FINAL PAPER / EXAM OPTIONS

You have your choice of either a paper or an exam for your final evaluation.

The final paper should be 6-8 pages long, well-edited and proofread,  typed and double-spaced in a readable font with 1" margins. It is due to your TA on Monday, December 2 by 5 p.m. Any requests for extensions must be made well ahead of time, and will be sparingly granted because of the extremely short time we have to read and complete the evaluation process.

If you want to write the paper, you must submit a brief description of your topic and argument in writing or by email to your TA by Thursday, November 21. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope if you want your paper returned to you. We must enforce this deadline so that there will be time for feedback well before the end of the term. Anyone who does not submit a topic by this date may be asked to take the exam instead, at the discretion of the TA.

You should not write on the same topic as the midterm paper, but you may extend and revise an argument from one of your response papers, if you wish. If you want to submit the same final paper for this class and another Literature course, it is University policy that you must get permission from both instructors prior to submitting the paper.

As with the midterm, the paper should  be persuasive in nature, citing textual evidence for its claims. Although we encourage you to explore examples of interest to you, you should mention at least one theorist at some length and make sure you demonstrate a solid grasp of their ideas. Identifying and constructing a thesis statement is an integral part of the assignment; however, here are some ideas to spark your thinking.

* Do an analysis of a "cityscape" and its cultural productions, in the manner of Benjamin's "Paris, Capital of the Nineteenth Century."

* Discuss the agency of the reader/viewer  in consuming some artifact of popular culture, using the 'negative' views of popular culture found in Althusser, the 'positive' views of Hall and de Certeau, or the dialectical view of Jameson.

* Do a critique of a work of literature, or a whole subfield within literature, using Guillory's concept of the canon and its logic of value and representation.

* Using Foucault's terms, investigate the way the author-function works in a particular case, being careful to highlight what is culturally and historically specific about that function.

* Discuss a technology of mechanical reproduction, such as the Internet, using the frameworks of Benjamin's "Work of Art..."

* Discuss any theoretical problem or debate comparatively among the works we've read-or read more of one of works excerpted in the Reader, and construct an argument about a theoretical frame of interest to you. You should aim to take a position and to intervene in an argument, not just to reiterate what a particular theorist thinks.

The aim here is not to apply some "formula" to the text, but to think from a theoretically informed perspective-and then explore the difference this makes for critical reading. Every theoretical essay, no matter how abstract, has implications for practice: what does this theoretical claim demand we ask of the artwork, and the concitions under which we encounter it?

You are welcome to incorporate outside sources in preparation for writing this paper, but are not required to do so. Your TA or the instructor will be happy to offer research suggestions or bibliographical advice.

Any secondary references should be given in MLA (parenthetical) or Chicago style (footnotes); references to texts in the Course Reader may be given parenthetically-for example, (Reader I, xxx).

and remember: if you have trouble finishing the paper, you always have the option of showing up for the final exam.

 

The final exam. It's true that most Literature students are unused to taking exams. But for some people, this structure will provide the best way to demonstrate what they've learned this quarter-particularly if you have many other papers to write.

The exam will be held in the regular room, Wednesday, December 4, 8-11 a.m. It will consist of three parts:

1. short answer: 8 common terms from the reading, each which you will be asked to define in 2-3 sentences. (4 points each; total 32 points)

2. explications: you will be given 3 short passages (several sentences each) that represent important sections from the reading we have discussed in class. For each, write a short paragraph explaining what is being said in the passage. (12 points each; total 36 points)

3. argumentative essay: You may choose any broad topic from a list of general theoretical problems presented in this course (such as "ideology," "value," "historical change") and write on it in relation to one of the exemplary texts presented on the exam. The exemplary texts will include a poem, a very short fiction, a dramatic dialogue, and a pop song. Limited historical/biographical context will be provided for each of these, but you will not be expected to make some grand pronouncement about the period or author: just to show how the some of the theories we've read would raise certain questions about the text you've chosen. (32 points)

In studying for the exam, you should review your notes, reading guides, and Reader. Pleaae make use of the MSI tutor. You don't need to be concerned about mastering every minor reference in every text: just focus on the key concepts. Ask yourself: what does this theoretical claim demand we ask of the artwork, and the conditions under which we encounter it?