Assignments for ENLT 206--World Literature: Coming of Age
The purpose of assignments in this course is to gage students' ability to take the knowledge learned in class one step further. In other words, students are expected not only to consume a wide amount of knowledge about world literature, but also to become producers of sophisticated thinking and original argumentation.

Students are reminded of the academic code of ethics, which requires that all work submitted be original and not copied from an uncited source. Outside sources must be cited according to MLA documentation style, even web sources, which follow their own citation style. Failure to comply means failure in this course and sanctioning measures by the Dean of Students. Late papers are still accepted until the final day of the course, though two points are deducted from the grade for each class day the paper is late (i.e., a paper turned in a week late is deducted four points, or about a half grade—from 91/A- to 87/B+). This levels the playing field for your classmates who submit work on assigned dates.

WRITING PROJECT ON GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ'S ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE

PART I: Presentation of Research:

The presentation (appx. 7-10 min. per student) should discuss the assigned topic in relation to the novel and may include handouts, discussion questions, visual and other bibliographical resources. This research helps you to define a topic for your Writing Project, details of which follow below. You must present your preliminary findings to your classmates; if you are absent on the assigned day, you must present the material alone on another day.

M 11/7    WP #1: Marquez biography: Anthony, Melissa, Nicola, Steven S., Kelli, Jessica N.


R 11/10    WP #2: Colombia: Pauline, Sheila, Eric, Felix, Steve F., Imani


M 11/14    WP #3: Magical Realism: Dawn, Jessica V., Dominique, Kristina A., Alla, Mickey, Jeremy


M 11/21   WP #4: Literary Criticism I:  Erica, Amanda, Helena, Kate, Kimberly, Stephen D.


R 12/1    WP #5: Literary Criticism II: Leonard, Nicole, Jaci, Elizabeth, Nick D., Cristina V.

Other Instructions:

This assignment addresses many questions about Marquez’s text that are not easily answered, such as: What is magical realism? How does the world of Macondo resemble Latin and South American experiences (or not)? What perspectives do literary critics provide about this intriguing novel?

The purpose of the presentation is to prepare you to write your Writing Project and it also provides a paper trail to protect you from allegations of plagiarism. Documents created for the presentation may be included in the Writing Project. Documents include but are not limited to posters or collages that demonstrate or outline a particular theme, idea, or motif in the novel; creative responses to One Hundred Years of Solitude, such as a continuation of a scene or a fictional dialogue, letter, poem, or dramatic sketch; maps; a diorama; and/or timelines.

You may use PowerPoint on your laptop, but please notify me beforehand. I advise you to  1) learn how to switch between the screen view and the data projector (Displays) before coming to class and 2) to bring your laptop at least a class day in advance to practice before your presentation. It's a good idea to have a back up (e.g., transparencies of your PowerPoint slides) in case the technology doesn't work out.

Discussion questions also work quite well. Generate original and thought-provoking discussion questions, either to be discussed in groups or to stimulate class discussion. You might even email these to the class beforehand, to insure that your audience is prepared to dialogue with you (go to ‘Email Options’ and then ‘Send Email’ on Blackboard: select ‘All Users’). This is a good option for groups that do not have the resources to work collaboratively, since each student could be made responsible for a specific question. Each student’s question might evolve, in turn, into a paper topic. Discussion questions allow you to guide a close reading of a specific passage, looking for literary elements such as symbols, motifs, and word choice.

Sometimes students devise games for presentations. This is an okay option, but please remember that in the work environment, speakers need to stimulate their audience without using sugar (e.g., candy-throwing is discouraged).

PART II: Writing Project on One Hundred Years of Solitude due on R 12/8 at 11:30 am:

You will receive an actual grade for the written portion of this assignment, the Writing Project, which documents, in a more formalized manner, interpretations that began in your presentation. As with any good paper, your Writing Project should have a title that represents (and not just tells about) its major themes and points. This assignment is called a Writing Project because, unlike a traditional English paper, it might collate several different kinds of documents in a portfolio-like manner. If you excel in writing English papers, then you may of course write a traditional paper, which is based on close literary analysis. Traditional literary analysis is a paper whose internal logic is expressed through an introductory paragraph, supporting paragraphs, and conclusion. In other words, (A) you are invited to write a traditional English paper on One Hundred Years of Solitude, or (B) you may also collate a several types of responses to García Márquez's novel. In either case, the Writing Project, due on 12/8, should be 3 to 7 pages typed.

