The Final Paper

As with any writing-intensive LEH course, you are required to complete a Culminating Research Document, which is just a fancy way of saying ‘final paper.’ Below you find the requirements for this document, an outline to follow, as well as some suggested topics.  

Please note: you are free to write this paper whenever you wish: i.e. before the course officially begins or during the course beginning and end dates. Choose one of the ideas below.

Final Paper Subjects (Choose One)

1.)The Poet

Choose one of the poets referenced on The Poetry Foundation's excellent The Poetry of World War I article to research, such as Rupert Brooke, Ford Maddox Ford, Wallace Stevens, Siegfried Sassoon, John McCrae, William Butler Yeats, Wilfred Owen... there's plenty to choose from. 

After you have researched this poet thoroughly, produce the following items in a 3-5 page paper:

  1. Introduce us to the poet: who was she/he and why should we care to learn more.
  2. Poet Biography: give us a rundown of this poet's life and work.
  3. Notable war poems: provide us with some notable poems that this poet authored in response to the Great War.
    • Analyze what makes these poems work: meter, rhythm, rhyme scheme, subject matter, authenticity, etc.
  4. Personal Experience with the war: 
    • If this poet fought in the war, tell us more about this experience. How do you think it influenced his poems, and give us examples from the poetry itself to support your claim
    • If this poet didn't fight in the war, then tell us how you think this fact influenced his or her writing? Are their poems aloof, or perhaps bizarrely authentic? Provide examples from the poetry itself to support your claim.
  5. Favorite poem by this poet and why: lastly, provide us with your favorite poem by this poet. Tell us why you like it.  

2.)Your Great War

Many of the generation of young men who were unfortunate enough to be of age when World War I broke out felt that the responsibility foisted upon them was tremendously unfair and ill-fated. For all the novel things it was known for (air battles, chemical warfare, mechanical weaponry, etc.), WWI was an explicit, traditional war, with war declarations, rules of engagement, battle lines, troop movements, training, all carefully regimented and state-sanctioned.

However, not all wars take place on battlefields with tanks, guns, and battalions of soldiers. Sometimes wars are dissipated throughout society and the violence is structural or small scale, as opposed to explicit or of on a massive scale. Therefore, these types of 'wars' are really hard to recognize when you see them. 

I'll give you an example:

Even though we're currently facing a really difficult set of challenges with pandemics, terrorism, and the resurgence of fascism, the cold hard reality is that heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, diabetes, and obesity are by far the amongst the biggest killers in American. This is due in part to our relatively sedentary lifestyles and our broken food system.  

However, we can't very well form an army of soldiers and march them out to the battlefield and shoot at saturated fats or high fructose corn syrup, can we? So how do we fight this war? By putting pressure on Congress, the USDA, and the FDA to enact and enforce measures such as crop sustainability, enrich food education, breaking up ConAgra, and prescribe fruits and vegetables instead of pharmaceuticals.

For this project idea, you will describe your generation’s "Great War." How have the people in charge foisted something wrong-headed or unfair on your generation?

For this subject idea, you will write a 3-5 page paper that covers the following items:

  1. Identify which generation you identify with.
  2. How has your generation been unfairly saddled with a massive burden that you felt you had no choice in? 
  3. Describe who is in 'command?' Who is responsible for putting this burden on you? How do they behave in response to criticism?
  4. In what ways is this 'Great War' different than the actual Great War we've just finished studying? Is your generation in a better or worse position than those who faced WWI to tackle this burden?
  5. What have you personally done to change things and address your concerns with those in command?
  6. What do you plan on doing in the future to fix the situation?

Requirements:

Contact Me

Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments at DAVID dot SCHWITTEK at LEHMAN dot CUNY dot EDU.

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