Here's the extra-credit assignment:

Choose one of the following terms and then write a 800-1000 word research paper that explains this concept. You must use at least three sources, only one of which can be an online source and you may not use wikipedia as a documented or undocumented source. You'll want to give your reader a sense of the history of this term or concept and who some of the major theorists are who have helped to develop the major lines of thought about this topic. You might also wish to include examples of how this concept might apply to a literary text you know well or to In the Skin of a Lion.

While you will be getting much of your information on your topic from the research that you do, it is crucial that this paper be more than just a summary of what you find. Make sure that your perspective on this issue is clear and that argument demonstrates that you understand the concept. You'll be using quotations from the sources you find to support your argument, not to overwhelm it.

Here are your choices of topic:

1) Intertextuality

2) defamiliarization

3) the readerly (lisible) vs. writerly (scriptible) text

4) verisimilitude

5) gynocriticism

Citing your sources: Be careful to document your sources thoroughly: If using an idea you found from a specific source that you didn't find in any of the others, you must cite the source of that idea. If you find it in three or more sources, it can be considered common knowledge and need not be cited. Make sure to familiarize yourself with what the UVM student code says about plagiarism.

Deadline: You can hand this essay in any time before the last day of class. It will be worth 7.5% of your final grade and your exam grade will be reduced from 15% of your final grade to 7.5% of your final grade. As this assignment is a significant and time-consuming one, it is likely only worth the effort if you scored below a C on your midterm.