The paper will be 8-10 pages (typed, double-spaced, 1" margins etc.) with a list of "Works cited" at the end (not included in the page count). You will analyze and synthesize material from a variety of primary and secondary sources. The paper and related materials will be worth 25% of your overall course grade. Two thirds of the grade for the paper will be based on the final draft; the other third will be distributed over the various drafts and preparatory assignments.

You have the freedom to choose or invent a paper topic that interests you within the general subject area of the course, i.e., the folklore of Scandinavia. If you have difficulty thinking of a topic or are unsure whether a particular subject is appropriate, please consult me. Possible topics might include the following:

Paper Option

Paper topics may be chosen from the following options; in all cases, papers should be 8-10 pages in length, using standard (1") margins, line spacing, and 12 point Times New Roman font size. Papers should have a descriptive title – NOT “Fairy Tale Paper” but something like “The Role of the Slipper in ‘Cinderella’.”

Whatever option you choose, be sure that you argue a specific thesis. That is, there should be a point to the paper beyond the simple fact of analysis - it should not be “I am going to analyze ‘The Three Little Pigs’ from an anthropological approach” but rather something along the lines of “‘The Three Little Pigs’ symbolically re-enacts the fears of subsistence-level farmers faced with a hostile world.” In this hypothetical analysis, the wolf would be interpreted as all of the hostile forces in the world (and why should these forces be embodied in a wolf?) and the pigs as the vulnerable country folk.“

Option 1

Select a tale from your course text that we have not discussed at length. Analyze the story by first identifying prominent motifs and then discussing their significance in terms of:

The appearance of similar motifs in other tales (i.e., a formalist approach, like those of Propp. Specifically identify which characters or events in the folktale correspond to which formalist functions; or

Possible psychological significance of the tale, e.g., a psychoanalytic approach, relating events and characters to psychological needs. This need not be a formal Freudian approach - i.e., you do not need to relate everything back to childhood sexual development - but it should emphasize what the tale tells us about individual human psychology; or

The way in which the tale reflects the particular culture and , to the extent possible, time from which it is taken e.g., a sociological or anthropological approach, interpreting it in terms of what it tells us about class or gender relations in that culture. Again this need not be a formal discussion of mode of production etc.

Option 2

Some tales seem to preserve the out-of-date values of past times (e.g., wifely obedience taken to extremes, child abandonment, etc.). Insofar as we no longer hold to some of the values held in tales, is it appropriate for children to read such tales? Argue for or against children reading tales based on the values that they illustrate, using one specific tale (either one assigned for class or another one from the course texts) to make your case.

Option 3

The Walt Disney Company has hired you to help decide what tale to use for their next animated feature film. From the tales in our course texts, choose one to recommend to Disney. Explain why the story is typical of the (Disney) tale tradition and why you think it would make a good animated feature. Note that this means you should address specific issues of adaptation to film, not simply argue that it fulfills formal requirements of tales and/or teaches good lessons.

Option 4

Come up with your own idea for a paper topic that has not bee discussed here. Let me know what it is before you start.

You should have a clear thesis and focus your writing around a specific argument. You will both be working on analyzing texts and on synthesizing information gathered from different sources. I do want to see your own views and interpretations. At the same time, I am primarily interested in analyses which help us to understand the culture of the time on its own terms and/or to perceive non-obvious premises behind the scholarship.

The preliminary drafts and assignments are intended to help you in the paper-writing process and to provide opportunities for feedback and guidance at several points. It is in your best interests to take all components of the assignment seriously.

Breakdown of the grade is as follows:

Proposal (5%)

Annotated Bibliography and Thesis (5%)

Outline (5%)

First Draft (20%)

Final Draft (65%)

Proposal: Due Wednesday, March 29 2006.

For the proposal, you should type up a short discussion of the topic you plan to write about, including some of the main points that you hope to argue and your working thesis statement. The proposal should be no more than one page, typed and double-spaced. This assignment will count 5% toward your overall paper grade.

Annotated Bibliography and Thesis Statement: Due Wednesday, April 5 2006.

An annotated bibliography is a list of books or articles with a brief description of the main argument of each book or article. You should be able to write between five and ten sentences about each book. This is somewhat similar to the identification questions on the mid-term or final exams you should be able to identify what is important about the books that you will be using for your paper. You should include at least two books or articles on your annotated bibliography, and at none of these should not be readings assigned for discussion in class(you may use material covered in class as additional works). This assignment should also include a revised thesis statement if necessary, as you may have a clearer sense of your argument now that you have done some reading. This assignment will count 5% toward your overall paper grade.

Outline: Due Wednesday, April 12 2006

The outline should consist of your major points organized into the structure you are planning to use for your paper (this can, and often does, change once you start writing). Below each of your main points you should list minor points that help to support each argument. The outline does not need to be in complete sentences, but does need to be comprehensible. It should also be typed. This assignment will count 5% toward your overall paper grade.

First Draft: Due Monday, April 24 2006

This paper is a draft and will be read as such. I will not be grading first drafts, but providing comments to help you polish your papers for the final draft. However, at this point, you should have a paper that you think is close to being done, so that I can help you with some final pointers. I will not be correcting your grammar and spelling mistakes for you. I will be addressing issues of content and overall organization. Once again, the more polished your paper is at this point, the better feedback I will be able to give you. It probably goes without saying at this point, but please turn this paper in typed and double-spaced. All first drafts should be acompanied by a First Draft Handout. This assignment will count 20% toward your overall paper grade.

Final Draft: Due Wednesday, May 3 2006

This paper should be as good as you can make it after two rounds of comments and your own editing. Sloppy editing will not be excused in the final draft. Make sure you leave yourself enough time to edit what you have written. Again, the paper should be typed and double-spaced. The final draft should be 8-10 pages in length. I look forward to reading your papers. This assignment will count 65% toward your overall paper grade.