This
paper addresses this course objective: four (IV) Evaluate the impact of
myth on contemporary life and thought and five (V) Analyze different methods of
mythological interpretation. It will also address Written Communication
competency two (2) Develop content and four (4) Use sources and Evidence.
Choosing a Topic: The topic is
your choice. Your task is to choose a myth from any culture and analyze it.
There are many possibilities of topics that you may choose, so consider your
interests. Pick a topic that is specific so that you are not overwhelmed with
information, but do a little preliminary research to be confident that there
are sufficient sources to support your idea. Choose a topic that ensures
that you are engaging in analysis and not just retelling a story, and address
in your paper how your topic relates to the cultural context of its time period
and ours. You are welcome to choose from the sample topics that follow, or
choose your own.
Sample Topics:
Hindu Creation Myth, David & Goliath,
Acteon & Artemis, Persephone and Hades, Sedna’s birth, Any
Trickster Myth – ie. Saucy Duckfeather OR Your choice – Polynesian, Inuit,
Celtic, Japanese, Vietnamese, Native American, Welsh, etc.
Required
Length: The research paper body should be 4-5 pages in length. Use 12pt
font with double-spacing. Do not use extra spaces or
larger font to “lengthen” your paper.
Please
include a title page – paper will be a total of 6-7 pages with
1 page title/name, 1 page works cited. Do not repeat title page information on
any other page.
Minimum
Number of Sources and Finding Quality Sources:
You should consult a minimum of 4
quality sources, including 3 published sources. It is important that
the sources that you choose for research are reputable. Published sources are
the best places to get good information because they go through rigorous
editing processes. Books, magazine articles, and newspaper articles are all
published sources--many of these come in electronic form, and that is perfectly
acceptable as long as they were edited and published by reputable sources. The
PCC library is a good place to start. You can search for sources using EBSCO
through the library, and they have ebooks that you can download. Here is the
PCC library website: http://www.pueblocc.edu/CampusResources/Library/
You may consult websites for your paper as
well, but be very discriminating about the sites that you choose. DO
NOT use Wikipedia or Pinterest. They are not quality sources because anyone
can contribute to them. Otherwise, it is best to use websites that are operated
through museums, libraries and universities. DO NOT use
anyone’s personal blog.
It is a good idea to try to find at least
some recent sources. Even though we are studying ancient history, the research
on it tends to change because we are constantly discovering new information.
Citing
Sources:
Always give credit to your sources when
you use ideas from books, articles, websites, videos, etc. It is important that
you include in-text citations when you paraphrase or quote information, and
provide a works cited page. Please use the MLA (Modern Language Association)
format for citing sources. A good guide for MLA formatting can be found on the
following website: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
Summarize and paraphrase using your own
words. In-text citations come at the end of the sentence that is quoted or
paraphrased. It is usually the author's last name and the page number, or a key
word from a website address within parentheses.
Include a works cited page as a separate
page at the end of the paper. Read over the guidelines on the Purdue website to
find out the exact formatting for the Works Cited page overall, and for
particular types of sources, such as articles, interviews, books, etc.
Formal
Writing: One of the things that we want to work on with the research paper
is formal writing, including organization, structure and grammar.
Follow MLA guidelines for formatting your paper. It helps to make an outline so
that you know you have individual points to make, and to check your self
against rambling. Make sure your points are organized into distinct paragraphs
and you proofread for grammar errors. It usually helps to have someone you know
read over your paper to help you catch any errors you might be overlooking.
It’s also good to read it out loud to yourself. If you find you cannot breathe
then you probably need commas or have run-ons instead of sentences. Overall,
your paper should communicate recent research from respected sources on your
topic, and reflect your voice in relation to your subject.
Here
are some tips for formal writing:
Avoid using first person statements,
especially "I think" or "I feel." The reader will assume
it's your opinion, so you can just edit those types of statements, and your
points will sound more confident.
Avoid making "you" statements
because it's a bit too assertive.
Avoid using too many quotations. If the
author just says it better than you feel you could, it's okay to quote, but
quotations tend to interrupt the flow of the paper, so it's often better to
paraphrase using your own words.
Introduce your sources.
Once you have introduced an author or
historical figure, continue to refer to them by their last name…more
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