Ý
 

 
 
 
 
 


Ý
Ý
Ý
Ý
Ý
Ý
Ý
Ý
Ý

Ý
Requirements:
Due date:
Monday, February 19

Possible score:
25 points

Format:
I'd like you to post your essay in the Biography Forum of Blackboard's Discussion Board: include it as an attachment with a brief comment in the message section to let us know what to look forward to. I'll return your biography in the "digital drop box" located in the "Tools" section of Blackboard.com.

Length and substance:
Your biography should be between 500 and 1000 words--not a lot of space for a whole life, but you will want to be sure that you include the basic personal information [name, birth (and death) dates and places; marriages, children and/or relationships] as well as the essentials of your writer's career [such as, major works, influences, start of career, growth/decline of reputation, etc.].

Beyond these basics, you will want to try to give your essay some shape; that is, you'll want a thesis (a basic idea about the writer's life that helps you organize the material for the reader).Ý For example, "Although Ellen Douglas used a psuedonym in all her writings, her life was the basic material for all of her fiction."  "Internationalism shaped the life of Barbara Kingsolver no less than it shaped her fiction."

Criteria for Evaluation:
Timeliness
Length
Basic data (life and career)
Thesis (absent or inadequate)
Resources (type and quality)
Notes (format)
Grammar and style

Resources:
You should consult at least three sources to construct your biography; you may use more, but be sure to include at least one source that is specific to your writer (the Biography Index or a LUCI search shouldÝ provide some titles), and try to limit your webpage sources to no more than a third of your total resources.

While you do not have to provide notes (except where you are quoting word for word or citing an unusual opinion), you do need to include a bibliography ofÝyour biographical resources, using a standard style of documentation. (MLA is preferred for literary essays, but if you are familiar with APA, you may use it). Your Pocket Style Manual has the basic information on documentation, but you can also consult the library's publications at http://www.library.loyno.edu/pubs/research/citing.htm and the WAC lab's resources at http://www.loyno.edu/wac/student.resources.html.

For overall writing assistance, one of the best resources is the OWL (Online Writing Lab) at Purdue University. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
There is a good section there, for example, on evaluating sources
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/research/r_evalsource2.html

  • Loyola Library Online

    • [You can access many restricted indexes from off-campus; follow the instructions here: http://library.loyno.edu/pubs/other/fromhome.htm]
    Biography Index http://www.library.loyno.edu/databases/biography.htm
    A good place to start, with an on-line index of biographies from 1984 to the present. You can find anything from short magazine profiles to major monographs on your author.
  • Loyola Library

    • Once you've identified some potential sources, check Loyola's "LUCIWEB" to see what's available in our library. In the Reference section, you will find lots of collections of biography, many of them very specialized. Two basic sources include:
  • Dictionary of American Biography. Many brief biographies, including previous biographies for each person listed. E176.D53Ý INDEX
  • Contemporary Authors. Another good source for information on writers. Z1224 .C761 NEW REVISION SERIES
For the best help, ask a reference librarian!