Assignment # 2

Research Essay Analyzing Intersections

We do research every day: when we hear a snippet of a new song by our favorite artist, we look it up; when we watch a TV show and recognize an actress but can’t tell from where, we google their character to figure out where we know them from; when we need to go somewhere we haven’t gone before, we google maps our way there (yeah, I used it as a verb).

Research — in its many forms — allows us to answer questions (and find new questions!) that itch, questions that ache, questions that we can’t quite get our minds around. As we read Intersections, the play will surely inspire a lot of questions in us. Some of these questions are going to be ripe for research: together, we will generate our own research questions that will guide our investigations, and you will use your research to help you write a deep analysis of Intersections and the exigent issues it evokes. You will need to cite (in MLA format, which we will discuss in class) at least three sources (aside from Intersections), one of which must be a scholarly article published in an academic journal. Your essay must be at least 750 words long (5 pages double spaced).

Due Dates:

Wednesday, April 5th — Draft your expectations for Assignment 2 and email them to me before class. These expectations need to include: what grade you are aiming for; what specific things, according to the grading contract, you are going to do to earn that grade; how much time you are expecting to put in; what kind of effort you expect to put into your peer reviews; what kind of help you expect from me; what format you are thinking about creating your assignment in; what you are interested in from Intersections so far. Additionally, comment on this google document (if that’s not working for you, comment right on this post) with any questions or suggestions you have for this assignment.

Wednesday, April 19th — Pre-draft for Assignment 2 posted to the blog before class. Answer the following: From what you’ve read of Intersections so far, what kinds of research do you think its playwrights had to do in order to write it? How might some research of your own help you conduct a deep, specific analysis of Intersections? What kinds of sources might you want to examine? What about Intersections has grabbed you (or not) so far? How might different forms of research enhance and/or challenge your initial impressions? What does “research” mean to you? What do you think research should be guided by? What should motivate it? (There’s no right answer: I’m genuinely interested in your thoughts!)

Wednesday, April 26th — Rough draft for Assignment 2 posted to the blog before class. Try to have as many of your thoughts/analysis expressed in your draft as possible. Include with your draft at least 5 specific questions that you would like your peer reviewer to answer, and cite at least 2 sources (aside from Intersections). Include your works cited list.

Monday, May 1 —  Post your peer review commentary and answers as a comment to two of your classmates’ Rough Draft posts before class.

Monday, May 8 — Post your most recent, edited and revised project to the blog before class, along with your 600 word reflective artist’s statement regarding what you learned, what you didn’t learn, how you can use what you learned in the future, if anything in your research surprised you, how your research impacted your emotions and thoughts about the play, and how you think you could have pushed your analysis even further.