Instructions for Secondary Source Analysis
Secondary Source Analysis due: 21 November (worth 15%)
Secondary sources are sources are after-the-fact scholarly analyses of the past.
For this assignment, you are responsible for one short (2-3 pages) paper using a fairy tale we’ve read (or will read) this semester; you may incorporate multiple versions of tales at your discretion, as needed for the argument. Research the secondary literature. Do not provide lengthy explorations of individual arguments; instead spend your time explaining the pattern of research (i.e., does this tale tend to prompt mostly Freudian readings? Why would that be ?)
Write a short essay (2-3 pages) that is focused on at least 2 scholars. Unpack their arguments and provide your critical “take” on the ideas, using tools and concepts we’ve developed this semester.
The idea is to engage with the scholars directly. This assignment serves to analyze and have conversations with your sources. Your goal is to analyze your sources as deeply and as thoroughly as possible. Do not simply provide a general summary or overview of the sourced. Think concretely and critically about its content, its historical context, the historical cultural values that shape it, and its relevance to your research. What are the author’s tone, style, and argument? What are its strengths and weaknesses? Read between the lines to discover its biases and assumptions.
Incorporating criticism does not mean merely quoting that source incessantly; rather, the ideas of this source should be central to your own thesis. Perhaps you agree with a (or all the) source(s) and build off the source’s ideas (but be cautious that you don’t merely present their argument). Or perhaps you fundamentally disagree a source. It matters only that you engage the sources directly and significantly. The trick to writing this essay well is to craft an interesting thesis that engages the secondary literature directly. Try to add to the dialogue among scholars rather than just report on it.
