English 102
Fall 2015
Major Essay 1: Let's Talk About Talking a Musical Journey
In Let's Talk About Love: Why Other People Have Such Bad Taste, Carl Wilsonclaims that "hell is other people's music" (3). He explores why so many people love Celine Dion and why he does not. In chapters 1 and 2 Wilson explains that he had always believed his dislike for Dion to be justified; after all, many music critics mocked her. However, he comes to suspect that his distaste is grounded in ignorance rather than his knowing what "good music" is. His research leads him on a journey toward a new understanding.I am asking you to undertake a similar journey.
Wilson does not know what the outcome will be at the outset. So, I am asking you to research without knowing where you will end up. In most of the academic papers you have written, you either research to create a report on a subject (What is Lyme Disease? What are the symptoms? etc.) or you research to find evidence to support an argument based on a belief you already hold (Gun control: Get the guns off the street!).
I am asking you to put the search back in research. Enter the process of research with an open mind, not knowing where you will end up.
PROMPT:
Choose a genre of music that you do not like, that you do not understand, or that makes you uncomfortable. Research the genre in order to understand it. Read reliable (some scholarly) sources which speak to some of the following: why fans love it, what criticism it faces, its origins, its culture, what its characteristics are, and how it is marketed.
An important aspect of your essay is to explain: What is your response to what you discover? Review the preconceived notions you wrote about. Are those notions confirmed or disproved?
______
This paper prioritizes your exploration of your topic and your use of quality sources as part of that exploration. Quality sources which offer informed opinions, reliable statistics, and unexpected ways of understanding the music will likely enable you to develop your understanding and expand your current thinking. Include at least one scholarly source.
Choose 4 or more additional sources. (You may use Wilson as a source, but he does not count as an additional source).
Format: MLA formatting, 5 pages (12 font, double spaced, 1 inch margins), MLA heading, in-text citations, Works Cited page
Important reminders: This paper is not a report. A report simply provides information, but you are doing much more. Your research must lead you to reach conclusions. You are being asked to discover what the new information about the genre means to you. It is important that you make good use of your research.
Listen to the music of the genre you chose as you conduct your research. Track your reactions.
English 102
Fall 2015
Maura Norton
1.5 Proposal
Write a proposal for your research project. The proposal will help you to articulate your starting point. It will also help me understand your project and allow me to guide you through the process.
Your proposal explains the following:
- What your project is
- What questions you will explore
- What you think you might find
- Preconceived notions you hold
- Two of your sources: what they say and how they are relevant to your project (be sure to give the names of your sources)
Your proposal should not be more than 2 pages typed, double spaced.
If you are struggling with some aspect of this assignment, please write about it in your proposal.
Due on Wed. Sept. 23 (electronic or in-class submittion)