Tim O'Brien'sThe Things They Carried
Research
Project for ENG 102 – Making Connections
Mary Jo Garcia
Mary Jo Garcia
So far this semester, the writing assignments have focused on comparisons among or analyses of the assigned readings. This writing assignment asks you to step beyond the works that have been at the center of this course this semester to create, participate, and research.
Evaluation:
This
project is worth 25 points. Unlike the other writing assignments
you have done to date, this assignment will not have a postwrite, and
you will not have the opportunity to revise it for submission in the
portfolio. Therefore, it is important that you edit and revise
carefully and utilize all available resources to help you polish this
work before submitting it. Make an appointment with the Student
Success Center in J211 and visit with a tutor and take full advantage
of peer revision and instructor writing conferences.
Your Options:
Community
Book Connection Events Project
1)
You must attend at least three CBC-sponsored
events.
2) When you attend an event, you must do more than just be present. You must be an active participant. Listen actively, take notes, if there is a question and answer period, ask questions of the speakers or panelists. If there is no Q&A period, see if you can grab an opportunity to meet with the speakers and question them in person. If there is literature passed out at the event, get a copy and take it with you. By all means, eat whatever free food is available.
3) Afterwards, reflect on the experience. What have you learned? How does it connect to what you have read, seen, heard, or discussed in this class?
4) You should also do some additional research about the events you have attended to learn more and help you extend those connections even further. If you listened to an author, read his/her book. If you listened to a panel discuss an historical period, study that historical period in greater depth. If you listened to a group of vets talk about their experiences, then try to find books, documentary films, or websites that discuss a similar topic. Document your source information and take notes. Again, try to make connections among your research, what you experienced at the CBC-sponsored events, and the readings in ENG102.
5) As you begin to establish what these connections are, start to formulate a thesis that will draw together the connections you are making. It is not enough to just see connections; you must dig deeper and ask yourself why those connections are significant. What is your angle? Once you’ve established this, then you can begin to develop your research essay.
6) The paper should be at least 1500-2000 words (6-8 pages) long, should have MLA-style in-text citations and a works cited page.
7) The usual manuscript format applies. See details at the end of this assignment.
2) When you attend an event, you must do more than just be present. You must be an active participant. Listen actively, take notes, if there is a question and answer period, ask questions of the speakers or panelists. If there is no Q&A period, see if you can grab an opportunity to meet with the speakers and question them in person. If there is literature passed out at the event, get a copy and take it with you. By all means, eat whatever free food is available.
3) Afterwards, reflect on the experience. What have you learned? How does it connect to what you have read, seen, heard, or discussed in this class?
4) You should also do some additional research about the events you have attended to learn more and help you extend those connections even further. If you listened to an author, read his/her book. If you listened to a panel discuss an historical period, study that historical period in greater depth. If you listened to a group of vets talk about their experiences, then try to find books, documentary films, or websites that discuss a similar topic. Document your source information and take notes. Again, try to make connections among your research, what you experienced at the CBC-sponsored events, and the readings in ENG102.
5) As you begin to establish what these connections are, start to formulate a thesis that will draw together the connections you are making. It is not enough to just see connections; you must dig deeper and ask yourself why those connections are significant. What is your angle? Once you’ve established this, then you can begin to develop your research essay.
6) The paper should be at least 1500-2000 words (6-8 pages) long, should have MLA-style in-text citations and a works cited page.
7) The usual manuscript format applies. See details at the end of this assignment.
The
Cinema Project
1)
View at least four war-related films. You may select from any of
the films being shown on any of the three campuses during the
CBC-sponsored
film series, you may go to the library and view films
from the collection I have compiled there, or you may select films of
your own choosing as long as you seek prior approval from me.
