The assignment

This assignment is a literature review, in which you survey work on a topic relevant to some aspects of this course. Note that it's different from the Final Project, which should be a piece of independent research -- but if you want, the two can be related, typically by having the paper cover background ffor the project.

Your sources will normally be publications in the scientific or scholarly literature, though articles from newspapers, magazines, or web pages may also be appropriate in some cases.

You should choose a topic that's broad enough to be interesting, but also narrow enough for reasonably complete coverage. And of course it should also be something that engages your interest.

Step 1

The first step, due November 11, is a prospectus or proposal. This should include an abstract, describing your topic, and a bibliographic sketch, laying out the key sources that you plan to use. We'll give you some feedback to help you focus or expand your project, as appropriate.

Step 2

The full paper is due on the last day of class, though extensions will be granted if necessary to the end of semester.