My biggest tip is to focus OUTWARD for the literary journalism essay. You use the outer (what you discover during your research) to explore the inner (what it means to be human on a deeper level) and generate some kind of commentary on the topic of your choice. It should speak to some larger significance. This essay is not about the “I” – it is about letting your research do the talking..
Please follow these guidelines when correcting my paper: Literary Journalism Essay Assignment
Your Task: Pick a focused, narrow topic to write about – nothing too broad – and conduct immersive research about that subject (to whatever extent is possible for you). Your topic can be about anything that allows you to find a larger significance, as long as it is focused on something outside of yourself; the literary journalism essay asks you to take a backseat as the author and let the subject (and the way you explore it) speak for itself. Generally speaking, literary journalism essays make some kind of commentary about issues, phenomena, events, etc. that reveal something about humanity and what it means to be human. I have had students in the past write about the place where they work (e.g., Dunkin’ Donuts), mental health conditions (e.g., Multiple Personality Disorder), social-political issues (e.g., presidential elections), local places that sparked their curiosity (e.g., an abandoned neighborhood church), topics about gender roles (e.g., influence of the Barbie doll), and so on. Try to pick something that will allow you to research in a more “active” manner, meaning more “hands-on” research methods that go beyond basic Internet searches: actually BEING somewhere, communicating with REAL people, etc. Then, using that research, write a literary journalism essay in which you reveal some deeper significance about the topic you selected.
Checklist: Use this checklist to ensure that you are meeting the literary journalism essay requirements:
Is my topic specific or is it too broad?
What is my surface-level subject, and what is my underlying subject (“deeper meaning”)? Have I successfully extracted some larger significance, some thread of exploration and discovery?
Have I successfully limited my reliance on first-person narration in order to make my presence less noticeable, focusing outward, instead, and taking a more objective, observant stance?
Did I find creative ways to conduct substantial immersive research?
Some examples of immersive research include the following (Try to do at least 2 of these.):
-Taking photos or drawing sketches of observations
-Handwritten/typed notes after making observations
-Creating video/audio recordings of events
-Transcribing/recording self-conducted interviews
-Making phone calls and taking notes
-Tracking the voices of others in “live” online environments (e.g., social media, blog posts, etc.)
*Always ask for permission to record ahead of time.
Did I submit my immersive research via email to riverak@sunyacc.edu in an accessible and compact digital format, and does it provide sufficient evidence of the time and effort I put into this assignment? (Please send this to me when you turn in your revision. You may be sending me photos, recordings, scanned copies of handwritten notes you took, etc. FYI: Camscanner is a great app for quick scanning. It allows you to share scanned files as PDFs.)
Am I using proper MLA format?
Is my essay 3-5 pages in length?
Am I using proper mechanics and grammar, and if not, is it intentional?
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