There are three of these during the course. They are progressive, and will help you develop skills and ideas to deploy in your papers. They differ from the papers in that they do not have a thesis, but are, rather, brief exercises in deductive reasoning. They have two parts. The first is an exposition of a bit of data--a selection of text, for instance. The second part will contain conclusions you can draw from that bit of text. See the assignments and the rubrics for specifics.
These assignments will be posted as they come up during term. They are due in class on the dates listed below (and on the Course Calendar). We will discuss these in class as they come up.
Analyses 1, 2, and 3: On a passage from a text. The first is due in class on Sept. 25th, the second is due in class on Oct 9th, and the third is due in class on Nov. 6th. Here is the grading rubric, which is the same for all three.
Extra Credit Project: Compose a Sonnet! Due in class on Nov. 13th. Here is the grading rubric.
Format: The first three analyses should be a minimum of 2 pages, formatted in MLA Style, typed in a professional font (11 to 12 point, Times New Roman), and have 1" margins all the way around. MLA Style, which applies to both layout and documentation, is described in any writing handbook (such as those which I assume you purchased for a composition course). READ THIS on how to Quote! Not following this style will adversely affect your grade. In an upper level English course, I assume knowledge of this coming into the course. Writing too short an analysis will also hurt your grade; you should be able to develop and manage this much information.