2) Films currently in my collection available to be viewed in the CCBC Dundalk library are:
World War II:
3) View these films actively, not passively. Take notes while you watch. If you watch the movies at home or in the library, don’t be afraid to stop, rewind, pause, or watch scenes over again until you understand what you are seeing. Feel free to turn on the captioning if it helps you understand the dialogue. Use the guide to writing about film that was given to you in Unit 1 to guide you as you ask questions of the movies you see. If you watch the films as a part of the CBC film series, there will usually be a Q&A at the end. Take advantage of this time, and ask questions you may have about what you just saw. There may also be a speaker who will help make the documentary or the fiction that you just witnessed very real to you. Stay and listen to the speaker. That experience may end up becoming a part of your research project.
4) DVDs are great because they have “extras,” that is, they have “behind the scenes” features that explore how the movie was made, may interview the filmmaker, the actors, and the crew. The extras are a legitimate form of research into the art of filmmaking. They are, of course, only one source for such information. For each film you watch, I would like you to research how the film came into being. Learn what you can about the screenplay, the director, the actors, the making of the picture, and the bringing of the film to the market. Also learn what you can about how the film has been received by the public since its release. Has the critical reception been positive? Why or why not? Has the film made money? Did it win any awards? Has what you’ve learned about the film jibe with your own personal reaction to the film?
5) After viewing and researching all of the films, collect your notes, and begin to think about the connections among these films and what you have read, seen, heard, and discussed in class. Do themes begin to emerge? Can you see a single common thread that you would like to explore in greater depth?
6) As you begin to establish what these connections are, start to formulate a thesis that will draw together the connections you are making. It is not enough to just see connections; you must dig deeper and ask yourself why those connections are significant. What is your angle? Once you’ve established this, then you can begin to develop your research essay.
7) The paper should be at least 1500-2000 words (6-8 pages) long, should have MLA-style in-text citations and a works cited page.
8) The usual manuscript format applies. See details at the end of this assignment.
2) Films currently in my collection available to be viewed in the CCBC Dundalk library are:
World War II:
Catch
22
Korea:
M*A*S*H (if you cite this one, you must cite four ADDITIONAL films)
Vietnam:Korea:
M*A*S*H (if you cite this one, you must cite four ADDITIONAL films)
Hamburger
Hill
Casualties of War
First
Gulf War:Casualties of War
Three
Kings
Jarhead
The
postwar experience:Jarhead
Article
99 (about VA hospitals)
Note:
These films may not be checked out of the library. Most are in
DVD format, but Article 99 and Catch 22 are in VHS format. Please
handle the films carefully as they are all private property (either
mine or another instructor’s).
3) View these films actively, not passively. Take notes while you watch. If you watch the movies at home or in the library, don’t be afraid to stop, rewind, pause, or watch scenes over again until you understand what you are seeing. Feel free to turn on the captioning if it helps you understand the dialogue. Use the guide to writing about film that was given to you in Unit 1 to guide you as you ask questions of the movies you see. If you watch the films as a part of the CBC film series, there will usually be a Q&A at the end. Take advantage of this time, and ask questions you may have about what you just saw. There may also be a speaker who will help make the documentary or the fiction that you just witnessed very real to you. Stay and listen to the speaker. That experience may end up becoming a part of your research project.
4) DVDs are great because they have “extras,” that is, they have “behind the scenes” features that explore how the movie was made, may interview the filmmaker, the actors, and the crew. The extras are a legitimate form of research into the art of filmmaking. They are, of course, only one source for such information. For each film you watch, I would like you to research how the film came into being. Learn what you can about the screenplay, the director, the actors, the making of the picture, and the bringing of the film to the market. Also learn what you can about how the film has been received by the public since its release. Has the critical reception been positive? Why or why not? Has the film made money? Did it win any awards? Has what you’ve learned about the film jibe with your own personal reaction to the film?
5) After viewing and researching all of the films, collect your notes, and begin to think about the connections among these films and what you have read, seen, heard, and discussed in class. Do themes begin to emerge? Can you see a single common thread that you would like to explore in greater depth?
6) As you begin to establish what these connections are, start to formulate a thesis that will draw together the connections you are making. It is not enough to just see connections; you must dig deeper and ask yourself why those connections are significant. What is your angle? Once you’ve established this, then you can begin to develop your research essay.
