Module 6: Beginning the Documented Essay: Topic and Expectations

Documented Essay Assignment and Topic

We are ready to begin working on our research essay although it is not due for another week or more. We will all use the same topic, a simple one that is focused on explaining Juan Rulfo’s Pedro Paramo, when it was written, what it is about, its influence on Latin American Literature. I suggest that you start with simple research about Pedro Paramo.

As you prepare this essay please beware that you must include and quote three to five outside sources, use the MLA format, and in the process of the paper explain Pedro Paramo, its origins, intentions, and influences. If you have any questions, please email me immediately.

We are doing the same topic for a variety of reasons, the first being, I do not want something purchased from a cheating site like Course Hero. When our software reveals that you have done that, you are no longer a member of this class. You will receive an unconditional and final F in the class, no discussion, no appeal.

I made the topic very simple, so if you have never written a documented essay, you will still have no trouble. You can use as few as three sources, as I say above, and we have been working the whole term on the format, except we now will deploy several quotations and certainly a works cited page.

We are starting in Module 6 so that you may begin to gather some sources to quote, begin an Annotated Bibliography, and get started–with plenty of time to ask all the questions you want to ask.

Why don’t you start with a search of Juan Rulfo and the title of his famous short novel, Pedro Paramo.

I will give you an alternative topic, directly related to the paper we did for characterization, but this one requiring three to five sources and a works cited. Please read about that option below if you are interested. I will warn you in advance that the paper will be somewhat more challenging in that your research will be a great deal more focused. You make your own choice.

Module 6: Alternative Documented Essay Topic

Second Possible Topic for the Documented Research Essay

If you do not like the first topic, you can do this one:

(this is the title you must use and support):

The Characterization of the Grandmother in Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”

In this essay, do what you did with the Dee essay: tell how, in this case the Grandmother, is characterized by WHAT SHE SAYS (and you must include an analysis of a variety of the very revealing things she says, using direct quotations of course.

WHAT SHE DOES, and of course there is plenty here from her attempts to have the family vacation to where she wants, to her actions with the children, to her interactions with Red Sammy and, finally, the Misfit.

and WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT HER–this would include the children, perhaps her son, and certainly the Misfit.

Now you do this very carefully and thoroughly but you MUST ADD a minimum of three OUTSIDE SOURCES that you quote at least once each in your essay. These would be articles on the Grandmother, the story, or something to do with what you are doing in the essay. Quote each one a minimum one time each and include a Works Cited page with the sources you use, in alphabetical order and MLA format.

Any questions about this optional topic email me.

The most important part of the paper will be the Conclusion–where you give a summary of what the different aspects of the Grandmother’s characterization shows the reader and then how we should finally take the Grandmother based on O’Connor’s careful and subtle characterization–and certainly those final words spoken about her by the Misfit.

Module 7: More Documented Essay Directions

The Documented Essay is the last Essay assignment and of course the largest. This one should be multiple paragraphs. You must have three to five sources, all of which are quoted in the body of the paper at least once consistent with the MLA style. The paper uses parenthetical references and must have a Works Cited, which, unlike the annotated bibliography, contains the reference but not the annotations.

Before submitting you might use this checklist:

MLA format top to bottom:

Double space only

12 TNR Font only

paragraphs indented

every page numbered

one inch margins all the way around, or on all four sides

an attached Works Cited page

minimum three sources, but more acceptable

every source listed on the works cited (minimum 3) are quoted a minimum of one time each in the paper

use of parenthetical references with the period outside the reference only like this ( ).

content of the parenthetical references and the reference page consistent with MLA format

works cited in alphabetical order, double space, with the first line of every reference ON the left margin but other lines indented once

Translate to Spanish (without using google translate): 

What is the point of college? Don’t we all just expect to be given life instead of earning it? Well maybe not, but when it comes to college, skills and talents are the only thing that will make it easy. Unless you are happy too. We have to work in order to work. 

Going to college seems to be the only way that people will get decent jobs these days. Without college, people also don’t typically get the necessary tools they need in order to be successful in the path that they choose. This is why people choose Universities. They offer so many great classes, programs, and scholarships that will help every student become an employee. I think it is a smart choice to go to a University.

The most glamorous jobs, in my opinion, are the ones that each individual person is happy with. I don’t consider any job better than any job, as long as the person working is comfortable and happy with where they are and what they are doing. For me, the glamorous job would be to be a graphic designer. It may not be the most exciting, or the most paying job, but it is what I enjoy to do and that is all that matters.

I think talent is what drives a society and makes it successful. Image is just a joke; Us humans always want to compete and be the best. Will image get you far in life or will skills? It doesn’t matter what it looks like you’re doing, it matters what you are doing and how you do it. In my opinion, image is just a way to justify the class system of jobs and discrimination that occurs in that system. Essentially, it means nothing while skills are behind all of the madness. 

Overall, there is a lot that goes into an occupation. College, loathing, and even skills. In order to be successful, you need to ask yourself what is success and then meet that goal. It is an individual scale that opens up a huge world. 

Annotated Bibliography:

You will also need to create an annotated bibliography of the sources used for your presentation.
Each annotated bibliography should contain at least 10 sources in addition to the textbook, and they should be reputable sources; peer reviewed journals or books, education websites, etc.
You should not use Wikis as sources, unless they originate from a college or university.

In the annotations for each source, you will want to explain why each source is included in the power point, and what information you are including from each source.

solPower Point Final Submission:

The final part of the power point project is the actual power point presentation.
You should create at least 30 slides for the final power point.
In the power point, you will want to make sure you include the theoretical perspectives, and both the classic and contemporary sociological theorists.
You should include research methods in your presentation as well.
You will want to trace the early history of sociology up to at least the latter half of the twentieth century, although you can go all the way up to current sociology in the early twenty-first century.
All sources should be listed on the final slide(s) in the power point, formatted for a bibliography.

 The research topic will be weather hazards.  The intent is to identify different types of weather hazards, the severity of each one of them and how many accident each hazard cause to aviation on an x period of time.

When I selected the topic, the professor came back with this:

“Be sure to bring in the SMS theory of planning and decision making for Weather hazards. Discuss in your paper the 4 Pillars of SMS .  SAFETY POLICY, SAFETY PROMOTION, SAFETY RISK MANAGEMENT AND SAFETY ASSURANCE.”

So that needs to be included on the paper.

Instructions are as follows:

  *  A minimum of 15 substantive text pages, maximum 25 substantive pages. 

  * Use Times New Roman 12 pt font or equivalent

  *  Format should conform to the APA Publication Manual latest edition.

  *  Should contain at least 6 reference sources to books, journal articles, magazines, technical pubs etc.  What I mean is that listing most of your sources as website links is not acceptable.