Class Discussion

Hand in final essays

Grades
 

Spring Quarter 2009

You will be assigned one article or chapter from class reading assignments; you must present an oral critique on the due date for that assignment.  The critique should be one paragraph long, and include the following:

1. Summarize the evidence (examples) presented by the author (2-3 sentences);
2. Summarize the author's conclusions (1 sentence);
3. Are the conclusions specific to the author's examples, or can they be applied to other ethnic groups? (Give an example or counterexample, explain how it supports or contradicts the author's conclusions) (2 sentences). 
4. After your presentation, post the critique to the Class Discussion Website for further discussion.   

Research Assignments 

Each of the assignments builds on previous work. 
For Assignment 2, you should revise and expand what you wrote on Assignment 1, and so on.   You are also welcome to work ahead, and post early drafts of your final essay. 

Research, Part 1: preliminary research (Due April 17):  Write two or three paragraphs describing the ethnic group you plan to study.  Compile a list of "References Cited" at the bottom.  Follow MLA Style when quoting web resources.

Summarize what has been published about the ethnic group in the standard reference, American Folklore, An Encyclopedia (available as an e-book through the UW Libraries Catalog).  You should also include census information, links to websites of appropriate government institutions, and other useful information you've found on the Internet.  It is most important of all that you find websites that lead to living people in the community. 

Save your report as a Word document, and follow directions for posting research assignments on the Class Discussion website.

Research, Part 2: "library" research  (Due May 8): Add some paragraphs about the folklore of the group you're studying.  What have other folklorists written about the group? 

• UW Libraries Catalog: Search by Keyword, then by Subject. Find the books in the library stacks; skim them to see if they are useful.   
• Various databases as found on the UW library's online databases website. Open a database, then search for keywords.  Look for options that will lead you to academic journals.  A standard database for folklore research is the MLA Index; other tools to investigate are EBSCO and Expanded Academic ASAP.  If you need help getting from an Index to the actual journal article, ask a librarian for help. 
• Then, start reading the sources you've included in your bibliography.  Write critiques (as described above) for items you find useful.  Remove sources that aren't about your topic. 

At first, the bibliography will be very long.  Later, you'll cut out items that you don't need in your paper.  Combine this bibliography with your list of links.  All items in the new list should be in alphabetical order by author.  Use the following research tools to compile a bibliography on your group and its folklore.  Follow MLA Style when quoting published resources.

Post the new version of your work as a comment under your Assignment 1, on the  Class Discussion website.

Research, Part 3: Preliminary report (Due May 22): This is a draft of your final essay!  What can you add to the work done by folklorists who came before you?   Summarize your efforts at finding living people to study, and information you've compiled about these specific people's folklore and cultural traditions.

You should continue to revise your bibliography-- cut out things that won't be useful to your paper, and add new sources you've found.  In your report, refer to the bibliography using MLA Style.  

Add a section that relates your research to class reading assignments.  Which publications offer good theoretical or comparative examples that you can use?  (include these sources in your bibliography, too). 

Post the new version of your work as a comment under your Assignment 1, on the  Class Discussion website.

Final Research Essay (Due June 5) Revise and synthesize all three assignments.  Offer examples that support your conclusions about an ethnic group and its folklore.  Include comparative notes and analytical perspectives from class reading assignments. 

Do not post this paper on the discussion website:  Hand it in at the Final Essays Website

You will need to give a four-minute oral report about your research to the class, and you will need to critique another student's report. 

Last Updated: 
04/22/2009