review of literature essay

I need an explanation for this English question to help me study.

Essay 2: Literature Review

[3+ pages]

Assignment Objectives

Students will complete this assignment by writing an essay that reviews the published research on the topic of their major assignment for the course (the research paper that is assignment three). Students will search for scholarly articles books, and other sources relevant to this topic. Students will describe, summarize, objectively evaluate and clarify these sources. Successful completion of this assignment will require students to 1) identify their own research topic, 2) establish the relevance of that topic, 3) evaluate the credibility of the sources they identify, 4) articulate the positions of the sources they identify, 5) explain the kinds of evidence presented in the identified sources, 6) compare and contrast the sources’ claims and evidences, and 6) identify avenues for further research.

Rationale

Here you will analyze and synthesize the ideas of several authors and demonstrate their relationship to your own emerging position.

Assignment

Write a literature review that provides a comprehensive summary of previous research on your chosen topic. You will search for scholarly articles, books, and other sources relevant to the specific area of research. You will describe, summarize, objectively evaluate, and clarify what you have found. Your understanding and acknowledgement of the work of previous researchers assures the reader that your ideas are well thought out and will be a valid contribution to the conversation about the topic. This is an academic essay in which you will present your own research topic and demonstrate its relevance in relationship to the ongoing conversation you discover in published sources. Suitable questions might be:

What is the definition of the American Dream?

Is the American Dream positive or negative in its impact on American culture?

Is the American Dream real or just a myth?

Is the American Dream dead or alive?

Suggestion for Process

1. Form an explanation of what the author has said about this problem or question.
2. Note important comparisons between this authors’ views and your own.
3. Write a two level outline for a 3 page paper comparing and contrasting the answers to this question.
4. choose 1 of the 4 questions that are above, and use 3 of the suggested articles to support that claim.

Rhetorical Situation

The audience for this paper is someone who has some familiarity with the concept of the American Dream. Your purpose is to compare, contrast, and interact with the ideas of several authors concerning a question pertinent to the subject of the American Dream. This is an academic exercise and Standard American English should be used as well as MLA format. Academic writing should not use second person pronouns and only use first person when the rhetorical situation is personal. This paper is not personal in nature; therefore, first person pronouns should also not be used.

Do I need a work cited page?

Yes. You will be citing from your sources and will need to list each essay or other source that you quote from, paraphrase, or summarize in your work cited page.