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ENGL 257 U.S. Multiethnic Lit. Quintana Wulf

Research guide for Introduction to Multiethnic US Literatures

Assignment source guidelines

"You need to find, read, and use at least 2 secondary sources: they can be either literary criticism, sources that help you understand the social and cultural contexts for the literary texts, or literary theory that can help you establish a critical framework for your analysis." Dr. Quintana Wulf
 
  • Figure out what you want to say. Outline all of the parts.
  • Identify the kinds of sources you'll need. Sources can be used to educate yourself about the topic, or they can act as direct evidence supporting your points. 
  • What method (lens) will you use to "see" the literary text you are studying?

A basic research process to consider

Taking a basic research approach early on may help you to start exploring facts, opinions/arguments/questions, and the relevancy and quality of sources that you discover. Each draft is an opportunity to review and sometimes replace the sources from which you draw support/evidence.

1.  Facts and biographical (general and specialized encyclopedias, almanacs, [auto] biographies, etc)
2.​ Older, established literature criticism and theory  (library catalog: books)
3. Specific scholarly "conversations" (library databases: journal articles)
4. Citing evidence (source citation: MLA 8, RefWorks)
5. Drafts & revisions (lots of support: research librarians & learning commons)