Your final research paper requires an annotated bibliography. For this part of the assignment (Due. Nov. 12), you will list 5 sources and annotate each. The paper should have an MLA heading that includes your name, my name, the class, and date. Your title will be your research topic, then a colon, then the words "An Annotated Bibliography." For example:
"Stem Cell Research: An Annotated Bibliography"
Then you will begin your 5 entries. Each entry should be formatted according to MLA, which looks like this. The annotation under each entry should address two issues:
1. How the source is relevant to your thesis (how you will use the information in the source)
2. The quality and/or accuracy of the source
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Characteristics of a Good Thesis Statement.
1. Contains stance, position
2. Supportable yet arguable (not something that everyone will agree with)
3. Contains some kind of reason
4. Something important is at stake
5. Simple, clear, concise, forceful
6. Specific
7. Not too broad, not too narrow (it won’t lead us to try to accomplish too much within the scope of the paper)
8. Not too factual
Final Research Paper.
For your final research paper, I want you to write about something that interests you. I am not giving you any topic or issue. However, if you would rather me give you a topic, you can use the Peter Singer assignment detailed below.
You are following the same guidelines you used for your synthesis paper, but a few requirements are different: This paper will be 5-7 pages and will require at least 5 sources. You can use one or more sources from your textbook, but only one source from your textbook can count toward your 5-source total. That means you will need to find and use at least 4 other sources. At least two of these sources must be a periodical (newspaper, magazine, or scholarly journal). At least one source must be from a book or anthology.
If you want to write an expansion of your Synthesis Paper as your Final Research Paper, you can do this, but you must write at least 8 pages total.
A few additional requirements:
-Annotated bibliography (worth 10% of the assignment) (Due Nov. 12) (We'll talk about this in class.)
-Peer review session (Dec. 3) (Your participation is optional, but you will receive 5 extra points for participating.) (Your attendance that day, however, is not optional.)
-E-mail me a draft of your thesis by Nov. 10th for approval. (This counts as part of your grade. It is also important for me to see that your research scope is adequate. Remember that you don't want a topic that is too broad, i.e. giraffes, and you don't want one too narrow, i.e. the color of giraffes' tongues in south eastern Nigeria--we'll talk about this in class.)
-Final paper is due Dec. 8th
-Presentations (which are graded as a separate assignment) will be on Dec. 8th and 10th.
**************************************************************
Possible topic you can use:
Read Peter Singer's Famine, Affluence, and Morality. Then write a paper in which you describe and support your opinion on the role of the US government in regard to foreign aid to impoverished countries. Your thesis should state your position, but doesn't necessarily have to include your solution. (See me if you are unsure of the difference between these two things). Your opening paragraphs should make clear the issue, the problem, key terms, how your paper will be organized (main points of your reasoning), and your thesis, among other things.
The purpose of this assignment is for you to survey the literature on this issue, and, through critical reading and thinking, develop your own well-reasoned, well-supported solution to the problem.
Requirements:
A successful paper will:
1.) Have well-supported and well-developed ideas.
2.) Be clear, focused, and unified.
3.) Use an engaging and appropriate style.
4.) Have a strong, clear thesis statement. This will guide the rest of your paper.
5.) Anticipate and respond to objections others will make to your argument.
6.) Progress from idea to idea in a logical manner.
7.) Have very few errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
You are following the same guidelines you used for your synthesis paper, but a few requirements are different: This paper will be 5-7 pages and will require at least 5 sources. You can use one or more sources from your textbook, but only one source from your textbook can count toward your 5-source total. That means you will need to find and use at least 4 other sources. At least two of these sources must be a periodical (newspaper, magazine, or scholarly journal). At least one source must be from a book or anthology.
If you want to write an expansion of your Synthesis Paper as your Final Research Paper, you can do this, but you must write at least 8 pages total.
A few additional requirements:
-Annotated bibliography (worth 10% of the assignment) (Due Nov. 12) (We'll talk about this in class.)
-Peer review session (Dec. 3) (Your participation is optional, but you will receive 5 extra points for participating.) (Your attendance that day, however, is not optional.)
-E-mail me a draft of your thesis by Nov. 10th for approval. (This counts as part of your grade. It is also important for me to see that your research scope is adequate. Remember that you don't want a topic that is too broad, i.e. giraffes, and you don't want one too narrow, i.e. the color of giraffes' tongues in south eastern Nigeria--we'll talk about this in class.)
-Final paper is due Dec. 8th
-Presentations (which are graded as a separate assignment) will be on Dec. 8th and 10th.
**************************************************************
Possible topic you can use:
Read Peter Singer's Famine, Affluence, and Morality. Then write a paper in which you describe and support your opinion on the role of the US government in regard to foreign aid to impoverished countries. Your thesis should state your position, but doesn't necessarily have to include your solution. (See me if you are unsure of the difference between these two things). Your opening paragraphs should make clear the issue, the problem, key terms, how your paper will be organized (main points of your reasoning), and your thesis, among other things.
