You mustchoose your own topic
for this writing assignment.
Begin by reading several articles on your chosen topic. It would also help to read this prompt. A lack of peer reviewed sources will show an intellectual lazinessthat w. ill result in a lower grade than a variety of research sources that shows the courage, autonomy, integrity, andperseverancethat this course requires. Demonstrate a variety of information gathering techniques (textbooks, databases, journals, interviews, newspapers, and other types of sources). Your analysisof the content of these sources is ultimately what is being assessed. Have something to say about the quotes you use. There is a 25% borrowed material maximum.
As you research your topic, pay attention to the conceptsthat you find most intriguing. Do not settle for a revision of a worn out, overused argument. Look for what troubles you, and what inspires youabout the issue. This should then become the focusfor your paper. I expect you to apply your own good mind to the question at issue.Answer your questions. There should be a deep and broadanalysis of the research, not merely a summarization. The issue should be significant,your analysis clear, accurate, andlogical.
Your thesis should be an insightful answer to a specific questionat issue, not a statement that is broad, vague, or obvious.Underline your thesis for 3 extra points. Your support should be relevantand specific, well introduced, cited and interpreted, from at least three different disciplines or perspectives. Use sound reasoning in developing your thesis, and demonstrate critical thinking by addressing the elements and the standards of critical thinking to understand the research and to articulate your interpretationsof it. Anticipate questions and objections to your argument as part of a concession and refutation.
Reflect upon and articulate your own beliefs and assumptionsin an effort to understand what you took for granted, and consider theconsequencesof this reflection. Think about your thinking. I encourage you to not settle on the first idea that comes to mind. Get beyond the easy or surfaceimplicationsand use the tools of metacognition to push your thinking to where it gets interesting. Your first response may be adequate, but is not often insightful. Examine the values, beliefs, and habits which are a part of this topic and make connections to the nature and quality of life. Engage your imagination. Be energetic, innovative, and sophisticated.Tell me something I don’t know or haven’t thought of before.
This paper must be written in MLA format, 12 point Times New Roman font, double-spaced, 1-inch margins, with proper citation of quotes and paraphrases, and a work cited page. There is a potential 2 point deduction for each infraction. Document your sources appropriately. A sample paper appears in the MLA section of Rules for Writers.
Refer to theCRTW Essay Rubricfor grading guidelines: An A paper issuperior work that far exceeds the requirements of the assignment: All elements can be judged against the standards very favorably. The argument reaches sufficient interpretations with implications and consequences that are deep and broad. A failing grade is received when an argument is underdeveloped or when mechanical errors interfere with readability.