What is the story or argument being made in the source? Describe. How does the source add to existing knowledge/contribute to your understanding of the topic? What are some strengths and weaknesses of this source? What can this source teach you about storytelling and rhetoric?

Storytelling Project Part 1: The Literature Review

Overview 

For the second half of this semester, you will research and write your own story in the genre of your choice. You can tell any story you want but it must be your story to tell. The first part of this project is conducting research on your story topic. Unlike research you’ve likely done in the past, this research isn’t focused on learning about your topic. Instead, it’s about learning how others have approached your topic. What genres have they used? What arguments have they made about your topic? Are any perspectives left out? What can you learn about telling your own story through this research?

Instructions 

For this portion of the assignment, you will research a story topic in the form of a miniliterature review. The purpose of this mini-literature review is to provide yourself and the class with an overview of both creative and scholarly sources on your chosen topic. Steps for completing the review are outlined below.  

Step 1: Select a story topic to research. Because this project is about sharing your story, you need to pick a topic that is personal to you in some way. For example, you could research a place, person, or tradition that is meaningful to you. You could also research a topic related to your personal identity (for example, last name, cultural or religious identity, etc.) We will also brainstorm topics during class so that everyone gets a good idea of what kinds of topics will work for this assignment.

Step 2: Locate four sources on your topic, including

• a scholarly source (a peer-reviewed academic source you might find in a library database)
• three creative sources (fiction, poetry, nonfiction)

Step 3: Use the Literature Review Template (page 2) to document and evaluate your sources. As you document your sources, be sure to write in complete sentences and paragraphs.  

Step 4: Check your completed template for clarity and specificity and revise. The audience for your completed template is an academic audience (your instructor and classmates) who might be unfamiliar with the topic or sources you selected. The overview you provide through this template should make sense to someone who has not read your sources.  

Literature Review Template

Source 1

• Full MLA or APA Citation:
• What is the story or argument being made in the source? Describe.
• How does the source add to existing knowledge/contribute to your understanding of the topic?
• What are some strengths and weaknesses of this source? What can this source teach you about storytelling and rhetoric?

Source 2

• Full MLA or APA Citation:
• What is the story or argument being made in the source? Describe.
• How does the source add to existing knowledge/contribute to your understanding of the topic?
• What are some strengths and weaknesses of this source? What can this source teach you about storytelling and rhetoric?

Source 3

• Full MLA or APA Citation:
• What is the story or argument being made in the source? Describe.
• How does the source add to existing knowledge/contribute to your understanding of the topic?
• What are some strengths and weaknesses of this source? What can this source teach you about storytelling and rhetoric?

Source 4

• Full MLA or APA Citation:
• What is the story or argument being made in the source? Describe.
• How does the source add to existing knowledge/contribute to your understanding of the topic?
• What are some strengths and weaknesses of this source? What can this source teach you about storytelling and rhetoric?