Informe Guidelines
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During the term, you will write 4 "informes", each approximately 2-3 pages long (see course schedule for due dates). You are always welcome to stop in during office hours and talk with me about your ideas for your "informe".
Here are some guidelines to help you on your way to writing a creative
and insightful "informe":
What is it?
An "informe" is meant to be an explorative, creative space where you
can reflect on your readings and make connections within the text.
It aims to help you build more interesting readings of the works.
It is more formal than what you might call a "journal" and less formal than an argumentative "paper" (where you are proving a thesis).
The content of a journal may often be wide open and usually does not require a clear focus on an issue in the text. It may also be solely comprised of your impressions and overall reactions to the text. In contrast to this, an "informe" is more focused and formal. You might choose to write about one (or two related) issues in the text that have not surfaced in class or that have been discussed but that you would simply like to explore more in-depth. Using the text, you may want to talk about the way a particular character seems to be conflictive, the representation of desire in a work, the issue of silence with respect to a character, the implications of a particular space in a novel, or the structure used by the author to create her fiction. You may even want to write about a detail in the text that you believe is important in the overall context of the work. In this sense, your "informe" will have a topic and a title, and therefore, a clear focus.
However, it is not envisioned as an argumentative paper where the
writer proves a particular thesis. These are typically what you write
in many of your courses, where each paragraph generally proves the thesis
you have clearly stated at the beginning. The object of the argumentative
paper is to convince the reader of your point of view. The "informe",
on the other hand, is your exploration of an idea, of an aspect of the
text. It allows you to consider different sides of an issue in the
text without having to prove anything to the reader. In fact, you
may not have all the answers for your questions, though you may explore
them in-depth. It also allows you to construct connections between
characters or aspects of the text that you believe to be related in some
way. In this sense, it is less directed and more open than an argumentative
paper.
The "informe" is intended to be a place for you to reflect on our readings
and class discussions, push beyond what we have talked about in class,
and work through issues you find interesting in the texts. It will
allow you to pose relevant questions about the texts we discuss, help you
work through your readings in a more coherent way, and provide a space
for your readings to gel. Many people often feel that the "informes"
help them think more clearly about their readings, improve their writing
skills, and learn to ask more interesting questions of the texts.
The "informe" is a space where you can learn to be more creative in your
readings of literary texts.
1. "That happened to me as well once....."
Avoid departing from the text at hand and going into other experiences
you have had that may be similar (this would be more appropriate for a
journal). Remember that this is a space to work creatively with the
text.
2. Transcripts of class discussion:
Avoid merely repeating what we have said in class. It is fine
to work with an idea that we explored in class, but that plan on developing
it and taking it farther. The "informe" is not a test to see if you
have been attentive to discussion - instead, here you are trying to develop
your critical thinking and reading skills and go beyond or in directions
different from those we have explored in class.
3. "Federico García Lorca is one of the most renown of all Spanish playwrights and has written many works dealing with gender issues. Lorca's incredible talent allowed him to write the well-known rural tragedy, including Bodas de sangre, Yerma and La casa de Bernarda Alba. In Yerma, the issue of gender is overwhelmingly important........ (etc.)"
Avoid broad, general introductions on the writers and their works. The "informe" is a short, condensed, exploration. It is something you have thought about and should jump right into. Each sentence should add to the paper, not kill your thought. The preceding introduction not only doesn't tell the reader anything about what you will explore in your paper, but it will feel like an immense amount of fluff by the time you approach the end of two pages and you realize that you are just "getting going" and are running out of space. If you have the tendency to write these kind of introductions, conclusions or transitions, challenge yourself and cross them out -- think about a more direct and effective way to sit the reader down to your discussion table.
4. Plot summary:Avoid summarizing the plot or describing a character. Analysis is what you are going for, not telling what happens. You may be analyzing and making connections between aspects of a character as you explore an idea you have about her, but stay away from retelling the story or merely paraphrasing descriptions the text gives you.
5. Long quotes:
Avoid using long quotes. You will realize how little space two
pages are to explain your ideas. Although you may certainly want
to quote the text, try to avoid long quotes (by definition, these run more
than four lines and are indented) unless you feel they are necessary to
make your point.
6. Dropping in quotes and assuming they are self-explanatory:
No text is self-explanatory. In fact, we can often do many things
with any given quote. Whatever quote you use should be explained
-- what is it that you see in that quote? In what way is it germane
to what you are saying? Does it prove a connection you are trying
to build? How?
When you refer to or directly cite the text, please use this simple method for citing:
"your quote" (page number/s).
or
your reference to an event or moment. (page numbers)
You should not include the title of the work unless you are talking
about two and it is unclear which you are citing. The page number/s
will suffice.
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