7) The paper should be at least 1500-2000 words (6-8 pages) long, should have MLA-style in-text citations and a works cited page.
8) The usual manuscript format applies. See details at the end of this assignment.
World
Conflicts Project
1)
First, select a conflict
that has taken place anywhere in the world
since the fall of Saigon in 1975. The United States does not need
to have been involved in the conflict.
2) Exploring the history of the conflict is only a minor part of the assignment. Your main purpose is to learn about the literary art forms that emerged as a direct result of the conflict. Consider fiction (novels or short stories), film (shorts, features, or documentaries), poetry, song lyrics, journalism, speeches, or essays.
3) Select three representative texts from this conflict to research and analyze. You will not only explore each text and its themes, but you will also learn about the authors and consider how the texts fit into the social/historical context of the nation and the conflict from which they have emerged.
4) While you may be interested in exploring a conflict in a foreign nation, consider the native tongue in that nation. If you want to read the literature, watch the films, or listen to the music, and it is not in English, you may have to seek out translations of the works. If you are fluent in a language other than English, this may expand your choices. If you are not, choose your conflict carefully.
5) To research the literature of the conflict you have chosen, you will not only need to learn more about the nation and the culture, but you will also have to learn something about the artists of that country. Seek the assistance of the reference librarians and any other resources you may have at your disposal.
6) After selecting, studying, analyzing your texts and researching the conflict that helped to produce those texts, collect your notes and begin to think about the connections among the works and what you have learned about the authors, nation, the conflict, and the cultural/social conditions that might have given rise to the texts. Do themes begin to emerge? Can you see a single common thread that you would like to explore in greater depth?
7) As you begin to establish what these connections are, start to formulate a thesis that will draw together the connections you are making. It is not enough to just see connections; you must dig deeper and ask yourself why those connections are significant. What is your angle? Once you’ve established this, then you can begin to develop your research essay.
8) The paper should be at least 1500-2000 words (6-8 pages) long, should have MLA-style in-text citations and a works cited page.
9) The usual manuscript format applies. See details at the end of this assignment.
2) Exploring the history of the conflict is only a minor part of the assignment. Your main purpose is to learn about the literary art forms that emerged as a direct result of the conflict. Consider fiction (novels or short stories), film (shorts, features, or documentaries), poetry, song lyrics, journalism, speeches, or essays.
3) Select three representative texts from this conflict to research and analyze. You will not only explore each text and its themes, but you will also learn about the authors and consider how the texts fit into the social/historical context of the nation and the conflict from which they have emerged.
4) While you may be interested in exploring a conflict in a foreign nation, consider the native tongue in that nation. If you want to read the literature, watch the films, or listen to the music, and it is not in English, you may have to seek out translations of the works. If you are fluent in a language other than English, this may expand your choices. If you are not, choose your conflict carefully.
5) To research the literature of the conflict you have chosen, you will not only need to learn more about the nation and the culture, but you will also have to learn something about the artists of that country. Seek the assistance of the reference librarians and any other resources you may have at your disposal.
6) After selecting, studying, analyzing your texts and researching the conflict that helped to produce those texts, collect your notes and begin to think about the connections among the works and what you have learned about the authors, nation, the conflict, and the cultural/social conditions that might have given rise to the texts. Do themes begin to emerge? Can you see a single common thread that you would like to explore in greater depth?
7) As you begin to establish what these connections are, start to formulate a thesis that will draw together the connections you are making. It is not enough to just see connections; you must dig deeper and ask yourself why those connections are significant. What is your angle? Once you’ve established this, then you can begin to develop your research essay.
8) The paper should be at least 1500-2000 words (6-8 pages) long, should have MLA-style in-text citations and a works cited page.
9) The usual manuscript format applies. See details at the end of this assignment.
