LTEN 107 Paper Topics 

Papers will be collected at the beginning of class on March 12; late papers may receive fewer or no comments and will receive lower grades, up to one full grade per 24 hours.

Only documented legitimate medical or personal emergencies will excuse late work. If an emergency arises, you must let me know as soon as possible and I will do my best to accommodate your needs.  It is your responsibility to keep me informed, and, indeed, I can’t help you if I don’t know that there is a problem.

Please save all the materials that you use in preparation for writing the paper, (i.e. notes, drafts, outlines etc.).  If you do all of your work on a computer, I would recommend making frequent, secure back-ups or printing a hard copy of your work. 

I’m very confident that everyone in the class wants to produce his or her original work, but if there are any questions about the originality of student work, items such as preparation material can greatly aid in evaluating academic integrity.  See references to UCSD policy on Academic Integrity below.   

Option One: These papers should be 6-7 pages long, double-space typed, 12 point font with one inch margins on all sides of the page.  

Your paper should have a title.  There is no need for cover sheets or folders.  These papers are a more formal assignment than the weekly thinksheets and should be proofread carefully and carefully formatted prior to submission. 

They will be graded on content and argumentation, but the quality of the writing is also important.  Outstanding writing can only help the paper; poor or sloppy writing will detract from it. You are welcome to consult outside sources for your paper, but it is also possible to write an outstanding paper using only Mann’s edition of Chaucer and whatever primary sources might be noted in certain prompts. Please consult me if you any questions at all about source use or need help with citations.   

Topics:

1.  The Clerk’s Tale has sources in the writings of Boccaccio and Petrarch.  Read these two earlier versions and write a paper that compares Chaucer’s version with one or two of his sources.  How did Chaucer’s changes to an earlier source impact his version?  What does it tell us about his version? Links to sources here. 

2.  Chaucer translated The Consolation of Philosophy, a wonderful text that Boethius wrote while imprisoned and awaiting a death sentence.  It treats the role of Fortune and fate in human life and how human beings can approach trial and adversity.   For this assignment you should read this text (the library also has copies available).  Pick one of the Canterbury Tales that we have read and discuss how you think Chaucer is using Boethian ideas in it.    

3. “Gentilesse.”  Read Chaucer’s lyric on the topic and compare the concept as it explored in that poem and one of the following tales:  Knight’s Tale, Wife of Bath’s Tale, Franklin’s Tale.    

4.  “Privitee.”  This word appears so many times in the Miller’s Tale.  Write a paper that interprets the role of the word in the tale.   

5. The scholar Kittredge has suggested that the Franklin’s Tale brings together and reconciles the issues of marriage in what Kittredge calls the “marriage group” (The Wife of Bath’s, Clerk’s, Merchant’s and Franklin’s Tales).  Do you agree with this assessment?  Write an essay that explains why or why not?*   

*This question adapted from one created by my friend and colleague Prof. Frank Grady    

Option Two: Chaucer Scholarship 

For this paper you will write a 5-6 pp. double-spaced review of a scholarly work related to our course readings.   

A list of possible texts to choose from is available here. Some of these works are a bit long. You can work with me to decide which portions you will read.   

Your review should have two main elements:   It should summarize the main arguments of the work, explaining carefully the author’s thesis and the evidence used to support this thesis. 

Reviews can either take a holistic approach or summarize chapter by chapter.  Using the latter approach, in addition to a more general overview is probably the best approach for someone new to reviewing.  

Scholarly reviews typically also evaluate the book in relation to other work in the field and may also critique the arguments presented.  You are welcome to try this, but it might be difficult as a beginning Chaucerian.  Instead you may approach the review as a student.  Is this work helpful for Chaucer students?  What did you learn from it?  How did it change the way you view Chaucer or read the Canterbury Tales?  Would you recommend it to other students of Chaucer?   

Alternatively, if there is a topic you are really interested in, please let me know and I can find a book/set of articles for you to read and review.   

A list of texts to choose from is provided on the course website. The list provides author/title and call number at our library. If you are having trouble locating the book, check at the information desk on the main floor of Geisel library.  If there is another topic you're interested in, please let me know and I'll try to help you fine a reading.  

 Plagiarism and Integrity of Scholarship are serious issues.  The term “plagiarism,” which comes from the Latin root, plagiarius (kidnapper), means stealing someone else’s writing or idea and passing it off as your own.    Please be aware that I will be enforcing University policies on integrity of scholarship and that violations can result in a failing grade in the class or dismissal from UCSD.   If you have any questions about what plagiarism or academic dishonesty are, please do contact me immediately and I’ll be happy to help you learn more about how to cite works you consult, whether they are printed, internet or other sources.   Please also consult the University’s policy primary on these issues, which is linked on our website.

Formatting Guidelines for Citation in Paper and more information on citation are available on the course website