The purpose of this assignment is for you to survey the literature on this issue, and, through critical reading and thinking, develop your own well-reasoned, well-supported solution to the problem.
Requirements:
- Refer to Singer's argument (citation required). Also, use at least four other sources. At least two of these sources must be a periodical (newspaper, magazine, or scholarly journal). At least one source must be from a book or anthology. There is an article by Garret Hardin (I'm sure you can find it on the Internet somewhere) that opposes Singer's position. Feel free to use this.
- Formulate and propose your own solution to the problem. Be sure to make it clear why you agree or disagree with Singer.
- Mention the role of the individual in your solution.
A successful paper will:
1.) Have well-supported and well-developed ideas.
2.) Be clear, focused, and unified.
3.) Use an engaging and appropriate style.
4.) Have a strong, clear thesis statement. This will guide the rest of your paper.
5.) Anticipate and respond to objections others will make to your argument.
6.) Progress from idea to idea in a logical manner.
7.) Have very few errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Examples of Specific Titles.
Argumentative Synthesis.
*Note that you will be writing an argumentative synthesis, not an explanatory synthesis. (Both types are discussed in your book.)
Choose a chapter in your book (excluding chapters 1-3) according to your interests. You will see that each chapter contains readings categorized by subject, e.g., education, nature, history, etc. Read through the essays in the chapter and become familiar with the gist of each argument (you do not have to read every word of each argument to get a sense of its gist.) After you are familiar with the essays in your chosen chapter, formulate your own position or claim (this will be your thesis) on an issue discussed in the chapter.
After you have your own position, choose at least two essays in the chapter that you can use in your synthesis. Note that you do not need to choose only essays that support your claim; you can also choose an essay that argues against your claim so long as you show why that argument is weak in your synthesis. Now re-read these essays that you will use. Take notes, highlight words, circle phrases, underline important concepts, etc. Be a critical reader. It's important that you absorb every facet of these essays and record your findings, reactions, observations.
Now write. Your purpose is to persuade the reader of your position (thesis). Your opening paragraphs should make clear the issue, key terms, how your paper will be organized (main points of your reasoning), your thesis, and perhaps some background. In your body paragraphs, you will integrate quotes, paraphrases, and/or summaries from the essays you read in order to bolster your argument. Be sure to explain every integration in your own words and/or explain how it fits into your paper. Do not simply quote a few sentences and call it a paragraph. Also, remember that you need both in-text citations and a works-cited page.
You may want to refer to pages 129-132 in your book for guidance.
Requirements:
1.) Have well-supported and well-developed ideas that support your thesis.
2.) Have a strong, clear thesis statement. (This will guide the rest of your paper.)
3.) Effectively integrate and document material from at least two sources.
4.) Be clear, focused, and unified.
5.) Anticipate and respond to objections others will make to your argument.
6.) Progress from idea to idea in a logical manner. (Use transitions.)
7.) Have very few errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Choose a chapter in your book (excluding chapters 1-3) according to your interests. You will see that each chapter contains readings categorized by subject, e.g., education, nature, history, etc. Read through the essays in the chapter and become familiar with the gist of each argument (you do not have to read every word of each argument to get a sense of its gist.) After you are familiar with the essays in your chosen chapter, formulate your own position or claim (this will be your thesis) on an issue discussed in the chapter.
After you have your own position, choose at least two essays in the chapter that you can use in your synthesis. Note that you do not need to choose only essays that support your claim; you can also choose an essay that argues against your claim so long as you show why that argument is weak in your synthesis. Now re-read these essays that you will use. Take notes, highlight words, circle phrases, underline important concepts, etc. Be a critical reader. It's important that you absorb every facet of these essays and record your findings, reactions, observations.
Now write. Your purpose is to persuade the reader of your position (thesis). Your opening paragraphs should make clear the issue, key terms, how your paper will be organized (main points of your reasoning), your thesis, and perhaps some background. In your body paragraphs, you will integrate quotes, paraphrases, and/or summaries from the essays you read in order to bolster your argument. Be sure to explain every integration in your own words and/or explain how it fits into your paper. Do not simply quote a few sentences and call it a paragraph. Also, remember that you need both in-text citations and a works-cited page.
You may want to refer to pages 129-132 in your book for guidance.
Requirements:
- MLA format
- Length: 3-4 pages (not including works-cited page)
- Show me a preliminary thesis and your potential sources during our conference.
- Due: Nov. 5, 2009.
1.) Have well-supported and well-developed ideas that support your thesis.
2.) Have a strong, clear thesis statement. (This will guide the rest of your paper.)
3.) Effectively integrate and document material from at least two sources.
4.) Be clear, focused, and unified.
5.) Anticipate and respond to objections others will make to your argument.
6.) Progress from idea to idea in a logical manner. (Use transitions.)
7.) Have very few errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
