Advertising and marketing culture Fast food in America

FINAL ESSAY ASSIGNMENT
100 Points Possible  Late final papers are not accepted
Minimum of four full Pages of analytical writing plus an MLA-style
“works cited” page (minimum total of five pages)
For this final paper assignment you will select a topic from the
following list, perform research, and write an analytical paper.
SELECT A TOPIC AND A SPECIFIC FOCUS
STEP ONE > Make a selection from one of these general topics:
Advertising and marketing culture
Fast food in America
Digital culture and “digital stress”
STEP TWO > Research the general topic and choose a specific, narrowed
focus for the paper. For example: if you select “Digital Culture” as your
general topic you may opt to research and write about teens and social
media; cyber-bullying; gender and social media, and so on.
You’ll note that the three topic areas are quite generalized. This is so
you can: 1) Select a topic that has captured your attention in our studies;
and, 2) practice research skills and methods key to college-level writing.
The more focused your topic, the better your final paper will be! Check out
“Narrowing a research topic” in our Writing module for helpful pointers.
RESEARCH & WRITING TASKS
First, study articles in Acting Out Culture that relate to your selected topic. Use the
book’s Table of Contents to direct your reading; you may select any articles from the
book. The paper must use a minimum of evidence from two articles from the
textbook.
You may also use material from any of the documentaries or other material (such
as PowerPoints) we have studied in class. Evidences from the films are not required,
but you may find some good material you wish to include.
Second, use the Internet (including – and preferably – our Bucks library databases)
to accumulate research on your topic. You need to use a minimum of two online
sources for the paper. Use the “CRAAPP” worksheet posted in this week’s thread if
you need assistance identifying suitable sources for an academic paper. I also highly
recommend consulting with our writing tutor if you feel stuck in the research phase of
this assignment.
Finally, write an essay that has a thesis argument and uses evidence throughout in
support of your argument and analysis. See above for type and number of sources
that must be used in the paper.
MORE DETAILS . . .
 The essay should demonstrate an in-depth, nuanced understanding of the
writing prompt. This will be demonstrated through a carefully-constructed thesis
and support of the thesis throughout body paragraphs.
 The essay needs to open with an introduction/thesis paragraph that informs
readers what your work will examine and introduces the “big arguments” your
essay will make about the writing prompt.
 Supporting evidences from selected sources must be provided in the form of
quotes, paraphrases, and descriptions. These evidences will be used to provide
support for your own analysis and arguments.
 Take care that your work does not merely repeat what other authors have
written. Use research resources as inspiration and support for your own original
explorations.
 Bring your work to a satisfactory end through informing readers what you have
done in the essay, what the “next steps” might be in solving an issue, or any of the
other methods we have studied during the course.
 Consult feedback given on previous assignments. Identify reoccurring errors
and opportunities to improve your writing.
 Review essay assignments given earlier in the course for very detailed writing
tips.
REMINDERS
Edit for spelling, word and term usages, sentence structure, punctuation, and grammar. A
link to Bucks’ online and in-person tutoring services are in the module.
Pay attention to formatting: Paragraph indents, spacing, title, headers, and punctuation.
Modern Language Association (MLA) citation and formatting standards need to be
observed throughout. MLA information is in the module.
This course uses the Bucks’ anti-plagiarism program, TurnItIn.com. Responses
submitted for this assignment are processed through this program when an assignment is
uploaded and compared to Internet sites, and previous and current student submissions
to other courses. Instances of plagiarism will result in a grade of “0” (“F”) for the final
paper and the possibility of further academic dishonesty charges. Make sure all quotes,
paraphrases, and ideas taken from sources are cited both in-text and in the works
cited!