Research Essay (Topic of your choice)
Research Essay
Length: 7-8 pages (double-spaced)
Citation Format: MLA
Document Format: Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx), Times New Roman font, size 12pt
Your goal in this project is to compose an essay (seven to eight pages in length) in which you make an original argument based on researched evidence.
Rubric
Exigence: __/20 points
The essay clearly explain what’s at stake in your topic, effectively proving that it’s a topic worth arguing about in the first place. (Imagine your reader asking you, “What’s the problem you’re trying to solve with this paper? Why tackle this problem now?”)
Logos: __/20 points
The essay should be logically organized and develop in a way that supports the initial claim in the thesis statement. Each paragraph (or section of paragraphs) should be clearly identified by a topic sentence(s). Overall, the paper should flow well with good transitions
Ethos: __/20 points
The essay should cite at least seven sources, five of which must be scholarly or peer-reviewed in nature.
Pathos: __/20 points
The paper demonstrates a recognition of, and persuasively appeals to and/or manages, the emotions of the target audience. By “managing” the emotions of your target audience, I mean, for example, that if you’re dealing with a topic to which people tend to have strong and possibly polarizing knee-jerk emotional responses, your challenge is to keep the reader cool-headed and open to your alternative viewpoint without being immediately turned off.
Clarity, MLA formatting, and proofreading: __/5 points
Paper should be clearly written and should abide by MLA formatting rules.
Topic Proposal: __/2.5 points
Outline: __/2.5 points
Annotated bibliography: __/10 points
Here are the assignments that are due before the final paper but is a part of building up to the final paper:
1. Write at least five sentences explaining your topic idea for Project 3. Due: March 18th 2020
2. Project 3 outline. An outline is a piece of writing in which you break your argument down into a list of points. Think of it as a sort of roadmap or skeletal structure for what will eventually be a complete rough draft.
A good way to do it is to outline each paragraph (or what you’re thinking might be each paragraph). Start with a bullet point indicating what the topic of that paragraph will be, and then–in a list of several indented bullet points–list any of the following: any major example(s) discussed in that paragraph, any sources that you expect to use in that paragraph, and any supporting arguments or counterarguments you expect to bring up in relation to the main topic of that paragraph.
An important function of an outline is that it gets you to think not just about what each of your paragraphs will be, but also about the order in which they will appear in the paper itself. For example, it makes sense to feature very early in the paper one or more paragraphs in which you simply define some key terms that will be helpful for your reader to know before they hear the meat of your argument. Think carefully about which paragraphs should come before others and how paragraphs transition and build upon previous paragraphs.
To clarify: in an outline, you’re not writing these paragraphs at length yet. You’re listing the major points or aspects of each prospective paragraph. Due: March 23 2020
3.As the Purdue OWL explains, “an annotated bibliography includes a summary and/or evaluation of each of the sources” you plan to use for a research paper. The basic format is to list those sources in alphabetical order, and for each one, include a citation using the MLA Works Cited format, followed by a short summary of that source and an explanation of how you plan to use it or how it dovetails with your argument (.e.g. Do you plan to use it as a primary source or a secondary source? Does it provide background information? Does it offer a supporting argument, or do you plan to use it as a counterargument to argue against?). Generally, these written portions for each source tend to be one to two paragraphs in length. Cover at least five sources in your annotated bibliography. Due: March 25 2020
4. Need a rough draft by March 30th 2020, its totally ok if its not fully done. just something to show progress of paper
