Essay Requirements
At least 2000 words, MLA format, 12 point Times New Roman font, 1-inch margins, double spaced, single sided, and include a Work Cited page.
Assignment
We have analyzed and explored many themes in our readings for this class including race, education, gender, technology, poverty, ethics, and the environment. Keeping these themes in mind, I would like you to find a debatable issue within your own communities related to one of these topics and write about it; the idea of community can be interpreted broadly (high school community, the city you live in, an online community, family as community).
For this final essay, you will write a research narrative in which you will narrate your research experience using at least four outside sources (not including any of the readings out of 50 Essays). The essay should read like a first-person narrative that address the following sequence:
Explain what you know, assume, or imagine about the topic and why you selected to write about it.
Describe your process of finding and selecting sources. Do not just list databases or search engines. Make this section meaningful and helpful to someone that is a novice researcher possibly looking for helpful tips. Include the dead-ends and stray paths you encountered on your research journey and how you dealt with these obstacles.
Lastly, write about what you discovered. This should be the most significant part of your paper. What answers did you arrive at? What unanswered questions remain? Has your thinking changed in any way? This is where you share your findings.
Your thesis should address your topic, but does not necessarily have to be argumentative in a traditional sense. I encourage you to find differing viewpoints in your research that challenge your assumptions. You aren’t trying to win an argument or prove a point with this essay. Instead, showing vulnerability and uncertainty is an inherent part of this project. Your goal is to learn as much as you can about your topic of interest and share your findings.
Research
Four source minimum. These can include interviews that you conduct or observations, but some of your sources should be from news articles (local/national/international depending on the scope of your topic), peer reviewed essays from the library databases, books, magazines, or informational videos like TED.
Successful essays will…
use relevant and impactful outside sources
have a thesis that helps guide the reader
summarize the information and opinions you gathered from sources clearly, concisely, and accurately using proper MLA conventions
weave a compelling, organized, and thoughtful narrative
have thoughtful analysis and conclusions that follow logically from your summary and evaluation of your sources, as well as your preliminary thinking before embarking on your research.
(Have the topic be about technology in nursing and for nursing students)
