Instructions for the Anotated Bibliography
(In other words, exactly what I am looking for in this assignment)
View the Guide to Writing an Annotated Bibliography attached to this dropbox for precise instructions for creating the entrie.s
Select one area of concentration:
Greek/Roman mythology
Indian/Asian mythology
Germanic/Norse mythology
African mythology
North/South American mythology
Write a thesis statement that narrows the scope of your project. This is a single sentence that states the theme that you are going to investigate. See the Guide to Writing an Annotated Bibliography for more information.
Locate 6 potential sources; 2 of which must be either scholarly books or articles from an academic journal. The remaining 4 may be web-based. Only ONE of these web sources can be an encyclopedic site, e.g. Wikipedia, About.com, Britannica online, etc .
Note: you are not allowed to use the textbook as a source.
E-books are acceptable sources, as are online journals such as the Online International Journal of Arts and Humanities.
An example of a web-based, non-encyclopedic site is http://buddhismbeliefs.org
Contact a librarian online or in person for assistance in collecting solid sources and/or verifying the academic integrity of your sources.
Double-space your submission, include your name at the top of the first page, and be sure to use proper formatting for both the source entry and your evaluation. Refer to the Writing an Annotated Bibliography Guide attached to this dropbox.
Submit your Annotated Bibliography to the Module 2 Assignment Dropbox no later than the last day of this Module. If you adhere to all guidelines, you can expect this entire project to be at least 3-5 pages total.
For more information, and examples, refer to
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/01
Guide to Writing an Annotated Bibliography:
Formulate your thesis statement. Create a single sentence that states what you are planning to research in your area of concentration. Here are some broad suggestions that can be adapted to the particular myths in your chosen area of concentration:
The way a particular myth demonstrates the worldview of a culture
The connection between social structure and a myth
Transcendental truth that is revealed in a myth
The interplay between the political structure of a society and a myth
The effect of the relationship of the gods and human beings on cultural perspectives
For more information and general examples of thesis statements, go to http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/thesis-state
This assignment must include a minimum of 6 sources. You must adhere to the following requirements for your collection of sources:
Resources: 2 of the 6 must be a traditionally published book and a serious academic article from a peer-reviewed source.
4 of the 6 may be web-based. Only ONE of those web-based sources may be encyclopedic to include Wikipedia, about.com Britannica or any general encyclopedia
In at least 1 of the 6 sources, discuss how one of the theories of mythology feminist, anthropological, Marxist, psychological, archeological plays a key role in the experts interpretation of a myth in your area of concentration.
For each source, create a citation using APA format. The first line is left justified, and the rest of the lines for the entry are indented. Always copy the entire URL even if the style you use does not require it. Its the best and easiest way for me to locate your source document.
Below the citation, without an extra space, begin the annotation.
Provide a summary in 3-4 sentences of the content of the source in relation to the topic. Include why the source is relevant.
Reflect on how you might utilize this source, how its design, availability of info, etc. could work for you. Include criticism of the sources in your reflection and comments on its usefulness. State how you think this source will add to your thesis. Indicate any prejudices or special perspectives in the source document, and whether these add or detract value from the information. This is your evaluation of the document in light of your thesis. Consider whether this is a primary or secondary source, and how valid the authority is. This section should be no longer than 4-5 sentences.
Follow the same procedure for the remaining sources.
Conclusion: Prepare a brief statement that discusses your experience with different resources. How did librarians, Ask Academic, specific web searches, etc. inform your choice on one or more of your sources, or your general search.
Key points from the instructor
I am going to underscore the key items that I am looking for in the Annotated Bibliography. If I were in the classroom, this is when Id both stamp my foot so that youd know these are important, but Id be writing on the chalkboard:
I am very, very interested in the quality of the abstract. Do title and separate the Abstract from the Bibliography (it is not a Works Cited page because you havent written the paper yet). You dont have to submit two separate documents (although you may) but you must delineate one section that is the abstract and then the other section that is the bibliography. Make sure that the bibliography has the correct format, that the entries are alphabetical, and then that you provide 1 or 2 well constructed paragraphs that provide a synopsis of what each of the documents contains.
What you are providing are probably the foundation documents for the final project this is the way to conduct research in any discipline!
