Choose a topic for your 1,500 word Argument Essay with Sources. Compile a bibliography of
four or five carefully annotated items. You will be using these sources to write the Argument
with Sources paper that is due in Week 16. Once you commit to this topic, you cannot change, so
choose well. This assignment is designed to sharpen your research and evaluation skills. All of
your sources must come from the Coastline Online Library unless you have received prior
approval from me. For each item, write an annotation explaining the resource and how it will
help you as you develop your argument. Your reader should be able to understand your thought
process.
The goal of this assignment is for you to search for and evaluate possible sources. We will be
following the concepts used in the OWL at Purduehandout. You should
summarize
,
assess
, and
reflect
.
Cite your sources according to the guidelines of MLA. Here is a linkto the Diana Hacker site,
which has a brief explanation of citing reference sources. I have also included a linkto the Long
Island University site, which uses color-coding for more visual learners.
Example of What an Entry in Your Bibliography Should Look Like:
Research question:How does the reliance on religious rites and rituals affect the concept of
good versus evil in the television show Supernatural?
Engstrom, Erika, and Joseph M. Valenzano. “Demon Hunters and Hegemony: Portrayal of
Religion on the CW’s Supernatural.” Journal of Media & Religion9.2 (2010): 67-83.
Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 26 June 2013.
Erika Engstrom and Joseph Valenzano, professors at the University of Nevada,
collaborated on this article, which analyzes the religious themes and portrayals in the
television show Supernatural. The authors use the first sixty episodes as the basis for
their examination. Specifically, they highlight the religious hegemony of Catholic rituals
and rites as the means by which the two protagonists, Dean and Sam Winchester, fightthe forces of evil. Conversely, other religions act as distractions from the characters’
quest.
The authors make a strong argument for their case, providing both quantitative and
qualitative details from the show. They use a defined methodology that separates the
weapons and rituals in the show and what religion they fit into. The findings are
structured around the frequency of appearance in the first three seasons.
This article
provides a great overview of the number of religious images used in the show, which will
help me as I continue to explore my question. Of particular note is the decided reliance
on Christianity as a symbol of “good”, which helps to define what my definition of the
word should be. It has increased my understanding of the scope of the use religious rites
and rituals depicted in the show.
