English 102 Library Module

You are about to enter the Learning Resource Center.  Before starting your research, there are some things that you will need to keep in mind.  The following is an outline of what you will be doing in each part of the module.  Within each module is an exercise or quiz that you are required to complete.  You will want to bookmark this page since this will be your entry point each time you come back to continue working on the Library module.  The site will keep track of your progress automatically and will take you to where you need to begin each time you sign in.

Part I

Thesis Development - You must choose a work on which to write an analysis.  You may start with a favorite author, or with a novel, play, short stories, or poems  that you would like to read and analyze.  It is important to remember that the work be either classic literature or a modern author who is considered "literary."  Authors such as John Grisham and Stephen King, while acceptable, are much harder to research for analysis and take a considerable amount more time and effort.  Furthermore, you will need to focus on a particular theme which is present within the work or works - i.e., the role of women, racism, religion, use of color or symbolism,etc.

Part II

Locating Sources - You will need to be able to locate sources to do your analysis.  You will be directed to the library's online catalog and periodical databases.  You will need to compile a list of bibliographic citations, which you will cut and paste into your class's discussion board.

Part III

Evaluating Sources - In English 101, you were told to evaluate the worth and credibility of your sources.  In this class, you will need to evaluate the worth and reliability on a higher plane.  You will need to determine whether the source is a review or an analysis; and you will need to determine if it will give you insight into the theme on which you are writing your paper.

Part IV

Plagiarism - You will need to cite all of the sources you use in writing your critical analysis.  You will review the Modern Language Association format for bibliographic citations, as well as parenthetical citations, and then do an exercise to practice setting up the works cited page.  You will then be tested on your ability to recognize plagiarism.

Part V

Works Cited - You will need to be sure that you are correctly citing all of your sources so that you are using information in a legal manner.  You will then perform an activity that will enable you to practice correctly setting up bibliographic citations.

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