Visual
Arts Project
1)
Using one of the assigned texts/film listed below as your inspiration,
create a visual arts project. You may any one use the following
texts/film: The Things They Carried, M*A*S*H, “The Man He Killed,” “Do
Not Weep Maiden for War is Kind,” “The Death of the Ball Turret
Gunner,” or The Art of War.
2) You may create a sculpture, a painting, a sketch, a comic book, a website—any thing at all as long as it is a visual art form. If you are not certain if your project idea qualifies, ask me.
3) You must connect your project directly to an assigned text. Select passages/scenes/verses from the text/film and think about how your project is related to the passages/scenes/verses.
4) The research element of this project will involve you learning about other works of art that have been inspired by your selected text. Choose the text on which to base your visual arts project carefully. Not all of these assigned works may have given rise to other works of art. Work with the reference librarians to help you identify works inspired by your chosen text. The “inspired” art need not have been visual. It may have been literary, musical, or performance art (cinema or theatre), too. Once you discover a work inspired by your chosen text, study it. Find out about the work itself, the author, the medium used for the work, how the work has been received by critics and the public. If you have access to this “inspired” work, view it, listen to it, or read it. What is your personal response to it? How does it compare to the work that you have produced that was inspired by the very same text/film?
5) After researching one or more “inspired” works based on your selected text/film, collect your notes and begin to think about possible connections among your own work, other artists’ work, and the original text. Do themes begin to emerge? Can you see a single common thread that you would like to explore in greater depth?
6) As you begin to establish what these connections are, start to formulate a thesis that will draw together the connections you are making. It is not enough to just see connections; you must dig deeper and ask yourself why those connections are significant. What is your angle? Once you’ve established this, then you can begin to develop your research essay.
7) Your research essay should also include a basic discussion of how you selected the text that you did, the initial “inspiration” for the work you produced, how you settled on the artistic medium you used to create your project, and the process you went through to create the work. Find a way to integrate this discussion with the connections that you see between your work and the text that inspires it.
8) The paper should be at least 1000-2000 words (4-6 pages) long, should have MLA-style in-text citations and a works cited page.
9) The usual manuscript format applies. See details at the end of this assignment.
10) Please note that because the written portion of this assignment is shorter, many students may perceive that it is somehow “easier.” I assure you that it is not. Because those who select this assignment must also create a visual arts project in addition to the written assignment and must also complete background research on their chosen text, the time dedicated to the project will be considerable. The visual arts project will have considerable weight in the final grade and will be based in part on quality and connectedness to the text.
2) You may create a sculpture, a painting, a sketch, a comic book, a website—any thing at all as long as it is a visual art form. If you are not certain if your project idea qualifies, ask me.
3) You must connect your project directly to an assigned text. Select passages/scenes/verses from the text/film and think about how your project is related to the passages/scenes/verses.
4) The research element of this project will involve you learning about other works of art that have been inspired by your selected text. Choose the text on which to base your visual arts project carefully. Not all of these assigned works may have given rise to other works of art. Work with the reference librarians to help you identify works inspired by your chosen text. The “inspired” art need not have been visual. It may have been literary, musical, or performance art (cinema or theatre), too. Once you discover a work inspired by your chosen text, study it. Find out about the work itself, the author, the medium used for the work, how the work has been received by critics and the public. If you have access to this “inspired” work, view it, listen to it, or read it. What is your personal response to it? How does it compare to the work that you have produced that was inspired by the very same text/film?
5) After researching one or more “inspired” works based on your selected text/film, collect your notes and begin to think about possible connections among your own work, other artists’ work, and the original text. Do themes begin to emerge? Can you see a single common thread that you would like to explore in greater depth?
6) As you begin to establish what these connections are, start to formulate a thesis that will draw together the connections you are making. It is not enough to just see connections; you must dig deeper and ask yourself why those connections are significant. What is your angle? Once you’ve established this, then you can begin to develop your research essay.
7) Your research essay should also include a basic discussion of how you selected the text that you did, the initial “inspiration” for the work you produced, how you settled on the artistic medium you used to create your project, and the process you went through to create the work. Find a way to integrate this discussion with the connections that you see between your work and the text that inspires it.
