Introduction:
You can generate these [research] questions by responding to the rhetorical situation provided by your assignment and by considering what interests you the most about the topic. Even if your whole class is writing on the same topic, each person will present a different argument or approach to the issue . . . The way you make a research project your own is by developing powerful research questions. –Alfano and O’Brien
Assignment Description:
Select an issue related to any of the topics we have been discussing in class: body image, body art, crossing cultures, sports and media, photography, YouTube, gaming, sustainability, fashion, globalization, or any issue from any of the articles in Envision in Depth. Choose whatever subject you would like to more deeply explore. You are welcome to use claims of value, cause/effect, or policy (problem/solution).
• an introduction that sets up your argument about the article
• a thesis that makes a specific, debatable claim about the topic you have selected.
• effectively organized paragraphs with strong topic sentences and transitions
• Reference to or example from at least one article from Envision in Depth (can be a summary or paraphrase in your own words and sentence structure, or a brief, correctly integrated direct quotation)
• References to or examples from 2-3 reliable internet sites (can be summaries or paraphrases in your own words and sentence structure, or brief, correctly integrated direct quotations). If you are not sure the web source is reliable, send me the link and ask me.
Additional criteria:
• Clear argument or position on the issue you have chosen.
• Demonstrated understanding of analyzing texts, strategies of persuasion, and composing arguments as explained in Ch. 1-3
• Demonstrated understanding of finding and evaluating sources as explained in Ch. 4-5.
• Effective essay structure
• Clear and precise sentence-level rhetoric (grammar and structure)
Tips and Reminders:
• Your method of development will vary depending on which essay topic you choose.
• See “At a Glance” on page 67 and “Strategies of Arrangement” on page 68 (both in Ch. 3) for basic organization options.
• Be sure to back up your comments with specific details from a text we’ve discussed in class and from your Internet research. In other words, support what you are saying with paraphrases, and quotes from the texts. You will want to consult the information presented in Chapter 7 on “Avoiding Plagiarism and Documenting Sources,” as well as the APA online.