Research Paper

The goal of this assignment is to prompt you towards a researched, in-depth engagement with 1-3 works of electronic literature from the theoretical framework of electronic literature’s genres and generations. The goal of the paper is to put forth a hypothesis about an electronic literature genre, phenomenon, trend, theme, topic, approach, form, or author and […]

The goal of this assignment is to prompt you towards a researched, in-depth engagement with 1-3 works of electronic literature from the theoretical framework of electronic literature’s genres and generations. The goal of the paper is to put forth a hypothesis about an electronic literature genre, phenomenon, trend, theme, topic, approach, form, or author and to prove it through a detailed analysis of 1-3 works.

You must choose at least one work we’ve assigned in class or from any of the Electronic Literature Collections, the Turn On Literature shortlisted works, the New Media Writing Prize, or featured in I ❤️ E-Poetry. The other works can be anything else (it can include a work of interactive cinema or video game) that is of interest from an e-literary perspective that helps you prove your thesis.

The final paper should be about 1000-1250 words long (approximately 4-5 pages) in MLA format (typed, double-spaced, with 1” margins, and a 12-point legible font). Your essay should reference at least 3 secondary sources (recommended: ELMCIP Knowledge Base, Electronic Book Review, and the Electronic Literature Directory, as well as Google Scholar). Sources must be documented in impeccable MLA format—parenthetical citation (author’s last name & page number) and works cited page. Incorporating screenshots as figures is encouraged— and again, MLA format tells you how to do it correctly. There are many online resources for this, but I like the Online Writing Center (OWL).

Evaluation

Your essay will be evaluated in the following areas, with areas 1-3 carrying most of the weight of the grade:

  1. Assignment (fulfilling requirements, quality of thesis, and depth of analysis),
  2. Organization (clarity of thesis, thorough paragraphing, overall organization),
  3. Development (relevance of claims, adequacy of support, and textual evidence),
  4. Form, Sentence Structure, Word Choice, and Grammar (weaknesses will be identified in these areas, but they will not affect grade significantly unless they get in the way of understanding the essay).

Deadlines and Submission

Proposal: Post a 1-paragraph proposal in which you describe your focus and chosen works as a comment on this post in our Facebook Group no later than Tuesday, April 16.

Research Paper: upload a digital copy to our Google Drive folder (UPR login required) and bring a printed copy to class on Tuesday, April 30.