8) The paper should be at least 1000-2000 words (4-6 pages) long, should have MLA-style in-text citations and a works cited page.
9) The usual manuscript format applies. See details at the end of this assignment.
10) Please note that because the written portion of this assignment is shorter, many students may perceive that it is somehow “easier.” I assure you that it is not. Because those who select this assignment must also create a visual arts project in addition to the written assignment and must also complete background research on their chosen text, the time dedicated to the project will be considerable. The visual arts project will have considerable weight in the final grade and will be based in part on quality and connectedness to the text.
Format
1)
Essay must be word-processed, double-spaced, with 1”-1.25” margins all
the way around.
2) Use only Arial or Times New Roman 12 point fonts.
3) No title page, please. Use a double-spaced heading on the upper, left-hand corner of the first page of your essay. The heading should include your name, the course name and section number, the instructor’s name, and the date.
4) You should have a running header inserted in the upper right-hand corner of every page of your essay that includes your last name and the page number. Use Word’s header/footer feature to accomplish this.
5) A creative, thoughtful title should be centered on the first line immediately following the heading. Do not underline, boldface, place in quotation marks, or otherwise accentuate your own title. You need only capitalize the significant words in your title.
6) Hit enter one time after typing your title, hit tab once, and begin the first paragraph of the essay. You need not hit return at the end of each line. Let word wrap take care of that for you. Just hit enter when you end a paragraph and tab to indent.
7) When you have completed your essay, save the file as a MS Word document (a .doc file). If you do not have Word on your home computer, save the file as an .rtf file. DO NOT send .wps or .wpd files!
8) Name the file using your last name and the assignment number (i.e. Garcia4) and mail it to me as an attachment. Do not cut and paste the text into the body of the e-mail.
9) See either your Little Brown Handbook for a sample MLA-style manuscript or visit Research and Documentation Online.
10) Please note that following instructions for correct manuscript format DOES factor into your overall assignment grade!
2) Use only Arial or Times New Roman 12 point fonts.
3) No title page, please. Use a double-spaced heading on the upper, left-hand corner of the first page of your essay. The heading should include your name, the course name and section number, the instructor’s name, and the date.
4) You should have a running header inserted in the upper right-hand corner of every page of your essay that includes your last name and the page number. Use Word’s header/footer feature to accomplish this.
5) A creative, thoughtful title should be centered on the first line immediately following the heading. Do not underline, boldface, place in quotation marks, or otherwise accentuate your own title. You need only capitalize the significant words in your title.
6) Hit enter one time after typing your title, hit tab once, and begin the first paragraph of the essay. You need not hit return at the end of each line. Let word wrap take care of that for you. Just hit enter when you end a paragraph and tab to indent.
7) When you have completed your essay, save the file as a MS Word document (a .doc file). If you do not have Word on your home computer, save the file as an .rtf file. DO NOT send .wps or .wpd files!
8) Name the file using your last name and the assignment number (i.e. Garcia4) and mail it to me as an attachment. Do not cut and paste the text into the body of the e-mail.
9) See either your Little Brown Handbook for a sample MLA-style manuscript or visit Research and Documentation Online.
10) Please note that following instructions for correct manuscript format DOES factor into your overall assignment grade!
Timeline
Introduction
to project: Thursday, November 2
Project selection/approval: Tuesday, November 7
Research process/MLA documentation: Tuesday, November 7
Library day: Thursday, November 9
Integration of source material: Tuesday, November 14
Essay peer review: Thursday, November 16
Instructor conferences: Tuesday, November 21
Finished projects due: Tuesday, November 28
Project selection/approval: Tuesday, November 7
Research process/MLA documentation: Tuesday, November 7
Library day: Thursday, November 9
Integration of source material: Tuesday, November 14
Essay peer review: Thursday, November 16
Instructor conferences: Tuesday, November 21
Finished projects due: Tuesday, November 28