Paper title:  The Beatles

Academic level: College

Pages:  3

Source amount: 2

Subject: History of Rock and Roll

Formatting style: MLA

Type: Essay

Details: The Beatles were, without serious question, the most influential musical entity of the 20th Century. It could be argued that they are collectively the most innovative musical entity in the history of Western music, but they began as fairly typical teenagers from an industrial town in northern England. THE PROMPT: Refute and argue ANY part of this paragraph above.

Paper #2: They Say, I Say – Look back over the songs you have written about this semester. What is a song that you find particularly interesting? Is there something about its production, composition, or critical perception of it that you want to talk about? Maybe there is an album or film that the Beatles produced that you want to examine. Whatever aspect of the Beatles you want to discuss (from guitars and amps to philosophical perspectives on the music), this assignment asks that you pick a topic to research and include your thoughtful perspective and commentary with the voices of critics/experts. You will use a minimum of four credible, authoritative sources that speak meaningfully about the Beatles. One of these sources can be our class text, Ian MacDonald’s Revolution in the Head. Another can come from the notes of musicologist Alan J. Pollack found on the web at http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/…notes_on.shtml. Your task is to find a minimum of two scholarly sources that come from outside of our class materials. This will require you to start early and look through the stacks of an academic library (Walter Everett’s books are in Torreyson Library and Bailey Library) as well its electronic databases (JSTOR, Academic Search Premier, and ProQuest). Also, look at eBooks and books in the library’s catalog. Some texts may need to be ordered through interlibrary loan. Rick has both copies of Walter Everett’s books on reserve in his office. In fact, you should consider contacting us if you’re looking for a specific source. Here are some tasks you’ll need to accomplish in your essay. First, accurately paraphrase what the sources say about the song(s), album, or other aspect under scrutiny. What do you say in response? Consider using some of the “They Say/I Say” templates to make some of these moves. What points do the sources make about the song or album that you find helpful or unhelpful? Is there something overly biased or particularly insightful about what they have to say? We care what you have to say in response to the ideas of critics more informed than you The goal of this assignment is to help you find a place of authority in the midst of critics more informed than you. We will post some sample papers from last year in HCOL as models. Your paper should be no less than seven pages double-spaced using MLA format. This page count includes your Works Cited page. Keep in mind that seven pages is the minimum for acceptance and is not indicative of A-level work. This is not the maximum either. Due Apr. 8 by 8 a.m. Your required revision to this paper must be posted by Apr. 22 by 8 a.m.