I am a foreign student who is not good at English, so please write in simple English!
ARGUMENTATIVE RESEARCH PAPER (6 PAGES)
Due Dates:
Monday, April 1 (draft for instructor comments)
Wednesday, May 8 (final)
Readings and Resources
Essentially, all of the texts that we have read in the course have been preparing you to write your documented research paper. Consult From Inquiry to Academic Writing for intellectual strategies to guide your inquiry.
The Writing Center is also an important resource, which allows the opportunity to talk over your research with outside readers. I strongly recommend visiting the Writing Center, or Zooming with me, as having the opportunity to talk about your research with another person is an extremely valuable activity.
Situation:
The goal of your writing a documented research paper is for you to become more familiar with a specific topic, while engaging with the ongoing conversation/debate that surrounds your point of interest. Your task is to specialize your knowledge towards your chosen inquiry and take a distinct position based on your research.
Task:
The research paper requires you to formulate a specific argument based on the general issues dealing with your topic. It is your choice as to the direction your research goes, but it is necessary that you formulate your own original claim that brings your insight into the ongoing discussion. As you work to formulate your claim, try to draw on your own unique knowledge as a citizen of certain kinds of communities and as a person with expertise in your major academic area. Your argument must be clear and central to your paper, and you must address other critical sources that either further develop or complicate your inquiry. The research paper is essentially a synthesis paper in which you draw your claim from a larger field of knowledge and where you must have conducted extensive research about your topic.
Sources, Documentation, and Format:
• Include a minimum of three credible sources which are relevant to your inquiry: book chapters or academic articles (print or on-line through the library databases) are best.
• You must cite each of your sources at least once in the body of your paper.
• In addition to your three sources, try to include your own original research on your topic. This could include interviews, surveys, and/or ethnographic observations.
• Follow MLA format. It must be typed, double-spaced with one-inch margins and 12-point Times New Roman font.
• Include in-text documentation and a complete works cited page, which acknowledges all sources used in your paper.
English 120 Documented Research Paper Evaluation Rubric
Taking a position: The writer articulates a position or thesis that contributes to a significant public conversation. The position relates to key themes discussed in class materials and work. The writer attends to the consequences of his or her position, its personal relevance, and the potential or real public impact.
Developing Arguments in Context: The writer understands that arguments emerge from important public and academic conversations in which participants respond to each other as if in dialogue. They question claims, ask questions about evidence, consider the appropriateness of the evidence, qualify their assertions, and address claims by naysayers.
Using Sources Effectively: The writer identifies and reviews appropriate source material relevant to his or her position, characterizes the sources’ arguments, discusses disciplinary methods and approaches, provides historical context, critiques the sources, and considers the sources’ perspectives.
Engaging Intellectual Strategies: The writer demonstrates the ability to engage in a dialogue of ideas with the sources used in the paper. The work is enhanced by the ability to summarize, analyze, and synthesize. In addition, writers demonstrate how appropriate paraphrasing and quoting contribute to this dialogue of ideas.
Using Language Appropriately: The writer makes grammatical and stylistic choices appropriate to the audience and purpose. The writer also cites sources appropriately, integrating the cited material into the writer’s work.
Documentation and Citation: The writer documents all instances of information taken from sources. In-text citations are used appropriately and the WORKS CITED page conforms to the style standards.
