Final Project: Research Check-In
What This Is
Now that you have a topic and a framework, it’s time to start gathering the research that will support your project. This week is about finding sources — both the scholarly sources that give your analysis depth and the multimedia that will bring your site to life.
The check-in itself is a quick snapshot of what you’ve found so far. It’s a way for me to see that you’re making progress and to catch any issues before you get too deep into building your site. If you’re stuck, that’s exactly what this check-in is for — let me know what’s not working and we’ll figure it out.
What to Do This Week
Use the Finding Sources guide to help you get started. Here’s what to focus on:
- Start with your framework.
Find at least one source that helps you understand and apply the literary theory or critical framework you chose. The Literary Theory & Frameworks page has readings and links to help with this.
- Look for additional scholarly sources if they exist.
Depending on which texts you’re working with, there may be scholarly articles or book chapters that analyze them through a related lens. If so, great — those can strengthen your project. But this isn’t always possible, especially for newer texts. Your framework source itself counts as scholarly research, so if that’s your main scholarly source, that’s fine.
- Start exploring multimedia.
Think about what videos, images, music, or other materials could support your site. These don’t need to be finalized yet, but start looking.
What to Submit
Upload a document and/or use the Canvas text entry. Nothing formal needed — I just want to see what you’re working with.
At Least Two Scholarly Sources
For each one, include the name, author, type of source, a working link (or upload the PDF if you already downloaded it), and a sentence or two on how you plan to use it.
Example entry:
Source: “Mama’s Baby, Papa’s Maybe: An American Grammar Book”
Author: Hortense Spillers
Type: Journal article (Diacritics, 1987)
Link: [JSTOR link or uploaded PDF]
How I plan to use it: Spillers talks about how Black women’s bodies were treated as property under slavery and how that affected motherhood and family structures. I want to use this to frame my reading of Jacobs — specifically the chapters where she talks about her children and the choices she had to make.
Example entry:
Source: Literary Theory: A Guide for the Perplexed, Chapter 6: Feminism
Author: Mary Klages
Type: Book chapter (e-book through Macomb Library)
Link: Found on the class website (Literary Theory & Frameworks page)
How I plan to use it: This is my framework source. It explains feminist criticism and how to apply it to literature. I’m using it to set up the lens for my project.
If you’re using a source from the class website (like the readings on the Literary Theory & Frameworks page), you don’t need to include a link — just note that it came from the class site.
Other Sources or Multimedia You’re Considering
These don’t need to be finalized — I just want to see what direction you’re heading. For each one, include the name or description, type of source, and how you’re thinking about using it.
Example entry:
Source: “The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross” (Episode 2)
Type: Documentary (PBS)
How I’m thinking about using it: There’s a section about enslaved women and motherhood that I think could work as a video on my context page. I’m not sure yet if it’s the right clip but I want to look at it more closely.
Grading
Graded on the check system. If you submit at least two scholarly sources with the info above and share your thinking on other sources/multimedia, you'll get full credit. This is about showing progress, not perfection.