RESEARCH PAPER FOR THE COURSE: TURN OF THE CENTURY VIENNA AND COFFEE HOUSE CULTURE

Bob Corbett, instructor
GNST 1400, Spring 2001

THE ASSIGNMENT; PREPARATION HINTS; GRADING CRITERIA AND EXAMPLES OF POSSIBLE TOPICS

• ASSIGNMENT:  Write a research paper using one of the following two approaches:
  1. A 4-5 page paper on a single theme.
  2. 4 or 5 single page "sketches".
  3. The paper must be written in three stages, each graded separately.
     • An initial oral interview with Corbett in which you present and seek approval for the topic and content of the paper. Obviously you will not be expected to present much content at this early meeting, but you must have some solid ideas of what you will do and what the general aim and structure of the paper will be. Value of this meetings: 10% of the grade.
     • A written and DETAILED outline of the paper and the sources you will use for the paper. This latter is extremely important since Corbett will want to have access to the sources. Value of this paper: 20% of the paper.
     • The paper itself, with full and careful end notes and bibliography. Value: 70% of the paper grade.

• PRE-PREPARATION TASKS:
  • Think through your possibilities. E-mail Corbett if you wish to discuss these. See suggested topics and approaches below.
  • First do some library and/or internet research and discover what sources are available in English in Vienna. You must do all written work and discussion work on the paper in English, but you may use sources in other languages if you are comfortable with that. Corbett will need early information on any foreign language sources.
  • Read as much as you can in the area of your research.

• THE PHASES OF THE PAPER ITSELF:
  1. The first meeting with Corbett is NOT to brainstorm for a topic. Rather, you must already have a topic and a basic plan. Your task at this meeting is to lay it out and convince Corbett that it is a respectable research project and that you have reasons which you can give to show that the research materials you will need are available.
  2. Secondly, the detailed outline of the paper must be at least one full page long typed and double-spaced with a second page giving the full bibliographic data on your major sources, especially internet sources.
  3. The paper itself must have:
     • A cover page with title and your name.
     • A minimum of 4 full pages of text. This must be double-spaced, in either 10 or 12 point type and with extremely small margins are all four sides, absolutely no more than one inch. Your paper must be a FULL four pages, not a line shorter, and may extend onto a 5th page, but no more. I will read not one word of anything beyond the five pages of text.
     • The paper must have careful end-notes and bibliography on the 6th page and may extend beyond if necessary.

• THINGS I WILL ESPECIALLY NOTE AND LOOK FOR IN GRADING THE PAPER IN ITS VARIOUS PHASES:
  • Does the oral discussion represent a carefully thought out plan?
  • Does the oral discussion show a familiarity with avaialbe sources?
  • Is the outline sufficiently detailed that a serious and successful research paper may be fairly easily generated from it?
  • Do both the outline and paper follow exactly the requirements expressed above?
  • Are there at least three significant sources which can give the paper some depth beyond just parroting a single source?
  • Are all of the guidelines for form strictly followed?
  • Is all written material in standard English?
  • Is there a serious element of splash and style in the paper.
  • Is the paper accurate and does it deliver what was promised in the oral planning and the outline?

• THE GRADES THEMSELVES:
  • A grade of A will mean: The plan of the paper was well presented at the first meeting and suggested careful thought and planning. The outline met all guidelines, and was in enough detail to suggest the central line of the paper. The paper itself delivered what was promised, was significant, met all guidelines asked above and was in standard English and written with some style and grace.
  • A grade of B will mean: All parts of the process asked for in the above were present, but the paper just didn't match up to the superior quality expected of the A. Perhaps the paper didn't follow the specific guidelines of form; or there were lapses in standard English; or the content was just a bit off from what was promised; or the paper just lacked the grace and style expected of a superior paper.
  • A grade of C will mean: All parts of the paper process were done and on-time. However, the final products were just not in the category of above-average. The paper represented a solid piece of work which should be expected of any undergraduate, but nothing above that. It was good, solid, unexceptional work.
  • A grade of D will mean: Some deviations from the criteria expressed above were present in some area of the paper. Perhaps lapses in seriousness of content, or presentation; perhaps failures to adequately express the paper in standard English; perhaps lapses in following the form required.
  • A grade of F may mean anyone of three things:
    1. The oral, outline or paper did not meet the time requirements given. Late work is simply unacceptable for any reason at all.
    2. Significant failures to meet the assignment at the level of reasonable university expectations of thought, attention to detail, significant lapses in the content's accuracy. (Specifics will be pointed out).
    3. The paper form (rather than the content) was seriously flawed. This could mean the time peramaters or such things as clarity of expression, or use of the English language. All of these would be expected to be used in a reasonable fashion for university level work. However, a grade of F on these grounds would require some quite serious deviation from the expectations listed above.

• SOME EXAMPLES OF POSSIBLE PAPER TOPICS
  • A treatment of any major personality of this period, detailing his or her contribuition to the growth (or hinderance) of modernism. This would be such people as Sigmond Freud, Gustav Klimt, Karl Krauss and so on.
  • An presentation of a list of Otto Wagner's architectural heritage in Vienna, accompanied by photos and discussion is especially invited. This might even allow two or three students to combine into a 10 or 15 page paper (photos excluded from the count of pages, of course).
  • Careful analyses of some major single text of the period, such as Freud's THE INTERPRETATION OF DREAMS, or one of Hoffmansthal or Schnitzler's novels. This would have to extend beyond the novel into the secondary literature.
  • Topics particularly suggested by Carl Schorske's book.

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