Some general parameters for your final project:
1. Independent definition of your topic.
2. Independent research.
3. A topic that includes substantive analysis of text and music. You will likely limit yourself to a small number of musical settings (2 – 3), though particular topics may merit surveying a greater number.
4. “Outside research” that bears directly on your textual interpretation i.e. is not simply “background” information. (You won’t score any points for having a large bibliography that you don’t put to use in your paper.)
5. Annotated poems and musical scores.
6. May involve meeting with a language professor to discuss elements of the poetic form and/or meaning.
7. May involve comparison of 2 -3 recordings.
8. A formal paper 8-10 pages in length (no more, no less).
Below are key reference books that provide a general overview of a topic or help identify synonyms, related terms, or basic data. These sources often include references and lists of further readings.
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians by 
The Oxford History of Western Music by 
Encyclopedia of German Literature by 
European Writers by 
Nineteenth-Century French PoetsModern French PoetsRussian Literature in the Age of Pushkin and Gogol: Poetry and Drama
Oxford-Duden German Dictionary: German-English, English-German
The Larousse French-English, English-French Dictionary by 