Rolston 1130 Frankenstein Research Essay Proposal Assignment Value: 15% Length: 350 words with a Bibliography (The bibliography is not included in the word count) Format: MLA style Assignment Guidelines In this assignment, you will write a proposal for your upcoming research paper about the 1931 film, Frankenstein. Why are proposals important? Academics regularly write proposals for a variety of reasons, including for conferences and funding. But non-academic fields also use proposals quite frequently. So, while you may write proposals in college or university, you are also quite likely to write proposals in your field of work after you finish your degree. Familiarizing yourself with the genre is therefore a good idea. Here are the details: You will write a 350-word proposal outlining your research project about the film. This document describes research that you intend to undertake in this project: think of this proposal as a short "pitch" to enter a scholarly conversation about a specific issue. Your proposal will include an academic title; a short introduction, where you will provide any necessary background or context for your project; a "state of knowledge," where you briefly outline the scholarly field; a thesis, which will be prospective and can be altered as you write the actual research essay; and a concluding sentence or a research question. Additionally, you will provide a bibliography that will include at least eight secondary sources related to your research. Your eight sources must all be scholarly/peer-reviewed sources, as discussed in class. In your bibliography, you will provide full bibliographical information for all articles and archival documents or items that you plan to use in your research essay (see MLA guidelines). This document can be altered or amended when you write your essay. (You only need four sources for your research essay, for example.) In other words, the articles/books that you include in your research proposal do not have to appear in your research project, necessarily. Your bibliography is a prospective document. Here are the topics for your research proposal (and research essay), which we will discuss/develop in class after the film: - Frankenstein and changes in American culture - Frankenstein and gender (incl. feminism or masculinity) More topics overleaf ... Rolston - Frankenstein and sexuality - Frankenstein and monstrosity - Frankenstein and technology, modern health, science, psychology, or medicine - Frankenstein and adaptation (you may write a comparison essay with the book or any other adaptation in any genre) Keep in mind that your topic must be narrowed considerably. Your goal is to narrow the topic enough so that it constitutes a useful and effective research site. You are also welcome to choose your own topic. However, if you choose your own topic, you must speak with me/email me about it first. Other Important Information: · All citations must be according to MLA standards. . Ensure that all sources are scholarly sources. . You will be graded on the overall quality of your proposal. Along with the features of the proposal discussed above (and in class), this includes your grammar, spelling, punctuation, style, sentence structure, paragraphing, and other writerly elements. · Please type and double-space your assignment and have standard (2.54 cm or 1 inch) margins. No title page please. Times New Roman font. . Any use of AI will result in a failing grade. · Please contact me if you have further questions about the assignment (make sure that you give yourself enough time for a response before the assignment is due).