To what extent has modern society transformed into a version of the dystopian society in the novel 1984 by George Orwell? Has the internet and social media diminished peoples privacy and acted as a way of control?

The major assignment for this course is to write an in-depth, original research essay of at least 12 pages, in which you explore a specific literary work, theme, author, or historical event related to British literature since 1783. This can be directly related to a reading from class, but you are also free to consider authors and texts we have not looked at as a class. Think of a specific issue related to your topic that you find intriguing, and develop a research question that you intend to answer. Find a variety of high-quality, scholarly sources of information, and use them as appropriate throughout your essay. Consider your task to be that of entering into an academic discussion with experts in the field, building off their work to further our understanding of a specific issue. Develop a clear thesis statement that presents your argument, and support that argument thoroughly and intelligently.

You will first submit a draft of your essay, showing what you have been able to accomplish thus far. This does not need to be the completed essay, but it should represent significant progress, as well as any necessary course changes from the proposal. You should have at least 8 pages of text, as well as some references to your research. I will grade your draft on how well you have started the project, as well as the overall quality of your ideas and writing. My feedback will also give you direction as you finish drafting and revising the essay.

Thoughts:

I have already written a proposal (attached) for the topic and have some sources already that you can use as well as whatever sources you find/use. There isn’t a specific number of sources required, but I figured somewhere around 20 should suffice. There is also a tenative outline in the proposal that does not need to be followed. The draft is due Monday and needs to be 8 pages, but the actual full 12 page paper is due next Friday.