During the last three weeks of this session we will be pulling from everything we’ve done before: critical analysis of texts, cultural analysis of works, integration and synthesis of works from different eras and cultures, and explication of literary devices. "How will we do this?" you ask? By answering an apparently simple question:
What do Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Wilfred Owen’s "Dulce Et Decorum Est," H.G. Wells’s The Time Machine (and The Days of the Comet, and The Island of Dr. Moreau, and Conrad’s Heart of Darkness), the Danse Macabre, 1984, punk music (The Clash!), Twitter, Wikipedia, The Wisdom of Crowds, The Starfish and the Spider, DIY, Internet piracy, and podcasting have in common?
Our answer can be as simple and complex as we want, but it will take our understanding of all these cultural phenomena and works and the skills we’ve acquired this year to pull off a solid answer.
Now that’s a cumulative test.
I hope the overview in class was clear, but in case it wasn’t, here’s a primer:
- Heading your paper (link to AP site). The link also provides an example of in-text citations, margins, and headings.
- MLA format guide at OWL at Purdue. Most of you will be using the “book” and “online periodical” sections.
- Works cited page (click to make larger):
- Keep in mind that the entire document should be 12pt Times New Roman, double-spaced. To make sure: after you finish your paper, save it, hit ctrl+A, right click the text, then hit “Paragraph.” The line spacing option should say “double”, and the spacing before and after should read “0″. Hit “OK,” then (with the text still highlighted) check the text size and font boxes to ensure they read “12″ and “Times New Roman,” respectively. If not, or if they’re blank, fix them.
- You’re all set! Send me a copy tonight if you want me to look it over, but don’t depend on me to do your final editing. I won’t have access to a computer all night.
[This post was WinsomeWiki'd on 4 Jul. 2009.]
Step 1: Sign up for a gmail account.
Step 2: Send an email to one of the people from class (or me).
Step 3: Click on the link you receive.
Step 4: Add your notes!
