English 1100C – Project #3: Exploring Student Agency Literary Work

ENGLISH 1100C – PROJECT #3
EXPLORING STUDENT AGENCY – CHOOSING A LITERARY WORK
Assignment Overview:
This project is a culmination of our work together this semester. We have spent the majority of the semester
reading works that have been chosen primarily by me as your instructor. Initially, we began the semester having
a discussion regarding the title of the course and what we consider a “global literary work.” After reading a
variety of works in different forms and on various topics, now it’s your turn to find and read a literary work of
your own choosing that you believe fits well with the course’s texts and you consider a “global literary work.”
Overall, you are welcome to consider any kind of literary work (poetry, fiction, nonfiction, graphic novel, etc.)
and should choose a work that you haven’t necessarily read. The length of the work should be somewhat
significant, from about 30 pages to 150 pages.
This project is comprised of two components and below you will find a brief summary of each part.
Presentation:
You will present this literary work to the entire class and teach it to us. You should include the following
components as part of your presentation. However, you are not limited to these, you are welcome to include
anything else that you think would help your peers better understand the literary work.
• Important information surrounding the literary work: title, publishing information, author, etc.
• Summary and key information surrounding the literary work
• Background authorial information
• Historical context to the author and literary work
• Key themes in the author’s works and the literary work of choice
• Piece of quick advice: for your presentation consider all the important Ws… Who, What, Where, When,
and How!
Students should prepare to present at least 3 minutes but no more than 5 minutes. There are no requirements for
the use of powerpoint, prezi, or any visual aids. I leave that up for students to determine.
Paper:
You have to submit a 3-page paper that covers the following:
• A detailed explanation of your reasons for choosing the literary work you did for this project and how it
fits into the course and “global literary works” literary canon.
• Provide a close reading of one to two passages of importance to you in the literary work you’ve chosen.
o A close reading entails providing a brief thesis surrounding the literary work and then working
to focus on one or two long passages that help support that thesis.
o When you close read, you observe facts and details about the text. Your aim is to notice all the
obvious and striking features of the text (any literary elements or allusions too). The essay
should move from observation of particular facts and details to a conclusions or interpretation
based on those observations. What does all this information add up to and mean to you?
Associated Deadlines:
• As it indicates in the syllabus, presentations will take place on the last day of class on Thursday,
November 30th. You should come to class prepared to present on that date. If you are going to use any
visual aids you MUST have them easily accessible by uploading them into our GoogleDrive Folder
entitled “Project #3 – Visual Aids” so we can pull them up quickly.
• The paper is due on Monday, December 11th. It should be uploaded to our GoogleDrive folder entitled
“Project #3 – Final Drafts.”