
Artifacts of a textual nature should be employed through the use of direct textual evidence. Artifacts of a visual nature should be included an appendix at the end of the paper. All artifacts should be properly cited using MLA style documentation.
Project description
Building on the principles explored through class discussion, assignments, and the assigned texts, this assignment requires students to investigate a particular cultural moment in American history that exemplifies the concept of “sleep of reason”. By compiling a series of relevant artifacts, students will construct a compelling narrative that illustrates the relation of a contemporaneous monster to the social anxieties of said moment.
This assignment requires intensive, critical engagement with a range of sources as well as thorough academic inquiry. Grades will depend heavily upon the clarity, complexity, creativity, and comprehensiveness of ideas as well as the paper’s exhibition and application of principles discussed in both class and class texts.
Students are encouraged to make use of University resources available, such as the Library and Writing Center staffs, to ensure success with this assignment.
To complete this assignment, students must:
Select a cultural moment that exemplifies the concept of “sleep of reason”.
Define a single monster that is contemporary to the cultural moment selected.
Develop a claim that argues the relation between cultural moment and monstrous discourse in terms of the compiled artifacts.
Collect 8 artifacts in order to illustrate the connection between the cultural moment and the monster selected.
Employ research from Monsters in America and at least 2 of Poole’s sources (research is limited to this text and its bibliography).
Include an MLA formatted Works Cited page that includes entries of all sources as well as applicable artifacts.
Submit the individual components of the assignment as outlined below (failure to do so will result in a 10 point reduction from the final grade for the assignment).
Part 1: Exegesis (1.5-2 pages). Students will compose an exegesis of the cultural moment they plan to explore and its corresponding social anxiety. This explication should include enough information for someone unfamiliar with the cultural moment to understand the context. In addition, students should convey why this particular cultural moment exemplifies the concept of “sleep of reason”.
Part 2: Definition (1.5-2 pages). Using Poole’s text as their source, students will define a monster prevalent during the cultural moment outlined in Part 1. Students must employ direct textual evidence from Monsters in America to support their claim of the monster’s prevalence.
Part 3: Analysis (2 pages). At this stage, students will compose an analysis of 2 artifacts they have located focusing on how each artifact is a product of the cultural moment’s “sleep of reason” explicated in Part 1, and how each artifact is representative of the monster defined in Part 2. Students should follow the precepts of annotating an artifact employed in the Artifacts Blog and Inexplicable Attractions assignments.
Part 4: Synthesis, Revision, and Argument (12-15 pages). Students will synthesize the previously submitted parts of the assignment with the remaining artifacts compiled into a well-developed argument that claims a relation between the cultural moment and the monster they have selected. This final component must reexamine and revise the previous parts of the assignment as a facet of the process, ensuring the cohesion of the overall argument. Additional research from Poole’s text or sources should also be incorporated during this stage, where necessary.
Importantly, students should remember that the main focus of their argument is the relation between the cultural moment and the monster. The artifacts simply serve as support for that relation and do not represent a primary facet of the claim unto themselves. However, should students discover in their compiling of the artifacts that a monster other than the one defined in Part 2 is more relevant, they may elect to change the monster upon which they will focus with the instructor’s approval.
Artifacts of a textual nature should be employed through the use of direct textual evidence. Artifacts of a visual nature should be included an appendix at the end of the paper. All artifacts should be properly cited using MLA style documentation.