Unless you write a traditional literary analysis, all projects must include a cover letter that introduces your work and explains what you have learned through it—about the “coming of age” in the Americas, Gabriel García Márquez, the novel, and an analysis of the ways in which the material fits together. The cover letter is the primary mode of evaluating your Writing Project. The cover letter may include a summary of your presentation work. Your Writing Project may include any materials you made for your presentation, such as:

- a poster, diorama, or collage (= 1 page)

- a bibliography for your research and short summaries of these items (a.k.a. annotated bibliography) with emphasis on your evaluation of these materials and authoritative quality of the materials chosen (not a good idea to present internet materials in this form)

- creative responses to One Hundred Years of Solitude, such as a dialogue between characters, a dramatic sketch, or a missing scene

- close analysis of a short passage (3-5 sentences) from the novel

In terms of translating presented work into written form, a detailed poster with enough information and thought put into it might equal circa one page; your written documentation should show the connection between your interpretation (e.g., the poster) and evidence from specific passages. You should take care to explain the relevance and interpretation of different documents in your cover letter, since this Writing Portfolio is graded along the same lines as an essay (argument, focus, analysis of text).

If translating a PowerPoint Presentation into a written document, please be sure to use complete sentences and to cite information according to MLA format (page numbers, author last name in parenthesis and with a Works Cited). You might refocus your oral project toward a well-defined question: In what ways, specifically, does García Márquez shape readers' understandings of Latin American civil conflict? What, exactly, is the vision of family and community García Márquez presents? As with any English paper, your paper should follow the grammatical and stylistic conventions of standard American English.

Your WP also needs a main argument. For example: one of these sentences fails to specify a topic:

Too general
 One Hundred Years of Solitude is a good book and features magical realism.
Specific and arguable
 As shown in the figure of Remedios the Beauty and her juxtaposition to the banana plantation, García Márquez uses magical realism in order to relay the censorship of liberal politics in Latin America.

In evaluating this material, I will look at how well you present a close literary analysis of the novel. Writing Projects will be evaluated according to their originality, focused argumentation/controlling idea, logical progression, sophistication, and excellence in standard American English (see general evaluative criteria). This final project should document your sophistication in literary analysis and include a WORKS CITED and follow the MLA parenthetical method (author page number) when citing all of its sources, both primary (García Márquez) and secondary (any articles, encyclopedias, books, and/or websites you consulted).

TIPS:
Dr. Wendy Nielsen     Correction Key for Essays    

agr        lack of agreement (1) verbs (2) pronouns     
apos        Apostrophe needed or misused
awk        awkward phraseology           
ف        deletion suggested                        
C        Content (thesis, argument, supporting paragraphs, conclusion); comments on right
cliché        overused or colloquial phrase           
cit        incomplete or awkward citation       
ev        evidence missing or questionable
ex        example or support needed
F        Form (grammar, diction, writing style); comments on left side
frag        incomplete idea; sentence fragment       
^        omission / missing word
// ism        lack of parallel structure (between nouns and pronouns generally)   
mod        unclear or dangling modifier
mw      missing word                           
p        punctuation                   
pass         use of passive voice obstructs clarity           
ref        problem with pronoun reference       
rep        unnecessary repetition               
R-O        run-on sentence, comma splice, etc.       
sp        spelling error                   
specify        specify your meaning
T        wrong tense or mixing of tenses       
trans        transition needed or unclear connection   
vag        vague point; development of ideas lacking
wd ch        ineffective word choice           
wdy        wordy; cut down               
wo        rearrange word order for clarity or emphasis   
~        reverse word order               
ww        wrong word (i.e., affect/effect)
X        obvious mechanical error (its/it’s)
?        unclear or inaccurate               
√    good point worth developing further; please elaborate and expand
√+        very good analysis
CONTENT TOTAL ( /50):
   
ORIGINALITY:   
   
ARGUMENTATIVE THESIS / CONTROLLING IDEA:   
   
INTRODUCTION PREPARES READER FOR FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS:   
   
LOGICAL STRUCTURE / LOGICAL PROGRESSION OF IDEAS:   
   
VALID SUPPORT FOR THESIS CLEARLY RELATES TO THESIS:    
   
EACH SUPPORTING PARAGRAPH IS UNITED AROUND A MAIN IDEA:   
   
CLARITY AND SOPHISTICATION OF THOUGHT / COHERENCE:   
   
CONCLUSION:
FORM TOTAL ( /50):
   
PRECISION OF WORDS:   
   
APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF SPECIFICITY:   
   
SENTENCE STYLE (CLEARLY STRUCTURED AND FOCUSED):   
   
MECHANICAL ERRORS: