Writing about course material can help you clarify and deepen your understanding of the material. It can also help you remember the material more fully. The Review Essay is a project designed to help you see writing as a tool for thinking and communicating, not simply as another hurdle. Our focus will be on encouraging critical thinking about the readings we encounter, and also on developing strong writing skills which will allow us to participate in an academic community.
M401 is not just an introduction to the history of music prior to 1750, but an introduction to a vast body of scholarly writing about this music. Scholarly writing includes all the types of writing a working scholar might do. The purpose of such writing is to communicate the ideas, theories, methodology (methods of inquiry), and research findings of the discipline. Types of scholarly writing include articles in scholarly journals, grant proposals, critical reviews and review essays, opinion pieces in professional journals, and scholarly monographs.
The review essay will consist of an annotated bibliography and an essay of 3000-3600 words (about 10-12 pages) on a specific topic related to music before 1750, appropriate to the objectives of the course, and approved by the instructors. Your essay will examine and give a critical report of the issues that form the core of scholarly work in the area you have selected. The essay must represent your own independent work and thinking, reflecting thorough research. While the content is of utmost importance, you should use the well-established conventions, rules, and practices that govern scholarly communication. All assignments must be typed or printed by a word processor with clear dark type and be polished in respect to grammar, spelling, punctuation, form, and style as defined in Kate L. Turabian's A Manual for Writers, 6th ed., including correct format for bibliographic entries and for footnotes.
The Review Essay will provide you with a solid foundation upon which a significant research paper might be developed. For those of you interested in preparing a research paper for your future projects (e.g. applications for graduate school), please see Rika.
You should consider the essay an ongoing project that you work on each week. Your project will unfold in several stages, with the following due dates. Detailed instructions on each stage are given below.
Your work on the research project will be supervised by the instructor of your section in conjunction with Rika. We will discuss planning, researching, and writing the essay in class. We also encourage you to meet with your instructor and with Rika for help in defining and narrowing your topic, planning your research, finding sources, summarizing arguments, writing, and revising. We hope you will consult with us often.
Note the deadlines for each stage in the process. Late assignments are not accepted, except for an excused absence for a medical or other emergency. Failure to meet any one of these deadlines will result in an F on the research project (and thus in the course).
Note: Last-minute computer failure or printing delays are not acceptable excuses for late assignments. Make certain that you have two or more current back-up files and allow more than adequate time for the computer to print your assignment. This may mean printing the assignment the day before it is due.
Choose a possible topic or subject area for your paper related to any music from before 1750 that falls within the scope of the course. We will give considerable latitude on topic choices so that you are able to select one that strongly interests you, but make sure the topic is focused enough that you can grasp its breadth in the time we have. Be prepared to meet with your section instructor to discuss possible topic ideas. Write a brief statement of about 100-200 words (half a page) that describes the topic and explains how you would like to approach it. Your work will still be at an early stage, so your thinking is likely to be preliminary.
Preliminary topic ideas are due on Wednesday, June 22 at the start of lecture.
On the basis of your discussions with your instructor, write a brief statement of about 250-400 words (a page or more) that indicates the subject area you wish to explore and outlines the specific aspects or arguments of that subject area. Include a preliminary bibliography of at least twelve (12) items relevant to your topic, featuring a balance of books, journal articles, and other sources. Follow the guidelines for bibliographic citation in Turabian.
Your proposal is due on due on Monday, June 27, at start of lecture. Your instructor will evaluate your proposal in conjunction with Rika and then meet with you to offer guidance, including possible directions to take (or to avoid), resources to consult, how to refine the topic, the quantity, quality, and variety of sources you have located, and their relevance to your topic.
You may be asked to write a second proposal. Your topic must be approved by your instructor; if your topic changes after it has been approved, or if your first proposal is not approved, you must submit a new proposal.
ASSIGNMENT 3: Annotated Bibliography
Turn in your properly formatted bibliography in which the contents of two (2) citations have been summarized in a paragraph under the citation. For the purpose of writing summaries, you will include only the main idea(s) of the passage and the supporting primary details. Rarely will you include supporting secondary details or information.
Your annotated bibliography is due on Wednesday, July 6, at start of lecture.
Turn in your bibliography, including four (4) citations of sources you will be using for your project, using correct bibliographic format according to Turabian. The four citations may include the two you turned in for the previous assignment. Summarize the contents of each of these sources in a paragraph under each citation. In addition, you should also turn in a partial draft of your essay (2-5 pages) that begins to synthesize the scholarly writings related to your subject. This draft, though "rough," should clearly indicate where your paper is headed and must be neatly presented.
Your annotated bibliography and rough draft are due on Friday, July 15, at start of lecture.
In light of the feedback you have received, revise and finalize your review essay. This should be a complete version of the paper that meets the specifications of the assignment as given above and the criteria given below. It must be at least 3000 words (about 10 pages double-spaced in 12-point font; examples, notes, and bibliography are not counted toward the length of the paper).
Your paper is due Friday, August 5 at start of lecture.
Your review essay will be evaluated on the following criteria:
This grading scale will be used for the research paper, modified in some cases with a plus (+) or minus (-):
A. An A paper will be excellent in content, organization, and style. The topic will be treated in depth, drawing on a good number of appropriate secondary sources. The ideas will be engaging and original and show illuminating insights into the topic and materials being studied. The organization will be clear at all levels. The paper will not include irrelevant material and digressions from the topic. There should be very few distracting errors in style, diction, and mechanics.
B. A B paper will still be quite good, but weaker than an A paper in some areas. It may have good ideas but be weakened by problems of organization and style. Or it may be well-organized and well-written but offer fewer and less valuable insights than an A paper.
C. A C paper will show a competent understanding and coverage of the assigned topic, but its insights will usually not go beyond the obvious, and there will be weaknesses in two or more areas. A C may also be assigned to an inconsistent paper that shows some excellent insights yet fails to tie them into a unified whole.
D. A D paper has some virtues, but weaknesses in several areas. Examples include a paper with relatively little breadth of coverage, a paper with some good ideas marred by unclear writing and poor organization, or a clearly written paper with superficial ideas that shows a lack of engagement with the topic.
F. An F paper is consistently weak, whether poorly written throughout, lacking insight into the topic or works being studied, or reflecting little thought or effort. Papers that plagiarize, that fabricate information or sources, that rely excessively on quoting secondary sources, or that do no more than repeat what is said in class sessions or in the course textbooks will also receive an F.
(Plagiarism is the act of passing off as one's own the words or ideas of another. Examples include borrowing or paraphrasing sentences, paragraphs, or a line of argument from a book, article, or other source without citing your source. It is a major act of academic misconduct, which can carry severe penalties. For more on plagiarism, see the Writing Tutorial Services pamphlet "Plagiarism: What It Is and How to Avoid It." This has examples of how to use sources correctly and incorrectly.)
This webpage was designed by
J. Peter Burkholder
and is revised and maintained by Rika Asai
Copyright © 1997, 2002 by J. Peter Burkholder