solved ENGL 2130: American Literature Research Essay Assignment According to the

ENGL 2130: American Literature
Research Essay Assignment According to the Student Learning Outcomes for this course, students are required to
demonstrate the ability to produce an MLA Style research project or portfolio. For this class,
students are required to produce an 8 – 10-page Literary Research Essay, utilizing at least 4 – 5
sources found in the MLA International Bibliography, which deals with one of the works
covered in the course. (Either of the course textbooks, may be used as a primary source in
addition to the required 4 – 5 secondary sources.)
1. Instructions: Analyze and interpret a thought-provoking theme, character, passage, or
concept found in the literary piece from this semester that you have selected to research.
Develop an argument/thesis. Be specific. Do not simply summarize or restate ideas covered in
critical essays, discussions, or otherwise found elsewhere. Rather, use a unique framework for
developing your own argument. Support your argument with relevant textual evidence (in the
form of short quotes) from the essay. 2. Mandatory requirements: The Research Essay must have a clear thesis statement in its initial
paragraph. This thesis statement should express an arguable proposition.
Weak: “Oedipus Rex is a literary work filled with irony.”
Yes, indeed. However, there is not much debate possible here. It states the obvious in a vague
fashion. This is not a passable thesis statement.
Strong: “Sophocles uses irony in Oedipus Rex to serve the larger message of the play: Fate is
inescapable, and there is ultimately no free will.”
This is a much more substantial purpose / thesis statement. There is original analysis present
here, with a clearly stated thesis that makes the reader wonder how this stance will be proven. 3. Sources: At least 4 – 5 sources must be utilized to support the unique thesis of each Research
Essay. These sources must come from peer-reviewed journal articles found in the MLA
International Bibliography (literature and language). Students should access the MLA
International Bibliography through the EGSC Library web page. (From the “ega.edu Homepage,”
select the “Academics” tab and “Library.” From the Library page, use the “GALILEO” box in the
center of the page, select “Browse Databases by Category” and scroll down to “Literature,
Language, and Literary Criticism.” From here, select “Literature and Literary Criticism.” From
the list that follows, select “MLA International Bibliography (literature and language).” This last
choice will land on a search tool known as “EBSCO Host,” which is the tool that will search the
MLA Bibliography for articles to be used as sources for your research essay. Be sure to check
the box for “Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals” and “Linked Full Text.” Selecting “Find any of
my search terms” will yield the most results. You may want to experiment with the other
“Search Modes” to determine which one will yield the best results for your search.